Genesis 50:14

Posted on February 19, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 50:14 Reversusque est Ioseph in Ægyptum cum fratribus suis, et omni comitatu, sepulto patre.

And Joseph returned into Egypt with his brothers, and with all the company, after his father had been buried.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Reversusque and having returned PPP.NOM.SG.M + -QUE
2 est he returned V.3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
3 Ioseph Joseph PN.NOM.SG
4 in into PREP+ACC
5 Ægyptum Egypt PN.ACC.SG
6 cum with PREP+ABL
7 fratribus brothers N.MASC.ABL.PL
8 suis his REFL.ADJ.ABL.PL.M
9 et and CONJ.COORD
10 omni all ADJ.ABL.SG.M
11 comitatu company N.MASC.ABL.SG
12 sepulto after being buried PPP.ABL.SG.M
13 patre father N.MASC.ABL.SG

Syntax

Main verb phrase: Reversusque est Ioseph —
Reversus … est forms a perfect passive/periphrastic meaning “he returned.”
-que connects with the previous narrative.
Ioseph is the subject.

Destination phrase: in Ægyptum —
Accusative of motion showing direction (“into Egypt”).

Accompaniment: cum fratribus suis, et omni comitatu —
Ablative with cum expresses accompanying persons (“with his brothers and all the company”).

Ablative absolute: sepulto patre —
Literally “with the father having been buried,” rendered more naturally as
“after his father had been buried.”
Expresses time/circumstance.

Morphology

  1. Reversusque — Lemma: revertor; Part of Speech: participle; Form: perfect participle nominative singular masculine with enclitic -que; Function: part of periphrastic verb; Translation: and having returned; Notes: deponent verb with active meaning.
  2. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd singular present indicative; Function: auxiliary; Translation: he returned; Notes: completes periphrastic perfect.
  3. Ioseph — Lemma: Ioseph; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular; Function: subject; Translation: Joseph; Notes: refers to the patriarch’s son.
  4. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: direction; Translation: into; Notes: movement toward Egypt.
  5. Ægyptum — Lemma: Ægyptus; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular; Function: destination; Translation: Egypt; Notes: land of Joseph’s rule.
  6. cum — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: accompaniment; Translation: with; Notes: standard marker of association.
  7. fratribus — Lemma: frater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: object of cum; Translation: brothers; Notes: Joseph’s brothers who carried Jacob.
  8. suis — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: reflexive adjective; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: modifies fratribus; Translation: his; Notes: reflects Joseph as reference.
  9. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariant; Function: coordination; Translation: and; Notes: joins coordinated elements.
  10. omni — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: modifies comitatu; Translation: all; Notes: indicates the entire escort.
  11. comitatu — Lemma: comitatus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of cum; Translation: company; Notes: refers to funeral procession attendants.
  12. sepulto — Lemma: sepelio; Part of Speech: participle; Form: perfect passive participle ablative singular masculine; Function: ablative absolute; Translation: after being buried; Notes: modifies patre.
  13. patre — Lemma: pater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: noun in ablative absolute; Translation: father; Notes: refers to 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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