Genesis 47:12

Posted on February 16, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 47:12 Et alebat eos, omnemque domum patris sui, præbens cibaria singulis.

And he was feeding them, and all the household of his father, supplying food to each.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Et and CONJ
2 alebat he was feeding 3SG.IMPFT.ACT.IND
3 eos them ACC.PL.M
4 omnemque and all ACC.SG.F + ENCLITIC
5 domum household ACC.SG.F
6 patris of (his) father GEN.SG.M
7 sui his GEN.SG.M.ADJ
8 præbens supplying PRES.ACT.PTCP.NOM.SG.M
9 cibaria provisions ACC.PL.N
10 singulis to each DAT.PL

Syntax

Conjunction: Et links this sentence to the previous narrative.
Main Verb: alebat is the imperfect main verb, “he was feeding.”
Direct Object 1: eos — “them,” referring to Joseph’s family.
Direct Object 2 (with enclitic): omnemque domum patris sui — “and all the household of his father,” coordinated by -que.
Participial Phrase: præbens cibaria singulis — circumstantial participial phrase, “supplying provisions to each,” further describing how he fed them.
Dative of Advantage: singulis marks the beneficiaries, “to each (one).”

Morphology

  1. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating conjunction; Function: links this clause to the preceding sentence; Translation: “and”; Notes: Very common connective in narrative sequences.
  2. alebat — Lemma: alo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperfect active indicative third person singular; Function: main finite verb; Translation: “he was feeding / sustaining”; Notes: Imperfect tense highlights ongoing, continuous provision over time.
  3. eos — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: direct object of alebat; Translation: “them”; Notes: Refers to the immediate core group (father and brothers, with their households).
  4. omnemque — Lemma: omnis (+ -que); Part of Speech: adjective with enclitic conjunction; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: modifies domum and adds coordination via -que; Translation: “and all / and the whole”; Notes: The enclitic -que joins this object to eos, giving “them, and all the household…”.
  5. domum — Lemma: domus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object of alebat together with eos; Translation: “household”; Notes: Here “house” in the extended sense of family and dependents.
  6. patris — Lemma: pater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessive genitive modifying domum; Translation: “of (his) father”; Notes: Identifies the household as that of Jacob.
  7. sui — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective (reflexive); Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: reinforces possession with patris; Translation: “his”; Notes: Reflexive to Joseph, emphasizing “his own father.”
  8. præbens — Lemma: præbeo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: present active participle nominative singular masculine; Function: circumstantial participle agreeing with the subject (Joseph); Translation: “supplying / providing”; Notes: Describes the manner in which Joseph was feeding them.
  9. cibaria — Lemma: cibarium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: direct object of præbens; Translation: “provisions / food rations”; Notes: Often used of measured food supplies, especially in famine context.
  10. singulis — Lemma: singulus; Part of Speech: adjective used substantively; Form: dative plural (common gender); Function: dative of advantage with præbens; Translation: “to each (one)”; Notes: Emphasizes orderly, individual allocation of food.

 

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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