Genesis 47:20

Posted on February 16, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 47:20 Emit igitur Ioseph omnem Terram Ægypti, vendentibus singulis possessiones suas præ magnitudine famis. Subiecitque eam Pharaoni,

Therefore Joseph bought all the Land of Egypt, since each one was selling his possessions because of the greatness of the famine, and he subjected it to Pharao,

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Emit he bought 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 igitur therefore ADV
3 Ioseph Joseph NOM.SG.M
4 omnem all ACC.SG.F.ADJ
5 Terram land ACC.SG.F
6 Ægypti of Egypt GEN.SG.F
7 vendentibus selling ABL.PL.M/F.PRESPART
8 singulis each ABL.PL.M/F.ADJ
9 possessiones possessions ACC.PL.F
10 suas their ACC.PL.F.ADJ
11 præ because of PREP+ABL
12 magnitudine greatness ABL.SG.F
13 famis of the famine GEN.SG.F
14 Subiecitque and he subjected 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND+ENCLITIC
15 eam it ACC.SG.F.PRON
16 Pharaoni to Pharaoh DAT.SG.M

Syntax

Main Clause: Emit igitur Ioseph omnem Terram Ægypti — “Therefore Joseph bought all the land of Egypt.”
• Ioseph = subject
• Emit = main verb
• omnem Terram Ægypti = direct object + genitive dependent

Ablative Absolute / Circumstantial Construction: vendentibus singulis possessiones suas — “since each one was selling his possessions”
• Ablative plural participle vendentibus
• Ablative plural substantive singulis
• Direct object possessiones suas

Prepositional Causal Phrase: præ magnitudine famis — “because of the greatness of the famine”

Second Main Clause: Subiecitque eam Pharaoni — “and he subjected it to Pharaoh”
• Subiecit = second main verb
• eam = object
• Pharaoni = indirect object (dative)

Morphology

  1. Emit — Lemma: emo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative third singular; Function: main verb of the sentence; Translation: “he bought”; Notes: Refers to Joseph’s action during the famine.
  2. igitur — Lemma: igitur; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: inferential adverb; Function: links action to previous events; Translation: “therefore”; Notes: Signals logical consequence.
  3. Ioseph — Lemma: Ioseph; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “Joseph”; Notes: Agent performing the action.
  4. omnem — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: modifies Terram; Translation: “all”; Notes: Totality of the land.
  5. Terram — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object; Translation: “land”; Notes: Territory of Egypt.
  6. Ægypti — Lemma: Ægyptus; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: genitive of possession; Translation: “of Egypt”; Notes: Shows the land belongs to Egypt.
  7. vendentibus — Lemma: vendo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: ablative plural present active participle; Function: ablative absolute; Translation: “selling”; Notes: Describes the ongoing action during the famine.
  8. singulis — Lemma: singuli; Part of Speech: distributive adjective; Form: ablative plural masculine/feminine; Function: modifies understood persons; Translation: “each”; Notes: Emphasizes universality.
  9. possessiones — Lemma: possessio; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: direct object of vendentibus; Translation: “possessions”; Notes: Property sold to survive famine.
  10. suas — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: reflexive adjective; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: modifies possessiones; Translation: “their”; Notes: Reflexive to the sellers.
  11. præ — Lemma: præ; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses cause; Translation: “because of”; Notes: Strong causal force.
  12. magnitudine — Lemma: magnitudo; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of præ; Translation: “greatness”; Notes: Indicates severity.
  13. famis — Lemma: fames; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: genitive dependent; Translation: “of the famine”; Notes: Specifies what is great.
  14. Subiecitque — Lemma: subicio + que; Part of Speech: verb with enclitic; Form: perfect active indicative third singular; Function: second main verb; Translation: “and he subjected”; Notes: -que links to Emit.
  15. eam — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object of Subiecit; Translation: “it”; Notes: Refers to the land.
  16. Pharaoni — Lemma: Pharao; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to Pharaoh”; Notes: Indicates new ownership.

 

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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