Genesis 46:8

Posted on February 15, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 46:8 Hæc sunt autem nomina filiorum Israel, qui ingressi sunt in Ægyptum, ipse cum liberis suis. Primogenitus Ruben.

Now these are the names of the sons of Israel who entered into Egypt, he himself with his children. The firstborn, Ruben.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Hæc these NOM.PL.N
2 sunt are 3PL.PRES.ACT.IND
3 autem however CONJ
4 nomina names NOM.PL.N
5 filiorum of the sons GEN.PL.M
6 Israel Israel NOUN.INDECL
7 qui who NOM.PL.M
8 ingressi having entered NOM.PL.M.PERF.PTCP
9 sunt are 3PL.PRES.ACT.IND
10 in into PREP+ACC
11 Ægyptum Egypt ACC.SG.F
12 ipse he himself NOM.SG.M
13 cum with PREP+ABL
14 liberis children ABL.PL.M
15 suis his REFL.PRON.ABL.PL.M
16 Primogenitus firstborn NOM.SG.M
17 Ruben Ruben NOM.SG.M

Syntax

Main Clause: Hæc (subject) + sunt (verb) + nomina filiorum Israel (predicate nominative).
Relative Clause: qui (relative subject) + ingressi sunt (verb) + in Ægyptum (goal of motion).
Appositional Phrase: ipse cum liberis suis clarifies the inclusion of Israel himself and his children.
Naming Statement: Primogenitus Ruben — nominative absolute identifying the firstborn son.

Morphology

  1. Hæc — Lemma: hic; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: nominative plural neuter; Function: subject; Translation: “these”; Notes: neuter plural commonly introduces lists.
  2. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative third person plural; Function: copula; Translation: “are”; Notes: links subject to predicate.
  3. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: —; Function: mild contrast; Translation: “however”; Notes: postpositive particle.
  4. nomina — Lemma: nomen; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural neuter; Function: predicate nominative; Translation: “names”; Notes: introduces genealogical roster.
  5. filiorum — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: genitive of possession; Translation: “of the sons”; Notes: modifies nomina.
  6. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: proper noun (indeclinable); Form: indeclinable; Function: genitive modifier; Translation: “Israel”; Notes: Hebrew proper name treated as indeclinable.
  7. qui — Lemma: qui, quae, quod; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject of relative clause; Translation: “who”; Notes: refers to filii.
  8. ingressi — Lemma: ingredior; Part of Speech: participle (deponent verb); Form: nominative plural masculine perfect participle; Function: predicate in relative clause; Translation: “having entered”; Notes: perfect participle of deponent verb.
  9. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: auxiliary verb; Form: present indicative third person plural; Function: completes periphrastic participle; Translation: “are”; Notes: forms perfect of deponent ingredi.
  10. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: motion toward; Translation: “into”; Notes: indicates direction.
  11. Ægyptum — Lemma: Ægyptus; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of preposition; Translation: “Egypt”; Notes: destination of migration.
  12. ipse — Lemma: ipse; Part of Speech: intensive pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: apposition to Israel; Translation: “he himself”; Notes: emphasizes personal inclusion.
  13. cum — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: accompaniment; Translation: “with”; Notes: introduces companions.
  14. liberis — Lemma: liber; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: object of preposition; Translation: “children”; Notes: collective term.
  15. suis — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: reflexive possessive adjective; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: modifies liberis; Translation: “his”; Notes: reflexive to Israel.
  16. Primogenitus — Lemma: primogenitus; Part of Speech: adjective used as noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: nominal heading; Translation: “firstborn”; Notes: introduces lineage order.
  17. Ruben — Lemma: Ruben; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “Ruben”; Notes: name of Israel’s firstborn.

 

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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