Genesis 49:11

Posted on February 18, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 49:11 Ligans ad vineam pullum suum, et ad vitem, o fili mi, asinam suam. Lavabit in vino stolam suam, et in sanguine uvæ pallium suum.

Binding his colt to the vine, and to the vine-branch, O my son, his she-ass; he will wash his garment in wine, and his cloak in the blood of the grape.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Ligans binding PRES.ACT.PTCP.NOM.SG.M
2 ad to PREP+ACC
3 vineam vine N.FEM.ACC.SG
4 pullum colt N.MASC.ACC.SG
5 suum his POSS.ADJ.MASC.ACC.SG
6 et and CONJ.COORD
7 ad to PREP+ACC
8 vitem vine-branch N.FEM.ACC.SG
9 o O INTERJ
10 fili son N.VOC.SG.M
11 mi my POSS.ADJ.VOC.SG.M
12 asinam she-ass N.FEM.ACC.SG
13 suam his POSS.ADJ.FEM.ACC.SG
14 Lavabit he will wash V.3SG.FUT.ACT.IND
15 in in PREP+ABL
16 vino wine N.NEUT.ABL.SG
17 stolam robe N.FEM.ACC.SG
18 suam his POSS.ADJ.FEM.ACC.SG
19 et and CONJ.COORD
20 in in PREP+ABL
21 sanguine blood N.MASC.ABL.SG
22 uvæ of the grape N.FEM.GEN.SG
23 pallium cloak N.NEUT.ACC.SG
24 suum his POSS.ADJ.NEUT.ACC.SG

Syntax

Participial clause: Ligans ad vineam pullum suum describes an implied subject (Judah or the ruler from Judah), performing an action of binding.
pullum suum is the direct object; ad vineam expresses destination.

Parallel phrase: et ad vitem … asinam suam continues the image with a second animal bound to a vine-branch.
The vocative o fili mi interrupts poetically as an address.

Predictive action: Lavabit in vino stolam suam is a future indicative: “he will wash his garment in wine.”
in vino is ablative of means.

Parallel washing clause: et in sanguine uvæ pallium suum parallels the first with hyperbolic abundance imagery—wine as plentiful as blood.

Morphology

  1. Ligans — Lemma: ligo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: present active participle nominative singular masculine; Function: circumstantial modifier describing the subject; Translation: binding; Notes: vivid participial opening.
  2. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses motion toward; Translation: to; Notes: directional.
  3. vineam — Lemma: vinea; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of ad; Translation: vine; Notes: symbol of fruitfulness.
  4. pullum — Lemma: pullus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object; Translation: colt; Notes: young animal, symbolic of prosperity.
  5. suum — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: modifies pullum; Translation: his; Notes: reflexive.
  6. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariant; Function: coordinates phrases; Translation: and; Notes: adds parallel image.
  7. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: indicates motion toward; Translation: to; Notes: parallels earlier ad.
  8. vitem — Lemma: vitis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of ad; Translation: vine-branch; Notes: variant but related vine term.
  9. o — Lemma: o; Part of Speech: interjection; Form: invariant; Function: introduces vocative; Translation: O; Notes: emotional address.
  10. fili — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: vocative singular masculine; Function: direct address; Translation: son; Notes: affectionate interruption.
  11. mi — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: vocative singular masculine; Function: modifies fili; Translation: my; Notes: warm pastoral tone.
  12. asinam — Lemma: asina; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object; Translation: she-ass; Notes: second animal in imagery.
  13. suam — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: modifies asinam; Translation: his; Notes: reflexive.
  14. Lavabit — Lemma: lavo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular future active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: he will wash; Notes: expresses abundance.
  15. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: ablative of means; Translation: in; Notes: metaphoric depth.
  16. vino — Lemma: vinum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: object of in; Translation: wine; Notes: symbol of abundance.
  17. stolam — Lemma: stola; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object of lavabit; Translation: garment/robe; Notes: upper garment.
  18. suam — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: modifies stolam; Translation: his; Notes: reflexive.
  19. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariant; Function: coordinates parallel action; Translation: and; Notes: links second washing clause.
  20. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: ablative of means; Translation: in; Notes: parallels earlier phrase.
  21. sanguine — Lemma: sanguis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of in; Translation: blood; Notes: metaphorical, meaning dark wine.
  22. uvæ — Lemma: uva; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: dependent genitive; Translation: of the grape; Notes: specifies origin of “blood.”
  23. pallium — Lemma: pallium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object; Translation: cloak; Notes: another garment.
  24. suum — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: modifies pallium; Translation: his; Notes: reflexive.

 

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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