Genesis 50:10

Posted on February 19, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 50:10 Veneruntque ad Aream Atad, quæ sita est trans Iordanem: ubi celebrantes exequias planctu magno atque vehementi, impleverunt septem dies.

And they came to the Threshing Floor of Atad, which is situated across the Jordan; and there, celebrating the funeral rites with great and vehement lamentation, they completed seven days.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Veneruntque and they came V.3PL.PERF.ACT.IND + -QUE
2 ad to PREP+ACC
3 Areæ of the threshing floor N.FEM.ACC.SG (AREAM)
4 Atad Atad PN.ACC.SG
5 quæ which REL.PRON.NOM.SG.F
6 sita situated PPP.NOM.SG.F
7 est is V.3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
8 trans across PREP+ACC
9 Iordanem Jordan PN.ACC.SG
10 ubi where ADV.REL
11 celebrantes celebrating PRES.ACT.PTCP.NOM.PL.M
12 exequiās funeral rites N.FEM.ACC.PL
13 planctu with lamentation N.MASC.ABL.SG
14 magno great ADJ.ABL.SG.M
15 atque and also CONJ.COORD
16 vehementi vehement ADJ.ABL.SG.M
17 impleverunt they completed V.3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
18 septem seven NUM.INVAR
19 dies days N.MASC.ACC.PL

Syntax

Main clause: Veneruntque ad Aream Atad —
Veneruntque is perfect tense with enclitic -que.
ad Aream Atad marks destination: “to the threshing floor of Atad.”

Relative clause: quæ sita est trans Iordanem —
quæ refers to Area Atad.
sita est is a passive periphrastic meaning “is situated.”
trans Iordanem gives geographic location (“beyond/across the Jordan”).

Subordinate descriptive clause: ubi celebrantes exequias… impleverunt septem dies —
ubi introduces the place where the action occurred.
celebrantes exequias = “celebrating the funeral rites,” nominative plural participial phrase.
planctu magno atque vehementi = ablative of manner.
impleverunt septem dies = “they completed seven days,” the period of mourning.

Morphology

  1. Veneruntque — Lemma: venio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd plural perfect active indicative with -que; Function: main verb; Translation: and they came; Notes: -que connects to prior narrative.
  2. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: direction; Translation: to; Notes: indicates motion.
  3. Aream — Lemma: area; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of ad; Translation: threshing floor; Notes: proper locality.
  4. Atad — Lemma: Atad; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular; Function: proper name modifying area; Translation: Atad; Notes: toponym.
  5. quæ — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject of sita est; Translation: which; Notes: agrees with area.
  6. sita — Lemma: sino (as PPP situs); Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: predicate adjective; Translation: situated; Notes: forms passive periphrastic.
  7. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd singular present indicative; Function: auxiliary; Translation: is; Notes: completes periphrastic.
  8. trans — Lemma: trans; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: spatial relation; Translation: across; Notes: indicates location beyond Jordan River.
  9. Iordanem — Lemma: Iordanes; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of trans; Translation: Jordan; Notes: river name.
  10. ubi — Lemma: ubi; Part of Speech: relative adverb; Form: invariant; Function: introduces local clause; Translation: where; Notes: introduces descriptive action.
  11. celebrantes — Lemma: celebro; Part of Speech: participle; Form: present active participle nominative plural masculine; Function: subject with implied “they”; Translation: celebrating; Notes: describes action during mourning.
  12. exequiās — Lemma: exequiae; Part of Speech: noun (plurale tantum); Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: object of celebrantes; Translation: funeral rites; Notes: always plural in Latin.
  13. planctu — Lemma: planctus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: ablative of manner; Translation: with lamentation; Notes: ritual mourning.
  14. magno — Lemma: magnus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: modifies planctu; Translation: great; Notes: intensifies lamentation.
  15. atque — Lemma: atque; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariant; Function: joins adjectives; Translation: and also; Notes: stronger than et.
  16. vehementi — Lemma: vehemens; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: modifies planctu; Translation: vehement; Notes: intense emotional display.
  17. impleverunt — Lemma: impleo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd plural perfect active indicative; Function: main verb of the subordinate clause; Translation: they completed; Notes: technical term for completing ritual days.
  18. septem — Lemma: septem; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: indeclinable; Function: numerical modifier; Translation: seven; Notes: duration of mourning.
  19. dies — Lemma: dies; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object of impleverunt; Translation: days; Notes: duration of ritual lamentation.

 

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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