Genesis 50:12

Posted on February 19, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 50:12 Fecerunt ergo filii Iacob sicut præceperat eis:

And the sons of Jacob did as he had commanded them;

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Fecerunt they did V.3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
2 ergo therefore ADV
3 filii sons N.MASC.NOM.PL
4 Iacob Jacob PN.GEN.SG
5 sicut as CONJ.SUBORD
6 præceperat he had commanded V.3SG.PLUPERF.ACT.IND
7 eis to them PRON.DAT.PL.M

Syntax

Main clause: Fecerunt ergo filii Iacob —
Fecerunt is the perfect verb (“they did”).
filii Iacob is the subject (“the sons of Jacob”).
ergo adds logical consequence (“therefore / so then”).

Subordinate clause: sicut præceperat eis —
sicut introduces a comparative clause (“as / just as”).
præceperat is pluperfect (“he had commanded”).
eis = dative plural pronoun (“to them”).

Morphology

  1. Fecerunt — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd plural perfect active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: they did; Notes: resumes narrative action.
  2. ergo — Lemma: ergo; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariant; Function: logical connector; Translation: therefore; Notes: signals consequence.
  3. filii — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject; Translation: sons; Notes: refers to Jacob’s children.
  4. Iacob — Lemma: Iacob; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular; Function: possessive; Translation: of Jacob; Notes: Hebrew patriarch.
  5. sicut — Lemma: sicut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariant; Function: introduces comparative clause; Translation: as / just as; Notes: marks conformity.
  6. præceperat — Lemma: præcipio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd singular pluperfect active indicative; Function: verb of subordinate clause; Translation: he had commanded; Notes: refers to Jacob’s previous instructions.
  7. eis — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative plural; Function: indirect object; Translation: to them; Notes: refers to the sons of Jacob.

 

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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