Genesis 50:25

Posted on February 19, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 50:25 mortuus est, expletis centum decem vitæ suæ annis. Et conditus aromatibus, repositus est in loculo in Ægypto.

he died, when the one hundred ten years of his life had been completed. And having been embalmed with aromatics, he was placed in a coffin in Egypt.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 mortuus having died PTC.PERF.PASS.NOM.SG.M
2 est he was 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
3 expletis having been completed PTC.PERF.PASS.ABL.PL.N
4 centum one hundred NUM.INDECL
5 decem ten NUM.INDECL
6 vitæ of life N.F.GEN.SG
7 suæ his ADJ.F.GEN.SG
8 annis years N.M.ABL.PL
9 Et And CONJ
10 conditus having been embalmed PTC.PERF.PASS.NOM.SG.M
11 aromatibus with aromatics N.N.ABL.PL
12 repositus having been placed PTC.PERF.PASS.NOM.SG.M
13 est was 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
14 in in PREP+ABL
15 loculo coffin N.M.ABL.SG
16 in in PREP+ABL
17 Ægypto Egypt N.N.ABL.SG

Syntax

Main clause: The periphrastic unit mortuus est functions as the main predicate (“he died”).
The ablative absolute expletis centum decem vitæ suæ annis expresses the circumstance (“when the one hundred ten years of his life had been completed”).

Second clause: Two perfect passive participles—conditus and repositus—form passive periphrases with est, narrating sequential actions applied to the body.
The prepositional phrase in loculo marks the burial container, and in Ægypto marks the geographical setting.

Morphology

  1. mortuus — Lemma: morior; Part of Speech: deponent participle; Form: nominative singular masculine perfect participle; Function: predicate with est; Translation: having died; Notes: deponent verb with passive form but active meaning.
  2. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present indicative; Function: auxiliary completing mortuus; Translation: he was; Notes: forms periphrastic perfect.
  3. expletis — Lemma: expleo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: ablative plural neuter perfect passive participle; Function: part of ablative absolute; Translation: having been completed; Notes: modifies implied neuter plural (“years”).
  4. centum — Lemma: centum; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies annis; Translation: one hundred; Notes: combines with decem for 110.
  5. decem — Lemma: decem; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies annis; Translation: ten; Notes: completes the number “110.”
  6. vitæ — Lemma: vita; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: genitive of quality describing annis; Translation: of life; Notes: indicates whose lifespan is referenced.
  7. suæ — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: reflexive adjective; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: modifies vitæ; Translation: his; Notes: refers back to the subject.
  8. annis — Lemma: annus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: ablative absolute constituent; Translation: years; Notes: indicates length of life.
  9. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: links sentence units; Translation: And; Notes: simple connector.
  10. conditus — Lemma: condo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular masculine perfect passive participle; Function: predicate participle with est; Translation: having been embalmed; Notes: refers to preparation of the body.
  11. aromatibus — Lemma: aroma; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural neuter; Function: ablative of means; Translation: with aromatics; Notes: materials used for embalming.
  12. repositus — Lemma: repono; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular masculine perfect passive participle; Function: predicate with est; Translation: having been placed; Notes: describes burial placement.
  13. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present indicative; Function: auxiliary with repositus; Translation: was; Notes: completes passive periphrastic.
  14. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces location; Translation: in; Notes: spatial marker.
  15. loculo — Lemma: loculus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of in; Translation: coffin; Notes: burial container.
  16. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces wider location; Translation: in; Notes: repeated for emphasis.
  17. Ægypto — Lemma: Ægyptus; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: object of in; Translation: Egypt; Notes: identifies the geographical setting of the burial.

 

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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