Genesis 47:4

Posted on February 16, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 47:4 Ad peregrinandum in terra tua venimus: quoniam non est herba gregibus servorum tuorum, ingravescente fame in terra Chanaan: petimusque ut esse nos iubeas servos tuos in Terra Gessen.

To sojourn in your land we have come, because there is no grass for the flocks of your servants, with the famine growing heavy in the land of Chanaan, and we ask that you command us to be your servants in the Land of Gessen.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Ad to PREP+ACC
2 peregrinandum sojourning ACC.SG.N GERUND
3 in in PREP+ABL
4 terra land ABL.SG.F
5 tua your ABL.SG.F.ADJ
6 venimus we have come 1PL.PERF.ACT.IND
7 quoniam because CONJ
8 non not ADV
9 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
10 herba grass NOM.SG.F
11 gregibus for the flocks DAT.PL.M
12 servorum of servants GEN.PL.M
13 tuorum your GEN.PL.M.ADJ
14 ingravescente with the famine growing heavy ABL.SG.F PPL.PRES.ACT
15 fame famine ABL.SG.F
16 in in PREP+ABL
17 terra land ABL.SG.F
18 Chanaan Canaan ABL.SG.F
19 petimusque and we ask 1PL.PRES.ACT.IND + ENCLITIC
20 ut that CONJ
21 esse to be PRES.ACT.INF
22 nos us ACC.PL
23 iubeas you command 2SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
24 servos servants ACC.PL.M
25 tuos your ACC.PL.M.ADJ
26 in in PREP+ABL
27 Terra Land ABL.SG.F
28 Gessen Goshen ABL.SG.F

Syntax

Purpose Construction: Ad peregrinandum expresses purpose “to sojourn.”
Main Clause: venimus is the principal verb: “we have come.”
Causal Clause: quoniam non est herba explains the reason.
Dative of Advantage: gregibus servorum tuorum shows who lacks grass.
Ablative Absolute: ingravescente fame forms a temporal–causal frame.
Petition Clause: petimusque ut iubeas introduces formal request.
Subordinate Clause: ut … iubeas nos esse servos tuos expresses desired command.

Morphology

  1. Ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: marks purpose; Translation: “to”; Notes: Introduces gerund construction.
  2. peregrinandum — Lemma: peregrinor; Part of Speech: gerund; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of ad; Translation: “sojourning”; Notes: Indicates temporary dwelling.
  3. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: locative expression; Translation: “in”; Notes: Standard ablative of place.
  4. terra — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: complement of in; Translation: “land”; Notes: Geographic context.
  5. tua — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: modifies terra; Translation: “your”; Notes: Addressing Pharaoh.
  6. venimus — Lemma: venio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative first person plural; Function: main verb; Translation: “we have come”; Notes: Completed action.
  7. quoniam — Lemma: quoniam; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: causal; Function: introduces reason; Translation: “because”; Notes: Strong causal marker.
  8. non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: adverbial; Function: negator; Translation: “not”; Notes: Negates est.
  9. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present indicative third singular; Function: copula; Translation: “is”; Notes: Simple linking verb.
  10. herba — Lemma: herba; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject; Translation: “grass”; Notes: The lacking resource.
  11. gregibus — Lemma: grex; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative plural masculine; Function: dative of advantage; Translation: “for the flocks”; Notes: Indicates affected party.
  12. servorum — Lemma: servus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: possession; Translation: “of servants”; Notes: Refers to those speaking.
  13. tuorum — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: modifies servorum; Translation: “your”; Notes: Honorific language.
  14. ingravescente — Lemma: ingravesco; Part of Speech: participle; Form: ablative singular feminine present active participle; Function: ablative absolute; Translation: “with … growing heavy”; Notes: Marks worsening condition.
  15. fame — Lemma: fames; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: noun in ablative absolute; Translation: “famine”; Notes: Severe drought context.
  16. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses location; Translation: “in”; Notes: Geographic region.
  17. terra — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: complement; Translation: “land”; Notes: As above.
  18. Chanaan — Lemma: Chanaan; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: modifies terra; Translation: “Chanaan”; Notes: Geographic location.
  19. petimusque — Lemma: peto; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative first person plural with enclitic -que; Function: introduces request; Translation: “and we ask”; Notes: -que links to prior clause.
  20. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: introduces subjunctive clause; Function: expresses desired command; Translation: “that”; Notes: Standard petition construction.
  21. esse — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active infinitive; Function: complement of iubeas; Translation: “to be”; Notes: Dependent infinitive.
  22. nos — Lemma: nos; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative plural; Function: subject of infinitive esse; Translation: “us”; Notes: Accusative + infinitive construction.
  23. iubeas — Lemma: iubeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active subjunctive second person singular; Function: verb of petition; Translation: “you command”; Notes: Subjunctive in subordinate clause.
  24. servos — Lemma: servus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: predicate of infinitive; Translation: “servants”; Notes: Expresses social status.
  25. tuos — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: modifies servos; Translation: “your”; Notes: Addressing Pharaoh.
  26. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: location; Translation: “in”; Notes: Spatial marker.
  27. Terra — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: complement of in; Translation: “land”; Notes: Repetition intensifies location.
  28. Gessen — Lemma: Gessen; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: specific location; Translation: “Gessen”; Notes: Egyptian region granted to Israel.

 

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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