Genesis 47:26

Posted on February 16, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 47:26 Ex eo tempore usque in præsentem diem in universa terra Ægypti regibus quinta pars solvitur, et factum est quasi in legem, absque terra sacerdotali, quæ libera ab hac conditione fuit.

From that time even to the present day in all the land of Egypt a fifth part is paid to the kings, and it became as though into a law, except for the priestly land, which was free from this condition.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Ex from PREP+ABL
2 eo that ABL.SG.M.DEM.PRON
3 tempore time ABL.SG.N
4 usque even to ADV/PREP
5 in to PREP+ACC
6 præsentem present ACC.SG.F.ADJ
7 diem day ACC.SG.M
8 in in PREP+ABL
9 universa all ABL.SG.F.ADJ
10 terra land ABL.SG.F
11 Ægypti of Egypt GEN.SG.F
12 regibus to the kings DAT.PL.M
13 quinta a fifth NOM.SG.F.ADJ
14 pars part NOM.SG.F
15 solvitur is paid 3SG.PRES.PASS.IND
16 et and CONJ
17 factum it became NOM.SG.N.PTCP.PERF.PASS
18 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
19 quasi as though ADV
20 in into PREP+ACC
21 legem a law ACC.SG.F
22 absque except PREP+ABL
23 terra the land ABL.SG.F
24 sacerdotali priestly ABL.SG.F.ADJ
25 quæ which NOM.SG.F.REL.PRO
26 libera free NOM.SG.F.ADJ
27 ab from PREP+ABL
28 hac this ABL.SG.F.DEM.ADJ
29 conditione condition ABL.SG.F
30 fuit was 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND

Syntax

Prepositional Opening: Ex eo tempore — “From that time.”
Temporal Extension: usque in præsentem diem — “even to the present day.”

Locative Phrase: in universa terra Ægypti — “in all the land of Egypt.”

Main Clause:
• quinta pars = subject
• solvitur = passive verb (“is paid”)
• regibus = indirect object

Resultative Clause: et factum est quasi in legem — “and it became as though into a law.”

Exception Phrase: absque terra sacerdotali — “except for the priestly land.”

Relative Clause: quæ libera ab hac conditione fuit — “which was free from this condition.”
• quæ = subject
• libera fuit = verb phrase
• ab hac conditione = ablative separation

Morphology

  1. Ex — Lemma: e/ex; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses origin; Translation: “from”; Notes: Temporal origin here.
  2. eo — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: modifies tempore; Translation: “that”; Notes: Demonstrative force.
  3. tempore — Lemma: tempus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: object of ex; Translation: “time”; Notes: Temporal sense.
  4. usque — Lemma: usque; Part of Speech: adverb/preposition; Form: indeclinable; Function: intensifies extension; Translation: “even to”; Notes: Strengthens limit.
  5. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses motion towards; Translation: “to”; Notes: With diem expresses “until.”
  6. præsentem — Lemma: praesens; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: modifies diem; Translation: “present”; Notes: Contemporary reference.
  7. diem — Lemma: dies; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of in; Translation: “day”; Notes: Accusative of goal.
  8. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: locative; Translation: “in”; Notes: Describes geographical scope.
  9. universa — Lemma: universus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: modifies terra; Translation: “all”; Notes: Emphasizes totality.
  10. terra — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of in; Translation: “land”; Notes: Geographic term.
  11. Ægypti — Lemma: Ægyptus; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: genitive of possession; Translation: “of Egypt”; Notes: Defines location.
  12. regibus — Lemma: rex; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative plural masculine; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to the kings”; Notes: Refers to Pharaohs.
  13. quinta — Lemma: quintus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: modifies pars; Translation: “a fifth”; Notes: Tax proportion.
  14. pars — Lemma: pars; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject; Translation: “part”; Notes: Tax portion.
  15. solvitur — Lemma: solvo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present passive indicative third singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “is paid”; Notes: Passive of regular taxation.
  16. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Function: joins clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Coordination.
  17. factum — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular neuter perfect passive; Function: predicate complement; Translation: “it became”; Notes: Used with est.
  18. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative third singular; Function: auxiliary; Translation: “is”; Notes: Helps form perfect passive construction.
  19. quasi — Lemma: quasi; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces comparison; Translation: “as though”; Notes: Shows approximation.
  20. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses transformation; Translation: “into”; Notes: Indicates result.
  21. legem — Lemma: lex; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of in; Translation: “law”; Notes: Legal status.
  22. absque — Lemma: absque; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses exception; Translation: “except”; Notes: Exclusion marker.
  23. terra — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of absque; Translation: “land”; Notes: Physical property.
  24. sacerdotali — Lemma: sacerdotalis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: modifies terra; Translation: “priestly”; Notes: Belonging to priests.
  25. quæ — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject of clause; Translation: “which”; Notes: Refers to priestly land.
  26. libera — Lemma: liber; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: predicate adjective; Translation: “free”; Notes: Describes exemption.
  27. ab — Lemma: ab; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses separation; Translation: “from”; Notes: Indicates exemption.
  28. hac — Lemma: hic; Part of Speech: demonstrative adjective; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: modifies conditione; Translation: “this”; Notes: Specific regulation.
  29. conditione — Lemma: condicio; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of ab; Translation: “condition”; Notes: Legal stipulation.
  30. fuit — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative third singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “was”; Notes: Simple statement of fact.

 

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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