Genesis 49:26

Posted on February 18, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 49:26 Benedictiones patris tui confortatæ sunt benedictionibus patrum eius: donec veniret desiderium collium æternorum: fiant in capite Ioseph, et in vertice Nazaræi inter fratres suos.

The blessings of your father are strengthened beyond the blessings of his fathers, until the desire of the everlasting hills should come; let them be upon the head of Joseph, and upon the crown of the Nazarite among his brothers.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Benedictiones blessings N.FEM.NOM.PL
2 patris of the father N.MASC.GEN.SG
3 tui your PRON.GEN.SG
4 confortatæ strengthened PPP.NOM.PL.F
5 sunt have been V.3PL.PRES.ACT.IND
6 benedictionibus by the blessings N.FEM.ABL.PL
7 patrum of the fathers N.MASC.GEN.PL
8 eius his PRON.GEN.SG
9 donec until CONJ.SUBORD
10 veniret should come V.3SG.IMPFT.SUBJ.ACT
11 desiderium desire N.NEUT.NOM.SG
12 collium of the hills N.MASC.GEN.PL
13 æternorum everlasting ADJ.GEN.PL.M
14 fiant may they be V.3PL.PRES.SUBJ.ACT
15 in upon PREP+ABL
16 capite the head N.NEUT.ABL.SG
17 Ioseph Joseph PN.GEN.SG
18 et and CONJ.COORD
19 in upon PREP+ABL
20 vertice crown / top of head N.MASC.ABL.SG
21 Nazaræi of the Nazarite N.MASC.GEN.SG
22 inter among PREP+ACC
23 fratres brothers N.MASC.ACC.PL
24 suos his PRON.ACC.PL.M

Syntax

Clause 1: Benedictiones patris tui confortatæ sunt —
Benedictiones patris tui is the subject.
confortatæ sunt is the perfect passive verb (“have been strengthened”).
benedictionibus patrum eius supplies the means (“by the blessings of his fathers”).

Clause 2 (temporal): donec veniret desiderium collium æternorum —
donec introduces a temporal clause.
veniret (imperfect subjunctive) expresses anticipated fulfillment.
desiderium collium æternorum = “the desire of the everlasting hills.”

Clause 3 (optative): fiant in capite Ioseph —
fiant (present subjunctive) expresses a blessing-wish: “may they be.”
Two parallel prepositional complements follow:
in capite Ioseph and in vertice Nazaræi inter fratres suos.

Morphology

  1. Benedictiones — Lemma: benedictio; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural feminine; Function: subject; Translation: blessings; Notes: opening of the emphatic blessing formula.
  2. patris — Lemma: pater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessive genitive; Translation: of the father; Notes: modifies benedictiones.
  3. tui — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive singular; Function: possessive modifier; Translation: your; Notes: refers to Joseph.
  4. confortatæ — Lemma: conforto; Part of Speech: participle; Form: perfect passive participle nominative plural feminine; Function: part of main verb phrase; Translation: strengthened; Notes: “made strong, reinforced.”
  5. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person plural present indicative; Function: auxiliary; Translation: have been; Notes: completes passive construction.
  6. benedictionibus — Lemma: benedictio; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural feminine; Function: ablative of means; Translation: by the blessings; Notes: first of three parallel ablatives.
  7. patrum — Lemma: pater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: specifies source; Translation: of the fathers; Notes: refers to preceding patriarchs.
  8. eius — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive singular; Function: possessive; Translation: his; Notes: referring to Jacob.
  9. donec — Lemma: donec; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariant; Function: introduces temporal clause; Translation: until; Notes: takes subjunctive here.
  10. veniret — Lemma: venio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular imperfect subjunctive active; Function: verb of subordinate clause; Translation: should come; Notes: anticipated future goal.
  11. desiderium — Lemma: desiderium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: subject of veniret; Translation: desire; Notes: possibly messianic in interpretation.
  12. collium — Lemma: collis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: descriptive genitive; Translation: of the hills; Notes: poetic geography.
  13. æternorum — Lemma: aeternus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: modifies collium; Translation: everlasting; Notes: evokes ancient sacred places.
  14. fiant — Lemma: fio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person plural present subjunctive active; Function: optative verb; Translation: may they be; Notes: blessing formula.
  15. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: locative; Translation: upon; Notes: introduces place of resting.
  16. capite — Lemma: caput; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: object of in; Translation: head; Notes: symbolic of authority and honor.
  17. Ioseph — Lemma: Ioseph; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular; Function: dependent genitive; Translation: of Joseph; Notes: recipient of blessing.
  18. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariant; Function: coordination; Translation: and; Notes: joins parallel phrase.
  19. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: locative; Translation: upon; Notes: identical usage as earlier.
  20. vertice — Lemma: vertex; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of in; Translation: crown / top of head; Notes: poetic parallel to capite.
  21. Nazaræi — Lemma: Nazaraeus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: dependent genitive; Translation: of the Nazarite; Notes: title of consecration.
  22. inter — Lemma: inter; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: locative; Translation: among; Notes: emphasizes Joseph’s prominence.
  23. fratres — Lemma: frater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object of inter; Translation: brothers; Notes: Joseph’s siblings.
  24. suos — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: modifies fratres; Translation: his; Notes: reflexive possessive.

 

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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