Genesis 45:23

Posted on February 14, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Hn 45:23 tantumdem pecuniæ et vestium mittens patri suo, addens et asinos decem, qui subveherent ex omnibus divitiis Ægypti: et totidem asinas, triticum in itinere, panesque portantes.

sending to his father the same amount of money and of clothing, and adding also ten donkeys which would carry from all the riches of Egypt, and just as many she-asses, carrying grain for the journey and loaves.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 tantumdem just as much ACC.SG.N
2 pecuniae money GEN.SG.F
3 et and CONJ
4 vestium clothing GEN.PL.N
5 mittens sending NOM.SG.M.PRES.PTCP
6 patri to (his) father DAT.SG.M
7 suo his DAT.SG.M.REFL
8 addens adding NOM.SG.M.PRES.PTCP
9 et also / and CONJ
10 asinos donkeys ACC.PL.M
11 decem ten INVAR.NUM
12 qui who / which NOM.PL.M.REL.PRON
13 subveherent would carry 3PL.IMP.ACT.SUBJ
14 ex from PREP+ABL
15 omnibus all ABL.PL.N
16 divitiis riches ABL.PL.F
17 Aegypti of Egypt GEN.SG.F
18 et and CONJ
19 totidem just as many INVAR.NUM
20 asinas she-asses ACC.PL.F
21 triticum grain ACC.SG.N
22 in for PREP+ABL
23 itinere journey ABL.SG.N
24 panesque and loaves ACC.PL.M + ENCLITIC
25 portantes carrying NOM.PL.F.PRES.PTCP

Syntax

Main participial structure with coordinated participles:
• tantumdem pecuniae et vestium mittens patri suo — “sending to his father the same amount of money and clothing”
— Participial subject: mittens
— Genitives: pecuniae et vestium
— Dative: patri suo (recipient)

• addens et asinos decem — “and adding also ten donkeys”
— Second participle: addens
— Object: asinos decem

Relative clause modifying asinos decem:
• qui subveherent ex omnibus divitiis Aegypti — “which would carry from all the riches of Egypt”
— Relative pronoun: qui
— Verb (subjunctive of characteristic): subveherent
— Ablative of source: ex omnibus divitiis Aegypti

Coordinated parallel structure:
• et totidem asinas — “and just as many she-asses”
— Object parallel to asinos decem

Objects carried:
• triticum in itinere — “grain for the journey”
• panesque portantes — “and carrying loaves”
— Participial phrase: portantes modifying asinas

Morphology

  1. tantumdem — Lemma: tantundem; Part of Speech: pronoun/adverbial substantive; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of mittens; Translation: “the same amount”; Notes: expresses exact equality.
  2. pecuniae — Lemma: pecunia; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: genitive of measure with tantumdem; Translation: “of money”; Notes: partitive sense.
  3. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: joins nouns; Translation: “and”; Notes: simple connector.
  4. vestium — Lemma: vestis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural feminine; Function: genitive with tantumdem; Translation: “of clothing”; Notes: partitive.
  5. mittens — Lemma: mitto; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular masculine present active participle; Function: participial main predicate; Translation: “sending”; Notes: describes Joseph’s action.
  6. patri — Lemma: pater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to (his) father”; Notes: recipient of gifts.
  7. suo — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: reflexive possessive adjective; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: modifies patri; Translation: “his”; Notes: refers to Joseph.
  8. addens — Lemma: addo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular masculine present active participle; Function: coordinated participle; Translation: “adding”; Notes: second action by Joseph.
  9. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: adds new object; Translation: “and / also”; Notes: adds emphasis.
  10. asinos — Lemma: asinus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object of addens; Translation: “donkeys”; Notes: beasts of burden.
  11. decem — Lemma: decem; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies asinos; Translation: “ten”; Notes: exact count.
  12. qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject of subveherent; Translation: “which”; Notes: modifies asinos decem.
  13. subveherent — Lemma: subveho; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperfect active subjunctive 3rd plural; Function: verb of relative clause (characteristic); Translation: “would carry”; Notes: describes intended purpose.
  14. ex — Lemma: ex; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses source; Translation: “from”; Notes: indicates origin of goods.
  15. omnibus — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative plural neuter; Function: modifies divitiis; Translation: “all”; Notes: totality emphasized.
  16. divitiis — Lemma: divitiae; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural feminine; Function: object of ex; Translation: “riches”; Notes: wealth of Egypt.
  17. Aegypti — Lemma: Aegyptus; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: possessive genitive; Translation: “of Egypt”; Notes: specifies whose riches.
  18. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: introduces parallel object; Translation: “and”; Notes: simple connector.
  19. totidem — Lemma: totidem; Part of Speech: numeral/adverbial; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies asinas; Translation: “just as many”; Notes: exact numerical parallel.
  20. asinas — Lemma: asina; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: object; Translation: “she-asses”; Notes: female beasts of burden.
  21. triticum — Lemma: triticum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of implicit verb “carrying”; Translation: “grain”; Notes: food supply.
  22. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: purpose; Translation: “for”; Notes: expresses intended use.
  23. itinere — Lemma: iter; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: object of in; Translation: “journey”; Notes: context of travel.
  24. panesque — Lemma: panis + -que; Part of Speech: noun + enclitic; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: additional object; Translation: “and loaves”; Notes: food for the journey.
  25. portantes — Lemma: porto; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative plural feminine present active participle; Function: modifies asinas; Translation: “carrying”; Notes: describes task of the she-asses.

 

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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