Genesis 47:23

Posted on February 16, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 47:23 Dixit ergo Ioseph ad populos: En ut cernitis, et vos et terram vestram Pharao possidet: accipite semina, et serite agros,

Therefore Joseph said to the people: “Behold, as you see, both you and your land Pharao possesses; receive seed, and sow the fields,

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Dixit said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 ergo therefore ADV
3 Ioseph Joseph NOM.SG.M
4 ad to PREP+ACC
5 populos the people ACC.PL.M
6 En behold INTERJ
7 ut as CONJ
8 cernitis you see 2PL.PRES.ACT.IND
9 et and CONJ
10 vos you NOM.PL.PRON
11 et and CONJ
12 terram land ACC.SG.F
13 vestram your ACC.SG.F.ADJ
14 Pharao Pharaoh NOM.SG.M
15 possidet possesses 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
16 accipite receive 2PL.PRES.ACT.IMP
17 semina seed ACC.PL.N
18 et and CONJ
19 serite sow 2PL.PRES.ACT.IMP
20 agros fields ACC.PL.M

Syntax

Main Clause: Dixit ergo Ioseph ad populos — Joseph addresses the population.
Demonstrative-proclamatory clause: En ut cernitis — “Behold, as you see.”
Possession Statement: et vos et terram vestram Pharao possidet — “both you and your land Pharaoh possesses.”
• Pharao = subject
• possidet = verb
• vos and terram vestram = double object (accusative)

Imperatives:
• accipite semina — command to receive seed
• serite agros — command to work the land

Morphology

  1. Dixit — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative third singular; Function: main verb introducing speech; Translation: “said”; Notes: Marks narrative progression.
  2. ergo — Lemma: ergo; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: inferential; Function: logical connector; Translation: “therefore”; Notes: Shows consequence.
  3. Ioseph — Lemma: Ioseph; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “Joseph”; Notes: Speaker.
  4. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: indicates addressee; Translation: “to”; Notes: Signals direction of speech.
  5. populos — Lemma: populus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object of ad; Translation: “the people”; Notes: The Egyptian populace.
  6. En — Lemma: en; Part of Speech: interjection; Function: draws attention; Translation: “behold”; Notes: Strong demonstrative force.
  7. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Function: comparative marker; Translation: “as”; Notes: Introduces comparison clause.
  8. cernitis — Lemma: cerno; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative second plural; Function: verb of subordinate clause; Translation: “you see”; Notes: Visual perception.
  9. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Function: links coordinated items; Translation: “and”; Notes: First in a correlative pair.
  10. vos — Lemma: vos; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative plural; Function: first object of possidet; Translation: “you”; Notes: People are included as property.
  11. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Function: continues the correlative; Translation: “and”; Notes: Links to the second object.
  12. terram — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: second object; Translation: “land”; Notes: Represents their property.
  13. vestram — Lemma: vester; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: modifies terram; Translation: “your”; Notes: Belonging to the people.
  14. Pharao — Lemma: Pharao; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of possidet; Translation: “Pharaoh”; Notes: Holder of ownership.
  15. possidet — Lemma: possideo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative third singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “possesses”; Notes: Legal control.
  16. accipite — Lemma: accipio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperative present active second plural; Function: command; Translation: “receive”; Notes: Instruction to take seed.
  17. semina — Lemma: semen; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: object of accipite; Translation: “seed”; Notes: Provided for planting.
  18. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Function: joins imperatives; Translation: “and”; Notes: Connects commands.
  19. serite — Lemma: sero; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperative present active second plural; Function: command; Translation: “sow”; Notes: Agricultural labor ordered.
  20. agros — Lemma: ager; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object of serite; Translation: “fields”; Notes: The land they will cultivate.

 

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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