Genesis 46:30

Posted on February 15, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 46:30 Dixitque pater ad Ioseph: Iam lætus moriar, quia vidi faciem tuam, et superstitem te relinquo.

And the father said to Joseph: “Now gladly shall I die, because I have seen your face, and I leave you surviving.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Dixitque and said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND + QUE
2 pater father NOM.SG.M
3 ad to PREP+ACC
4 Ioseph Joseph ACC.SG.M
5 Iam now ADV
6 lætus glad NOM.SG.M.ADJ
7 moriar may die 1SG.PRES.SUBJ.DEP
8 quia because CONJ
9 vidi I have seen 1SG.PERF.ACT.IND
10 faciem face ACC.SG.F
11 tuam your ACC.SG.F.ADJ
12 et and CONJ
13 superstitem surviving ACC.SG.M.ADJ
14 te you ACC.SG.M
15 relinquo I leave 1SG.PRES.ACT.IND

Syntax

Main Clause: Dixitque pater ad Ioseph —
• Dixitque: main verb with enclitic “and”
• pater: subject
• ad Ioseph: indirect object (“to Joseph”)

Subordinate Clause (Content of Speech): Iam lætus moriar —
• Iam: temporal/emotional adverb (“now, already”)
• lætus: predicate adjective modifying the implied subject
• moriar: deponent verb in subjunctive expressing emotional intention

Causal Clause: quia vidi faciem tuam —
• quia: introduces reason
• vidi: perfect verb “I have seen”
• faciem tuam: object phrase (“your face”)

Coordinated Clause: et superstitem te relinquo —
• et: links second reason
• relinquo: main verb (“I leave”)
• te: object
• superstitem: complement (predicate adjective)

Morphology

  1. Dixitque — Lemma: dico + que; Part of Speech: verb with enclitic; Form: third person singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb linking narrative sequence; Translation: “and said”; Notes: enclitic -que joins this clause to the previous one.
  2. pater — Lemma: pater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of Dixitque; Translation: “father”; Notes: refers to Jacob.
  3. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces indirect object; Translation: “to”; Notes: marks direction toward Joseph.
  4. Ioseph — Lemma: Ioseph; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: indirect object of ad; Translation: “Joseph”; Notes: recipient of the speech.
  5. Iam — Lemma: iam; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies moriar; Translation: “now”; Notes: expresses readiness.
  6. lætus — Lemma: laetus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: predicate adjective; Translation: “glad”; Notes: describes emotional state of speaker.
  7. moriar — Lemma: morior; Part of Speech: deponent verb; Form: first person singular present subjunctive; Function: expresses emotional wish or readiness; Translation: “may die / shall die”; Notes: deponent in form but active in meaning.
  8. quia — Lemma: quia; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces causal clause; Translation: “because”; Notes: gives reason for readiness to die.
  9. vidi — Lemma: video; Part of Speech: verb; Form: first person singular perfect active indicative; Function: predicate of causal clause; Translation: “I have seen”; Notes: emphasizes completion.
  10. faciem — Lemma: facies; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of vidi; Translation: “face”; Notes: expresses reunion.
  11. tuam — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: modifies faciem; Translation: “your”; Notes: second-person possession.
  12. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: coordinating conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: links parallel reasons; Translation: “and”; Notes: simple coordination.
  13. superstitem — Lemma: superstes; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: predicate complement of te; Translation: “surviving”; Notes: contrasts Joseph’s survival with Jacob’s age.
  14. te — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of relinquo; Translation: “you”; Notes: direct recipient of the verb’s action.
  15. relinquo — Lemma: relinquo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: first person singular present active indicative; Function: second verb giving parallel reason; Translation: “I leave”; Notes: expresses emotional relief that Joseph remains alive.

 

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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