Genesis 41:54

Posted on February 10, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 41:54 cœperunt venire septem anni inopiæ: quos prædixerat Ioseph: et in universo orbe fames prævaluit, in cuncta autem terra Ægypti panis erat.

the seven years of poverty began to come, which Joseph had foretold; and famine prevailed in the whole world, but in all the land of Egypt there was bread.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 cœperunt they began 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
2 venire to come PRES.ACT.INF
3 septem seven INDECL.NUM
4 anni years NOM.PL.M
5 inopiæ of poverty GEN.SG.F
6 quos which ACC.PL.M.REL
7 prædixerat had foretold 3SG.PLUP.ACT.IND
8 Ioseph Joseph NOM.SG.M
9 et and CONJ
10 in in PREP+ABL
11 universo whole ABL.SG.M
12 orbe world ABL.SG.M
13 fames famine NOM.SG.F
14 prævaluit prevailed 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
15 in in PREP+ABL
16 cuncta all ABL.SG.F
17 autem but ADV
18 terra land ABL.SG.F
19 Ægypti of Egypt GEN.SG.F
20 panis bread NOM.SG.M
21 erat there was 3SG.IMPF.ACT.IND

Syntax

Main Clause 1:
• cœperunt venire septem anni inopiæ — “the seven years of poverty began to come.”
— cœperunt = main verb (inceptive).
— venire = complementary infinitive.
— septem anni = subject phrase.
— inopiæ = genitive of quality.

Relative Clause:
• quos prædixerat Ioseph — “which Joseph had foretold.”
— quos = object of prædixerat referring to annos.
— prædixerat = pluperfect verb.
— Ioseph = subject.

Main Clause 2:
• in universo orbe fames prævaluit — “famine prevailed in the whole world.”
— fames = subject.
— prævaluit = verb.
— in universo orbe = locative phrase.

Adversative Clause:
• in cuncta autem terra Ægypti panis erat — “but in all the land of Egypt there was bread.”
— panis = subject.
— erat = verb.
— in cuncta terra Ægypti = contrastive location.

Morphology

  1. cœperunt — Lemma: cœpio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative third person plural; Function: main verb; Translation: “they began”; Notes: introduces new phase of narrative.
  2. venire — Lemma: venio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active infinitive; Function: complementary infinitive; Translation: “to come”; Notes: completes meaning of cœperunt.
  3. septem — Lemma: septem; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: invariable; Function: modifies anni; Translation: “seven”; Notes: cardinal number.
  4. anni — Lemma: annus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “years”; Notes: refers to famine years.
  5. inopiæ — Lemma: inopia; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: genitive of quality; Translation: “of poverty”; Notes: describes the nature of the years.
  6. quos — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object of prædixerat; Translation: “which”; Notes: refers back to annos.
  7. prædixerat — Lemma: prædico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: pluperfect active indicative third person singular; Function: main verb of the relative clause; Translation: “had foretold”; Notes: Joseph’s earlier prophecy fulfilled.
  8. Ioseph — Lemma: Ioseph; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of prædixerat; Translation: “Joseph”; Notes: Hebrew name preserved in Latin form.
  9. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: links clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: connects narrative units.
  10. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces locative phrase; Translation: “in”; Notes: spatial reference.
  11. universo — Lemma: universus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: modifies orbe; Translation: “whole”; Notes: totalizing term.
  12. orbe — Lemma: orbis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of in; Translation: “world”; Notes: refers to known inhabited world.
  13. fames — Lemma: fames; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject; Translation: “famine”; Notes: governing verb prævaluit.
  14. prævaluit — Lemma: prævaleo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative third person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “prevailed”; Notes: denotes dominance.
  15. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: spatial reference; Translation: “in”; Notes: repeats locative construction.
  16. cuncta — Lemma: cunctus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: modifies terra; Translation: “all”; Notes: stressed totality.
  17. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: adversative marker; Translation: “but”; Notes: contrasts Egypt with global famine.
  18. terra — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of in; Translation: “land”; Notes: refers to Egypt.
  19. Ægypti — Lemma: Ægyptus; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: genitive of possession; Translation: “of Egypt”; Notes: specifies region.
  20. panis — Lemma: panis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “bread”; Notes: metonym for food supply.
  21. erat — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperfect active indicative third person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “there was”; Notes: denotes ongoing condition.

 

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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