Genesis 49:29

Posted on February 18, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gm 49:29 Et præcepit eis, dicens: Ego congregor ad populum meum: sepelite me cum patribus meis in spelunca duplici quæ est in agro Ephron Hethæi,

And he commanded them, saying: I am being gathered to my people; bury me with my fathers in the double cave which is in the field of Ephron the Hethite,

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Et and CONJ.COORD
2 præcepit he commanded V.3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
3 eis to them PRON.DAT.PL
4 dicens saying PRES.ACT.PTCP.NOM.SG.M
5 Ego I PRON.NOM.SG
6 congregor I am gathered V.1SG.PRES.IND.DEP
7 ad to PREP+ACC
8 populum people N.MASC.ACC.SG
9 meum my PRON.ACC.SG.M
10 sepelite bury V.2PL.PRES.ACT.IMP
11 me me PRON.ACC.SG
12 cum with PREP+ABL
13 patribus fathers N.MASC.ABL.PL
14 meis my PRON.ABL.PL.M
15 in in PREP+ABL
16 spelunca cave N.FEM.ABL.SG
17 duplici double ADJ.ABL.SG.F
18 quæ which PRON.NOM.SG.F
19 est is V.3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
20 in in PREP+ABL
21 agro field N.MASC.ABL.SG
22 Ephron Ephron PN.GEN.SG
23 Hethæi Hittite ADJ.GEN.SG.M

Syntax

Opening clause: Et præcepit eis, dicens —
præcepit is the main verb (“he commanded”),
eis the indirect object,
dicens introduces direct speech.

Direct speech, clause 1: Ego congregor ad populum meum —
congregor is deponent, meaning “I am being gathered.”
ad populum meum gives destination (“to my people”).

Direct speech, clause 2 (imperative): sepelite me cum patribus meis —
sepelite is a plural command;
cum patribus meis expresses association: “with my fathers.”

Relative clause: in spelunca duplici quæ est in agro Ephron Hethæi —
quæ est modifies spelunca duplici.
in agro Ephron Hethæi specifies the precise burial location.

Morphology

  1. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariant; Function: links narrative; Translation: and; Notes: simple connector.
  2. præcepit — Lemma: praecipio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: he commanded; Notes: formal instruction.
  3. eis — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative plural; Function: indirect object; Translation: to them; Notes: refers to Jacob’s sons.
  4. dicens — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: participle; Form: present active participle nominative singular masculine; Function: introduces quotation; Translation: saying; Notes: participial narrative device.
  5. Ego — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative singular; Function: subject; Translation: I; Notes: emphatic subject.
  6. congregor — Lemma: congregor; Part of Speech: deponent verb; Form: 1st person singular present indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: I am gathered; Notes: passive form, active sense.
  7. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: directional marker; Translation: to; Notes: expresses goal.
  8. populum — Lemma: populus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of ad; Translation: people; Notes: refers to ancestors.
  9. meum — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: modifies populum; Translation: my; Notes: personal lineage.
  10. sepelite — Lemma: sepelio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 2nd person plural present active imperative; Function: command; Translation: bury; Notes: final instructions.
  11. me — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular; Function: direct object; Translation: me; Notes: object of command.
  12. cum — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: accompaniment; Translation: with; Notes: burial association.
  13. patribus — Lemma: pater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: object of cum; Translation: fathers; Notes: Abraham, Isaac, etc.
  14. meis — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: modifies patribus; Translation: my; Notes: specifies proper burial place.
  15. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: locative; Translation: in; Notes: introduces burial location.
  16. spelunca — Lemma: spelunca; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of in; Translation: cave; Notes: burial chamber.
  17. duplici — Lemma: duplex; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: modifies spelunca; Translation: double; Notes: the Cave of Machpelah.
  18. quæ — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject of relative clause; Translation: which; Notes: refers to spelunca.
  19. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular present indicative; Function: copula; Translation: is; Notes: states location.
  20. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: locative; Translation: in; Notes: repeated for emphasis.
  21. agro — Lemma: ager; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of in; Translation: field; Notes: land parcel around the tomb.
  22. Ephron — Lemma: Ephron; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular; Function: dependent genitive; Translation: of Ephron; Notes: owner of the field.
  23. Hethæi — Lemma: Hethaeus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: modifies Ephron; Translation: the Hittite; Notes: ethnic designation.

 

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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