Genesis 48:21

Posted on February 17, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 48:21 Et ait ad Ioseph filium suum: En ego morior, et erit Deus vobiscum, reducetque vos ad terram patrum vestrorum.

And he said to Joseph his son: “Behold, I am dying, and God will be with you, and He will bring you back to the land of your fathers.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Et and CONJ.COORD
2 ait said V.3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
3 ad to PREP+ACC
4 Ioseph Joseph PN.ACC.SG.M
5 filium son N.ACC.SG.M
6 suum his POSS.ADJ.ACC.SG.M
7 En behold INTERJ
8 ego I PRON.NOM.SG.1
9 morior I am dying V.1SG.PRES.DEP.IND
10 et and CONJ.COORD
11 erit will be V.3SG.FUT.ACT.IND
12 Deus God N.NOM.SG.M
13 vobiscum with you PREP+PRON.ABL.PL.2
14 reducetque and he will bring back V.3SG.FUT.ACT.IND+ENCL
15 vos you PRON.ACC.PL.2
16 ad to PREP+ACC
17 terram land N.FEM.ACC.SG
18 patrum of the fathers N.MASC.GEN.PL
19 vestrorum your POSS.ADJ.MASC.GEN.PL

Syntax

Speech introduction: Et ait ad Ioseph filium suum introduces Jacob speaking to Joseph.
ad with the accusative signals the addressee.

First declaration: En ego morior is an existential announcement.
En functions as a deictic marker, and morior is a present deponent meaning “I am dying.”

Prophetic assurance: et erit Deus vobiscum promises divine presence, with Deus as subject and vobiscum as the complement of accompaniment.

Future deliverance: reducetque vos ad terram patrum vestrorum expresses the promise of return to ancestral land.
reducetque contains an enclitic -que linking it to the prior assurance.

Morphology

  1. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariant; Function: links narrative units; Translation: and; Notes: standard narrative connector.
  2. ait — Lemma: aio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular perfect active indicative; Function: introduces direct speech; Translation: said; Notes: common biblical narration verb.
  3. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses direction toward Joseph; Translation: to; Notes: marks addressee.
  4. Ioseph — Lemma: Ioseph; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of ad; Translation: Joseph; Notes: recipient of speech.
  5. filium — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: apposition to Ioseph; Translation: son; Notes: clarifies relationship.
  6. suum — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: modifies filium; Translation: his; Notes: reflexive, referring to Jacob.
  7. En — Lemma: en; Part of Speech: interjection; Form: invariant; Function: calls attention; Translation: behold; Notes: introduces solemn declaration.
  8. ego — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative singular; Function: subject of morior; Translation: I; Notes: emphatic placement.
  9. morior — Lemma: morior; Part of Speech: deponent verb; Form: 1st person singular present indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: I am dying; Notes: deponent in form but active in meaning.
  10. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariant; Function: links clauses; Translation: and; Notes: joins future assurance.
  11. erit — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular future active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: will be; Notes: predictive future.
  12. Deus — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of erit; Translation: God; Notes: divine agent.
  13. vobiscum — Lemma: vos + cum; Part of Speech: prepositional pronoun; Form: ablative plural; Function: complement of accompaniment; Translation: with you; Notes: fused form of cum.
  14. reducetque — Lemma: reduco; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular future active indicative + -que; Function: future action; Translation: and he will bring back; Notes: enclitic adds linkage.
  15. vos — Lemma: vos; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative plural; Function: direct object of reducet; Translation: you; Notes: refers to Joseph’s family/descendants.
  16. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses motion toward; Translation: to; Notes: introduces destination.
  17. terram — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of ad; Translation: land; Notes: the Promised Land.
  18. patrum — Lemma: pater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: dependent genitive; Translation: of the fathers; Notes: patriarchal lineage.
  19. vestrorum — Lemma: vester; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: modifies patrum; Translation: your; Notes: refers to Israel’s ancestors.

 

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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