Genesis 49:1

Posted on February 18, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 49:1 Vocavit autem Iacob filios suos, et ait eis: Congregamini, ut annunciem quæ ventura sunt vobis in diebus novissimis.

And Jacob called his sons and said to them: “Gather yourselves together, so that I may announce the things that are to come upon you in the last days.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Vocavit called V.3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 autem however ADV/CONJ
3 Iacob Jacob PN.NOM.SG.M
4 filios sons N.MASC.ACC.PL
5 suos his POSS.ADJ.MASC.ACC.PL
6 et and CONJ.COORD
7 ait said V.3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
8 eis to them PRON.DAT.PL.3
9 Congregamini gather yourselves V.2PL.PRES.PASS.IMP
10 ut so that CONJ.SUBORD
11 annunciem I may announce V.1SG.PRES.SUBJ.ACT
12 quæ the things which REL.PRON.NOM.PL.N
13 ventura about to come FUT.ACT.PTCP.NOM.PL.N
14 sunt are V.3PL.PRES.ACT.IND
15 vobis to you PRON.DAT.PL.2
16 in in PREP+ABL
17 diebus days N.MASC.ABL.PL
18 novissimis last ADJ.MASC.ABL.PL.SUPERL

Syntax

Main narrative: Vocavit autem Iacob filios suos contains the subject Iacob, the verb Vocavit, and the direct object filios suos. autem marks a narrative shift.

Speech introduction: et ait eis adds a second verb of speaking with eis as the indirect object.

Main command: Congregamini is a passive imperative meaning “assemble yourselves.”

Purpose clause: ut annunciem quæ ventura sunt vobis expresses Jacob’s intention.
annunciem is subjunctive in a purpose clause.
quæ ventura sunt acts as the direct object (“the things which are going to happen”).
vobis indicates the beneficiaries of future events.

Temporal phrase: in diebus novissimis sets the eschatological context (“in the last days”).

Morphology

  1. Vocavit — Lemma: voco; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular perfect active indicative; Function: main narrative verb; Translation: called; Notes: perfect signals completed action.
  2. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: conjunction/adverb; Form: invariant; Function: contrastive connective; Translation: however; Notes: classical postpositive use.
  3. Iacob — Lemma: Iacob; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: Jacob; Notes: patriarchal figure.
  4. filios — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object of Vocavit; Translation: sons; Notes: refers to the twelve sons.
  5. suos — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: modifies filios; Translation: his; Notes: reflexive possession.
  6. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariant; Function: links verbs; Translation: and; Notes: normal conjunction.
  7. ait — Lemma: aio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular perfect active indicative; Function: introduces speech; Translation: said; Notes: common biblical formula.
  8. eis — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative plural; Function: indirect object; Translation: to them; Notes: refers to the sons.
  9. Congregamini — Lemma: congrego; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 2nd person plural present passive imperative; Function: command; Translation: gather yourselves; Notes: deponent-like passive imperative in meaning.
  10. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariant; Function: introduces purpose clause; Translation: so that; Notes: governs subjunctive.
  11. annunciem — Lemma: annuncio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 1st person singular present active subjunctive; Function: verb of purpose clause; Translation: I may announce; Notes: subjunctive expresses intention.
  12. quæ — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative plural neuter; Function: subject of ventura sunt; Translation: the things which; Notes: neuter plural referencing unspecified events.
  13. ventura — Lemma: venio; Part of Speech: participle; Form: future active participle nominative plural neuter; Function: predicate participle; Translation: about to come; Notes: expresses imminence.
  14. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person plural present active indicative; Function: copula; Translation: are; Notes: links ventura with quæ.
  15. vobis — Lemma: vos; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative plural; Function: indirect object; Translation: to you; Notes: refers to Jacob’s sons.
  16. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces temporal phrase; Translation: in; Notes: standard temporal use.
  17. diebus — Lemma: dies; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: object of in; Translation: days; Notes: time expression.
  18. novissimis — Lemma: novissimus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative plural masculine superlative; Function: modifies diebus; Translation: last; Notes: eschatological terminology.

 

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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