Genesis 50:8

Posted on February 19, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 50:8 domus Ioseph cum fratribus suis, absque parvulis et gregibus, atque armentis quæ dereliquerant in Terra Gessen.

the household of Joseph with his brothers, except the little ones and the flocks and the herds which they had left in the Land of Gessen.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 domus household N.FEM.NOM.SG
2 Ioseph of Joseph PN.GEN.SG
3 cum with PREP+ABL
4 fratribus brothers N.MASC.ABL.PL
5 suis his ADJ.ABL.PL.M (REFL)
6 absque except PREP+ABL
7 parvulis the little ones N.MASC.ABL.PL
8 et and CONJ.COORD
9 gregibus flocks N.MASC.ABL.PL
10 atque and also CONJ.COORD
11 armentis herds N.NEUT.ABL.PL
12 quæ which REL.PRON.NOM.PL.N
13 dereliquerant they had left V.3PL.PLUPERF.ACT.IND
14 in in PREP+ABL
15 Terra land N.FEM.ABL.SG
16 Gessen Goshen PN.ABL.SG

Syntax

Main phrase: domus Ioseph cum fratribus suis —
domus is the subject.
Ioseph is a possessive genitive (“the household of Joseph”).
cum fratribus suis is an ablative of accompaniment (“with his brothers”).

Prepositional exclusion: absque parvulis et gregibus atque armentis —
absque governs the ablative: “except the little ones, and the flocks, and the herds.”
These stayed behind and did not participate in the journey.

Relative clause: quæ dereliquerant in Terra Gessen —
quæ (neuter plural) refers to gregibus atque armentis.
dereliquerant (“they had left”) is pluperfect active.
in Terra Gessen is the locative phrase (“in the land of Gessen”).

Morphology

  1. domus — Lemma: domus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject; Translation: household; Notes: irregular noun.
  2. Ioseph — Lemma: Ioseph; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular; Function: modifies domus; Translation: of Joseph; Notes: indeclinable in some Latin sources but declined here.
  3. cum — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: accompaniment; Translation: with; Notes: standard usage.
  4. fratribus — Lemma: frater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: object of cum; Translation: brothers; Notes: refers to Joseph’s brothers.
  5. suis — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: reflexive possessive adjective; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: modifies fratribus; Translation: his; Notes: reflexive to subject domus Ioseph.
  6. absque — Lemma: absque; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: exclusion; Translation: except; Notes: used frequently in legal or formal Latin.
  7. parvulis — Lemma: parvulus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: object of absque; Translation: the little ones; Notes: refers to children.
  8. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariant; Function: connector; Translation: and; Notes: simple coordination.
  9. gregibus — Lemma: grex; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: object of absque; Translation: flocks; Notes: pastoral terminology.
  10. atque — Lemma: atque; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariant; Function: strong connector; Translation: and also; Notes: adds emphasis.
  11. armentis — Lemma: armentum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural neuter; Function: object of absque; Translation: herds; Notes: cattle terminology.
  12. quæ — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative plural neuter; Function: subject of dereliquerant; Translation: which; Notes: refers to flocks + herds as a neuter plural.
  13. dereliquerant — Lemma: derelinquo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd plural pluperfect active indicative; Function: verb of relative clause; Translation: they had left; Notes: expresses prior completed action.
  14. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: locative; Translation: in; Notes: geographic phrase.
  15. Terra — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of in; Translation: land; Notes: higher-level region term.
  16. Gessen — Lemma: Gessen; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: ablative singular; Function: proper name; Translation: Gessen; Notes: Egyptian region where Jacob’s family lived.

 

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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