Genesis 41:34

Posted on February 10, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

34 Qui constituat præpositos per cunctas regiones: et quintam partem fructuum per septem annos fertilitatis,

He may appoint overseers throughout all the regions, and take a fifth part of the produce during the seven years of abundance,

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Qui who REL.PRON.NOM.SG.M
2 constituat may appoint 3SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
3 praepositos overseers ACC.PL.M
4 per through PREP+ACC
5 cunctas all ACC.PL.F
6 regiones regions ACC.PL.F
7 et and CONJ
8 quintam a fifth ACC.SG.F
9 partem part ACC.SG.F
10 fructuum of the produce GEN.PL.M
11 per through / during PREP+ACC
12 septem seven NUM.INVAR
13 annos years ACC.PL.M
14 fertilitatis of abundance GEN.SG.F

Syntax

Relative Clause of Purpose:
• Qui constituat praepositos — “who may appoint overseers.”
— Qui refers back to the wise administrator Joseph recommends.
— constituat is a subjunctive expressing intended responsibility.

Prepositional Phrase:
• per cunctas regiones — “through all the regions” (distributive oversight).

Coordinated Verb Phrase:
• et quintam partem fructuum … — “and [take] a fifth part of the produce.”
(Implied verb: sumat from context; Latin often omits repeated verbs.)

Temporal Phrase:
• per septem annos fertilitatis — “during the seven years of abundance.”

Morphology

  1. Qui — Lemma: qui, quae, quod; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of constituat; Translation: “who”; Notes: refers to the administrative official to be appointed.
  2. constituat — Lemma: constituo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active subjunctive third person singular; Function: jussive/purpose; Translation: “may appoint”; Notes: expresses delegated authority.
  3. praepositos — Lemma: praepositus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: direct object of constituat; Translation: “overseers”; Notes: administrative officers.
  4. per — Lemma: per; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: distributive; Translation: “through”; Notes: indicates spatial coverage.
  5. cunctas — Lemma: cunctus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: modifies regiones; Translation: “all”; Notes: totality emphasized.
  6. regiones — Lemma: regio; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: object of per; Translation: “regions”; Notes: Egypt’s administrative districts.
  7. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: links appointing and collecting tasks; Translation: “and”; Notes: coordinates clauses.
  8. quintam — Lemma: quintus; Part of Speech: adjective (ordinal used partitively); Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: modifies partem; Translation: “a fifth”; Notes: refers to a tax or levy.
  9. partem — Lemma: pars; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of implied verb (e.g., sumat); Translation: “part”; Notes: partitive construction.
  10. fructuum — Lemma: fructus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: genitive of the whole; Translation: “of the produce”; Notes: agricultural yield.
  11. per — Lemma: per; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: temporal; Translation: “during”; Notes: spans time period.
  12. septem — Lemma: septem; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies annos; Translation: “seven”; Notes: cardinal number.
  13. annos — Lemma: annus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object of per; Translation: “years”; Notes: fertile years.
  14. fertilitatis — Lemma: fertilitas; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: genitive of quality; Translation: “of abundance”; Notes: contrasts with famine years.

 

About Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Born around 346 A.D. in Stridon, St. Jerome was a scholar fluent in Latin, Greek, and Hebrew whose ascetic discipline and deep engagement with Scripture prepared him for a monumental task: translating the Bible into Latin. Commissioned by Pope Damasus I around 382 A.D., Jerome began by revising the flawed Old Latin Gospels, then expanded his work to the entire Bible. For the New Testament, he corrected Latin texts using Greek manuscripts; for the Old Testament, he translated most books directly from Hebrew—a controversial but principled choice. His final Psalter, however, followed the Greek Septuagint tradition for liturgical use. This composite translation, later known as the Vulgate (editio vulgata), became the authoritative biblical text of the Western Church, formally endorsed at the Council of Trent in 1546. The Vulgate’s influence extends beyond theology into textual criticism and Latin education. As one of the earliest translations grounded in original-language scholarship, it offers a vital witness to the state of biblical texts in late antiquity. Jerome’s lexical and syntactic decisions are studied to trace manuscript history and assess variant readings. Its elegant Latin, consistent in grammar and rich in vocabulary, became a model for medieval and Renaissance learning, bridging classical and ecclesiastical Latin. More than a translation, the Vulgate helped define Christian doctrine, preserved the Latin language, and laid essential groundwork for the critical study of Scripture—remaining indispensable to students of Latin, theology, and textual history.
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