Genesis 50:7

Posted on February 19, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 50:7 Quo ascendente, ierunt cum eo omnes senes domus Pharaonis, cunctique maiores natu Terræ Ægypti:

And when he went up, all the elders of the house of Pharaoh went with him, and all the elders of the Land of Egypt;

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Quo when ABL.SG.M REL/ADV
2 ascendente as he was going up PRES.ACT.PTCP.ABL.SG.M
3 ierunt went V.3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
4 cum with PREP+ABL
5 eo him PRON.ABL.SG.M
6 omnes all ADJ.NOM.PL.M/F
7 senes elders N.MASC.NOM.PL
8 domus of the house N.FEM.GEN.SG
9 Pharaonis of Pharaoh PN.GEN.SG
10 cunctique and all ADJ.NOM.PL.M + -QUE
11 maiores elders ADJ.COMP.NOM.PL.M
12 natu by birth / in age SUPINE.ABL (ABL OF RESPECT)
13 Terræ of the land N.FEM.GEN.SG
14 Ægypti of Egypt N.FEM.GEN.SG

Syntax

Ablative absolute: Quo ascendente —
A temporal ablative absolute: “when he went up.”
quo refers to Joseph, and ascendente is the present participle.

Main clause: ierunt cum eo omnes senes domus Pharaonis —
ierunt is the perfect main verb (“went”).
omnes senes is the compound subject.
domus Pharaonis is a genitive phrase (“of the house of Pharaoh”) modifying senes.

Second coordinated subject: cunctique maiores natu Terræ Ægypti —
cuncti + -que = “and all.”
maiores natu = “elders by age,” a standard Latin idiom.
Terræ Ægypti is a double genitive (“of the land of Egypt”).

Morphology

  1. Quo — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative/locative adverb; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: ablative absolute; Translation: when; Notes: refers to Joseph implicitly.
  2. ascendente — Lemma: ascendo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: present active participle ablative singular masculine; Function: ablative absolute; Translation: going up; Notes: indicates simultaneous action.
  3. ierunt — Lemma: eo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd plural perfect active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: they went; Notes: perfective motion verb.
  4. cum — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: accompaniment; Translation: with; Notes: standard prepositional use.
  5. eo — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of cum; Translation: him; Notes: refers to Joseph.
  6. omnes — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: modifies senes; Translation: all; Notes: emphasizes total participation.
  7. senes — Lemma: senex; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject; Translation: elders; Notes: officials or dignitaries.
  8. domus — Lemma: domus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: possessive genitive; Translation: of the house; Notes: courtly household.
  9. Pharaonis — Lemma: Pharao; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular; Function: modifies domus; Translation: of Pharaoh; Notes: Egyptian monarchy.
  10. cunctique — Lemma: cunctus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative plural masculine + enclitic -que; Function: coordinated subject; Translation: and all; Notes: adds emphasis.
  11. maiores — Lemma: maior; Part of Speech: comparative adjective; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject; Translation: elders; Notes: “greater in years.”
  12. natu — Lemma: natus; Part of Speech: supine used adverbially (ablative of respect); Form: ablative singular; Function: specifies respect; Translation: in age / by birth; Notes: idiom: maiores natu.
  13. Terræ — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: possessive/genitive of place; Translation: of the land; Notes: geographic genitive.
  14. Ægypti — Lemma: Aegyptus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular; Function: modifies Terræ; Translation: of Egypt; Notes: official region name.

 

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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