Genesis 48:13

Posted on February 17, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 48:13 Et posuit Ephraim ad dexteram suam, id est, ad sinistram Israel: Manassen vero in sinistra sua, ad dexteram scilicet patris, applicuitque ambos ad eum.

And he placed Ephraim at his right hand, that is, at Israel’s left, but Manasses at his left, at his father’s right namely, and he brought them both near to him.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Et and CONJ.COORD
2 posuit placed V.3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
3 Ephraim Ephraim PN.MASC.ACC.SG
4 ad to, at PREP+ACC
5 dexteram right (hand) N.FEM.ACC.SG
6 suam his POSS.ADJ.FEM.ACC.SG
7 id that PRON.NEUT.NOM.SG
8 est is V.3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
9 ad to, at PREP+ACC
10 sinistram left (hand) N.FEM.ACC.SG
11 Israel of Israel PN.MASC.GEN.SG.INDECL
12 Manassen Manasseh PN.MASC.ACC.SG
13 vero but, indeed ADV.CONTRAST
14 in in PREP+ABL
15 sinistra the left (hand) N.FEM.ABL.SG
16 sua his POSS.ADJ.FEM.ABL.SG
17 ad to, at PREP+ACC
18 dexteram the right (hand) N.FEM.ACC.SG
19 scilicet namely ADV.EXPL
20 patris of (the) father N.MASC.GEN.SG
21 applicuitque and he brought near V.3SG.PERF.ACT.IND+ENCL
22 ambos both (of them) PRON.MASC.ACC.PL
23 ad to, toward PREP+ACC
24 eum him PRON.MASC.ACC.SG

Syntax

Main placement clause: The implicit subject (Joseph) is understood from context and expressed through the verb posuit.
The direct object is Ephraim, and his spatial position is given by the prepositional phrase ad dexteram suam, marking placement at his own right side.

Explanatory clause: The copular structure id est introduces an explanation, with id as the grammatical subject and est as the verb.
The phrase ad sinistram Israel functions as a predicate expression, clarifying that Joseph’s right corresponds to Israel’s left side.

Second placement focus: The accusative Manassen resumes the object focus. The phrase in sinistra sua indicates position at Joseph’s own left side, while
ad dexteram scilicet patris specifies this as the right side of the father, with scilicet marking an explanatory nuance.

Final action clause: The verb applicuitque (with enclitic -que) carries the main action of bringing near.
Its direct object is ambos, referring back to both sons, and the prepositional phrase ad eum marks the goal of motion, namely to the father.

Morphology

  1. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: coordinating conjunction; Form: invariant conjunction; Function: links this clause with the preceding narrative; Translation: and; Notes: standard connective marking continuation of the action sequence.
  2. posuit — Lemma: pono; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular perfect active indicative; Function: main finite verb describing the act of placing; Translation: placed; Notes: perfect aspect presents the placement as a completed event in the past.
  3. Ephraim — Lemma: Ephraim; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of posuit; Translation: Ephraim; Notes: names the younger son being positioned at the right side.
  4. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces a goal or orientation phrase; Translation: to, at; Notes: here expresses spatial placement toward the right side.
  5. dexteram — Lemma: dextera; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of the preposition ad; Translation: right (hand); Notes: denotes the right side or hand, a position of honor in biblical idiom.
  6. suam — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative singular feminine agreeing with dexteram; Function: specifies possession of the right hand; Translation: his; Notes: reflexive possessive, referring back to the subject Joseph rather than another male.
  7. id — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: grammatical subject of est; Translation: that; Notes: introduces an explanatory identification, preparing for the clarifying clause.
  8. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular present active indicative; Function: copula linking id with the predicate expression; Translation: is; Notes: marks a timeless explanatory statement rather than a new narrative event.
  9. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces the predicate prepositional phrase; Translation: to, at; Notes: helps define the spatial relation corresponding to the earlier right side.
  10. sinistram — Lemma: sinistra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of ad; Translation: left (hand); Notes: establishes the contrasting side, paired conceptually with dexteram.
  11. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular masculine (indeclinable form in spelling); Function: dependent genitive with sinistram, indicating whose left side; Translation: of Israel; Notes: refers to Jacob under his covenant name Israel, specifying his bodily orientation.
  12. Manassen — Lemma: Manasses; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object resuming the second son in the description of placement; Translation: Manasseh; Notes: the elder son, contrasted in position with Ephraim.
  13. vero — Lemma: vero; Part of Speech: adverbial particle; Form: invariant; Function: marks contrast or emphatic shift to Manasseh; Translation: but, indeed; Notes: signals a stylistic contrast rather than a separate temporal event.
  14. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces a locative phrase; Translation: in; Notes: used with ablative to indicate stable location rather than motion.
  15. sinistra — Lemma: sinistra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of in indicating place; Translation: the left (hand); Notes: parallels dexteram, setting up the mirrored arrangement of the sons.
  16. sua — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: ablative singular feminine agreeing with sinistra; Function: marks the left side as belonging to Joseph; Translation: his; Notes: again reflexive, anchoring the spatial description to Joseph’s body.
  17. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces another directional phrase; Translation: to, at; Notes: here helps relate Manasseh’s placement to the father’s right side.
  18. dexteram — Lemma: dextera; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of ad; Translation: the right (hand); Notes: now refers to the father’s right side, which corresponds to Joseph’s left.
  19. scilicet — Lemma: scilicet; Part of Speech: adverbial particle; Form: invariant; Function: signals clarification or explanation; Translation: namely; Notes: strengthens the explanatory tone, underlining that the right side is that of the father.
  20. patris — Lemma: pater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: dependent genitive with dexteram; Translation: of the father; Notes: identifies the father (Jacob) as the reference point for the right-hand position.
  21. applicuitque — Lemma: applico; Part of Speech: verb (with enclitic conjunction); Form: 3rd person singular perfect active indicative with enclitic -que; Function: main verb of the final clause, coordinated to the previous action; Translation: and he brought near; Notes: the enclitic adds coordination while the perfect form narrates a subsequent completed action of drawing the sons close.
  22. ambos — Lemma: ambo; Part of Speech: pronoun or numeral adjective; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: direct object of applicuitque; Translation: both (of them); Notes: sums up the two sons as a single unit being brought near.
  23. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces the goal of motion; Translation: to, toward; Notes: marks the direction of the action of bringing near.
  24. eum — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of the preposition ad; Translation: him; Notes: refers contextually to Israel (Jacob), the one to whom the sons are brought near for blessing.

 

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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