Genesis 48:20

Posted on February 17, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 48:20 Benedixitque eis in tempore illo, dicens: In te benedicetur Israel, atque dicetur: Faciat tibi Deus sicut Ephraim, et sicut Manasse. Constituitque Ephraim ante Manassen.

And he blessed them in that time, saying: “In you Israel shall be blessed, and it shall be said: ‘May God make you like Ephraim and like Manasses.’” And he set Ephraim before Manasses.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Benedixitque and he blessed V.3SG.PERF.ACT.IND+ENCL
2 eis them PRON.DAT.PL.M
3 in in PREP+ABL
4 tempore time N.NEUT.ABL.SG
5 illo that DEM.ADJ.ABL.SG.N
6 dicens saying PRP.PRES.ACT.NOM.SG.M
7 In in PREP+ABL
8 te you PRON.ABL.SG.2
9 benedicetur shall be blessed V.3SG.FUT.PASS.IND
10 Israel Israel PN.NOM.SG.M
11 atque and also CONJ.COORD
12 dicetur it shall be said V.3SG.FUT.PASS.IND
13 Faciat may He make V.3SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
14 tibi to you PRON.DAT.SG.2
15 Deus God N.NOM.SG.M
16 sicut as CONJ.COMP
17 Ephraim Ephraim PN.ACC.SG.M
18 et and CONJ.COORD
19 sicut as CONJ.COMP
20 Manasse Manasseh PN.ACC.SG.M
21 Constituitque and he set V.3SG.PERF.ACT.IND+ENCL
22 Ephraim Ephraim PN.ACC.SG.M
23 ante before PREP+ACC
24 Manassen Manasseh PN.ACC.SG.M

Syntax

Opening action: Benedixitque eis states Jacob’s blessing, with eis as the indirect object.

Temporal phrase: in tempore illo situates the blessing in a specific moment.

Participial frame: dicens introduces the content of the blessing.

Benediction formula: In te benedicetur Israel expresses that Israel will invoke blessing using the names of Ephraim and Manasseh.

Parallel passive: atque dicetur introduces the standard blessing formula.

Optative wish: Faciat tibi Deus sicut Ephraim, et sicut Manasse invokes God’s favor, using subjunctive Faciat.

Final narrative action: Constituitque Ephraim ante Manassen states Jacob’s deliberate placing of Ephraim before Manasseh.

Morphology

  1. Benedixitque — Lemma: benedico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular perfect active indicative + -que; Function: main narrative verb; Translation: and he blessed; Notes: enclitic joins with previous action.
  2. eis — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative plural masculine; Function: indirect object; Translation: to them; Notes: refers to Ephraim and Manasseh.
  3. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces temporal phrase; Translation: in; Notes: common with time expressions.
  4. tempore — Lemma: tempus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: object of in; Translation: time; Notes: temporal setting.
  5. illo — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: demonstrative adjective; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: modifies tempore; Translation: that; Notes: refers to the specific moment of blessing.
  6. dicens — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: participle; Form: present active participle nominative singular masculine; Function: introduces direct speech; Translation: saying; Notes: standard participial framing.
  7. In — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces blessing formula; Translation: in; Notes: marks agency or instrument.
  8. te — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: ablative singular; Function: complement of in; Translation: you; Notes: refers to Ephraim-Manasseh blessing tradition.
  9. benedicetur — Lemma: benedico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular future passive indicative; Function: prophetic passive; Translation: will be blessed; Notes: describes future tradition in Israel.
  10. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of benedicetur; Translation: Israel; Notes: collective national name.
  11. atque — Lemma: atque; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariant; Function: adds emphasis; Translation: and also; Notes: stronger than et.
  12. dicetur — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular future passive indicative; Function: introduces quoted blessing; Translation: it shall be said; Notes: formulaic language.
  13. Faciat — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular present active subjunctive; Function: jussive/optative; Translation: may God make; Notes: expresses blessing wish.
  14. tibi — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular; Function: indirect object of faciat; Translation: to you; Notes: recipient of blessing.
  15. Deus — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of faciat; Translation: God; Notes: divine agent of blessing.
  16. sicut — Lemma: sicut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariant; Function: comparative connector; Translation: as; Notes: introduces model of blessing.
  17. Ephraim — Lemma: Ephraim; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of sicut; Translation: Ephraim; Notes: first example.
  18. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariant; Function: joins comparison; Translation: and; Notes: links two exemplars.
  19. sicut — Lemma: sicut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariant; Function: comparative connector; Translation: as; Notes: repeated for parallelism.
  20. Manasse — Lemma: Manasses; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: second object of sicut; Translation: Manasseh; Notes: second exemplar.
  21. Constituitque — Lemma: constituo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular perfect active indicative + -que; Function: concludes narrative; Translation: and he set; Notes: formal placement.
  22. Ephraim — Lemma: Ephraim; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of constituit; Translation: Ephraim; Notes: younger son given precedence.
  23. ante — Lemma: ante; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: marks precedence; Translation: before; Notes: spatial and hierarchical.
  24. Manassen — Lemma: Manasses; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: complement of ante; Translation: Manasseh; Notes: elder son placed second.

 

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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