Genesis 48:15

Posted on February 17, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 48:15 Benedixitque Iacob filiis Ioseph, et ait: Deus, in cuius conspectu ambulaverunt patres mei Abraham, et Isaac, Deus qui pascit me ab adolescentia mea usque in præsentem diem:

And Jacob blessed the sons of Joseph, and said: “God, in whose sight my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, God who feeds me from my youth until the present day;

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Benedixitque and blessed V.3SG.PERF.ACT.IND+ENCL
2 Iacob Jacob PN.NOM.SG.M
3 filiis sons N.DAT.PL.M
4 Ioseph of Joseph PN.GEN.SG.M
5 et and CONJ.COORD
6 ait said V.3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
7 Deus God N.NOM.SG.M
8 in in PREP+ABL
9 cuius in whose REL.PRON.GEN.SG.M/N
10 conspectu sight N.ABL.SG.M
11 ambulaverunt walked V.3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
12 patres fathers N.NOM.PL.M
13 mei my POSS.ADJ.NOM.PL.M
14 Abraham Abraham PN.NOM.SG.M
15 et and CONJ.COORD
16 Isaac Isaac PN.NOM.SG.M
17 Deus God N.NOM.SG.M
18 qui who REL.PRON.NOM.SG.M
19 pascit feeds V.3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
20 me me PRON.ACC.SG.1
21 ab from PREP+ABL
22 adolescentia youth N.ABL.SG.F
23 mea my POSS.ADJ.ABL.SG.F
24 usque all the way, until ADV
25 in to, into PREP+ACC
26 præsentem present ADJ.ACC.SG.M
27 diem day N.ACC.SG.M

Syntax

Main clause: The verb Benedixitque (with enclitic –que) governs the indirect object filiis Ioseph, while Iacob stands as the nominative subject.

Speech introduction: The finite verb ait introduces the blessing formula spoken by Jacob.

Invocation clause: The noun Deus is the vocative-like nominative subject of a series of relative clauses.

Relative clause #1: in cuius conspectu ambulaverunt patres mei Abraham et Isaac describes the God in whose presence Abraham and Isaac walked.
The relative pronoun cuius links back to Deus, while ambulaverunt takes patres mei as its subject.

Relative clause #2: qui pascit me identifies God as the one who “feeds” Jacob.
The verb pascit governs the direct object me.

Temporal extension: The phrase ab adolescentia mea usque in præsentem diem marks the timeframe of divine care, with ab introducing the starting point and usque in marking the endpoint.

Morphology

  1. Benedixitque — Lemma: benedico; Part of Speech: verb with enclitic; Form: 3rd person singular perfect active indicative + -que; Function: main narrative verb; Translation: and blessed; Notes: enclitic joins action to preceding context.
  2. Iacob — Lemma: Iacob; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: Jacob; Notes: agent of the blessing.
  3. filiis — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative plural masculine; Function: indirect object; Translation: to the sons; Notes: beneficiary of the blessing.
  4. Ioseph — Lemma: Ioseph; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: dependent genitive; Translation: of Joseph; Notes: identifies whose sons.
  5. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariant; Function: coordinates verbs; Translation: and; Notes: simple connective.
  6. ait — Lemma: aio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular perfect active indicative; Function: introduces direct speech; Translation: said; Notes: standard narrative verb.
  7. Deus — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of relative clauses; Translation: God; Notes: invoked as the source of blessing.
  8. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces prepositional phrase; Translation: in; Notes: expresses location “in the sight of.”
  9. cuius — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: genitive singular; Function: links to Deus; Translation: whose; Notes: expresses relationship of possession.
  10. conspectu — Lemma: conspectus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of in; Translation: sight; Notes: refers to divine presence.
  11. ambulaverunt — Lemma: ambulo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person plural perfect active indicative; Function: verb of relative clause; Translation: walked; Notes: describes covenantal obedience.
  12. patres — Lemma: pater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject of ambulaverunt; Translation: fathers; Notes: refers to ancestors.
  13. mei — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: modifies patres; Translation: my; Notes: indicates Jacob’s lineage.
  14. Abraham — Lemma: Abraham; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: apposition to patres; Translation: Abraham; Notes: first patriarch.
  15. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariant; Function: links patriarchs; Translation: and; Notes: simple connector.
  16. Isaac — Lemma: Isaac; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: apposition to patres; Translation: Isaac; Notes: second patriarch.
  17. Deus — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of relative clause; Translation: God; Notes: resumes invocation after patriarchal reference.
  18. qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of pascit; Translation: who; Notes: begins second relative clause.
  19. pascit — Lemma: pasco; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular present active indicative; Function: main verb of relative clause; Translation: feeds; Notes: metaphor of shepherding care.
  20. me — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular; Function: object of pascit; Translation: me; Notes: refers to Jacob personally.
  21. ab — Lemma: ab; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces starting point; Translation: from; Notes: marks origin in time.
  22. adolescentia — Lemma: adolescentia; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of ab; Translation: youth; Notes: stage of early life.
  23. mea — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: modifies adolescentia; Translation: my; Notes: personalizes the timeframe.
  24. usque — Lemma: usque; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariant; Function: marks continuation; Translation: until; Notes: pairs with “in” to mark endpoint.
  25. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces final temporal endpoint; Translation: into; Notes: expresses arrival at present moment.
  26. præsentem — Lemma: praesens; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: modifies diem; Translation: present; Notes: temporal indicator.
  27. diem — Lemma: dies; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of in; Translation: day; Notes: completes the temporal span.

 

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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