Genesis 42:6

Posted on February 11, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 42:6 Et Ioseph erat princeps in terra Ægypti, atque ad eius nutum frumenta populis vendebantur. Cumque adorassent eum fratres sui,

And Joseph was the prince in the land of Egypt, and at his command grain was being sold to the peoples. And when his brothers had bowed before him,

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Et and CONJ
2 Ioseph Joseph NOM.SG.M
3 erat was 3SG.IMPF.ACT.IND
4 princeps chief / prince NOM.SG.M
5 in in PREP+ABL
6 terra land ABL.SG.F
7 Ægypti of Egypt GEN.SG.F
8 atque and CONJ
9 ad at PREP+ACC
10 eius his GEN.SG.M
11 nutum command / nod ACC.SG.M
12 frumenta grain NOM.PL.N
13 populis to the peoples DAT.PL.M
14 vendebantur were being sold 3PL.IMPF.PASS.IND
15 Cumque and when CONJ
16 adorassent had bowed 3PL.PLUPERF.ACT.SUBJ
17 eum him ACC.SG.M
18 fratres brothers NOM.PL.M
19 sui his NOM.PL.M.REFL

Syntax

Main Clause 1:
• Et Ioseph erat princeps in terra Ægypti — “And Joseph was the prince in the land of Egypt.”
— Ioseph = subject.
— princeps = predicate nominative.
— in terra Ægypti = locative phrase.

Coordinated Clause:
• atque ad eius nutum frumenta populis vendebantur — “and at his command grain was being sold to the peoples.”
— ad eius nutum = idiom meaning “at his command.”
— frumenta = subject of passive verb.
— populis = indirect object.
— vendebantur = passive, describing ongoing distribution.

Temporal Clause:
• Cumque adorassent eum fratres sui — “And when his brothers had bowed before him,”
— cum + pluperfect subjunctive indicates prior completed action.
— fratres sui = subject (with reflexive indicating “his own brothers”).
— eum = direct object.

Morphology

  1. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: connects clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: common narrative connector.
  2. Ioseph — Lemma: Ioseph; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “Joseph”; Notes: central figure in narrative.
  3. erat — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperfect active indicative third person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “was”; Notes: background description.
  4. princeps — Lemma: princeps; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: predicate nominative; Translation: “prince / chief”; Notes: denotes high administrative authority.
  5. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses location; Translation: “in”; Notes: static location.
  6. terra — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of in; Translation: “land”; Notes: part of locative phrase.
  7. Ægypti — Lemma: Ægyptus; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: genitive of place; Translation: “of Egypt”; Notes: Vulgate spelling preserved.
  8. atque — Lemma: atque; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: strong connector; Translation: “and”; Notes: intensifies connection.
  9. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses relation; Translation: “at / to”; Notes: part of idiom “ad nutum.”
  10. eius — Lemma: eius; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessive modifier; Translation: “his”; Notes: refers to Joseph.
  11. nutum — Lemma: nutus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of ad; Translation: “command / nod”; Notes: idiom meaning “command.”
  12. frumenta — Lemma: frumentum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural neuter; Function: subject of passive verb; Translation: “grain”; Notes: bulk grain distribution.
  13. populis — Lemma: populus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative plural masculine; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to the peoples”; Notes: broader than “tribes,” includes all buyers.
  14. vendebantur — Lemma: vendo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperfect passive indicative third person plural; Function: main verb; Translation: “were being sold”; Notes: describes continual practice.
  15. Cumque — Lemma: cum + que; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: temporal connector; Translation: “and when”; Notes: signals transition.
  16. adorassent — Lemma: adoro; Part of Speech: verb; Form: pluperfect active subjunctive third person plural; Function: verb of temporal clause; Translation: “had bowed”; Notes: respectful prostration.
  17. eum — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object; Translation: “him”; Notes: refers to Joseph.
  18. fratres — Lemma: frater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject of subordinate clause; Translation: “brothers”; Notes: the sons of Jacob.
  19. sui — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: reflexive adjective; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: modifies fratres; Translation: “his”; Notes: reflexive, referring back to Joseph.

 

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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