Genesis 12:10

Posted on January 12, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 12:10 Facta est autem fames in terra: descenditque Abram in Ægyptum, ut peregrinaretur ibi: prævaluerat enim fames in terra.

But there was a famine in the land; and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there, for the famine had become severe in the land.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Facta having been made / occurred PERF.PASS.PART.NOM.SG.F
2 est was 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
3 autem however / but CONJ.ADV
4 fames famine NOM.SG.F
5 in in PREP+ABL
6 terra land ABL.SG.F
7 descenditque and he went down 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND + -QUE
8 Abram Abram NOM.SG.M
9 in into PREP+ACC
10 Ægyptum Egypt ACC.SG.F
11 ut so that / in order to CONJ.PURP
12 peregrinaretur he might sojourn 3SG.IMPF.SUBJ.DEP
13 ibi there ADV
14 prævaluerat had prevailed / had grown strong 3SG.PLUP.ACT.IND
15 enim for CONJ.CAUSAL
16 fames famine NOM.SG.F
17 in in PREP+ABL
18 terra land ABL.SG.F

Syntax

Main Clause 1: Facta est autem fames in terra — fames is the nominative subject; facta est forms a perfect passive periphrastic meaning “a famine occurred.”
Main Clause 2: descenditque Abram in Ægyptum — perfect verb descendit governs prepositional phrase in Ægyptum; the enclitic -que joins this clause with the previous one.
Purpose Clause: ut peregrinaretur ibi — ut introduces a clause of purpose; verb peregrinaretur (imperfect subjunctive) shows intent: “so that he might sojourn there.”
Causal Clause: prævaluerat enim fames in terra — enim introduces explanation; pluperfect verb prævaluerat emphasizes that the famine was already strong before Abram’s journey.

Morphology

  1. Facta — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: Verb (participle); Form: Perfect passive participle, nominative singular feminine; Function: Part of periphrastic verb phrase; Translation: “having been made / occurred”; Notes: Functions idiomatically as “arose” or “happened.”
  2. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect active indicative, 3rd person singular; Function: Auxiliary in periphrastic construction; Translation: “was”; Notes: Completes facta est meaning “came to be.”
  3. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: Conjunction/adverb; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Connective particle introducing new development; Translation: “but / however”; Notes: Common narrative transition in biblical Latin.
  4. fames — Lemma: fames; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular feminine; Function: Subject; Translation: “famine”; Notes: Denotes scarcity of food causing migration.
  5. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs ablative; Function: Locative; Translation: “in”; Notes: Marks the place affected by the famine.
  6. terra — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative singular feminine; Function: Object of in; Translation: “land”; Notes: Refers to the region of Canaan.
  7. descenditque — Lemma: descendo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect active indicative, 3rd person singular, with enclitic -que; Function: Main verb; Translation: “and he went down”; Notes: The perfect tense narrates the decisive action of Abram traveling to Egypt.
  8. Abram — Lemma: Abram; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Subject of descenditque; Translation: “Abram”; Notes: The patriarch is the narrative focus of divine testing.
  9. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs accusative; Function: Indicates motion toward; Translation: “into”; Notes: Used with motion verbs such as descendere.
  10. Ægyptum — Lemma: Ægyptus; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Accusative singular feminine; Function: Object of preposition in; Translation: “Egypt”; Notes: Symbol of refuge yet potential danger; frequent biblical motif.
  11. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Introduces purpose clause; Function: Expresses intention; Translation: “so that / in order to”; Notes: Followed by the subjunctive peregrinaretur.
  12. peregrinaretur — Lemma: peregrinor; Part of Speech: Verb (deponent); Form: Imperfect subjunctive, 3rd person singular; Function: Verb of purpose clause; Translation: “he might sojourn”; Notes: Deponent in form, active in meaning; expresses temporary residence.
  13. ibi — Lemma: ibi; Part of Speech: Adverb; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Locative adverb; Translation: “there”; Notes: Refers to Egypt as destination.
  14. prævaluerat — Lemma: prævaleo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Pluperfect active indicative, 3rd person singular; Function: Main verb of causal clause; Translation: “had become strong / severe”; Notes: Indicates worsening condition preceding Abram’s migration.
  15. enim — Lemma: enim; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Causal connector; Translation: “for”; Notes: Explains motivation for Abram’s journey.
  16. fames — Lemma: fames; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular feminine; Function: Subject of prævaluerat; Translation: “famine”; Notes: Repetition emphasizes severity of scarcity.
  17. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs ablative; Function: Locative preposition; Translation: “in”; Notes: Specifies the location of the famine’s effect.
  18. terra — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative singular feminine; Function: Object of in; Translation: “land”; Notes: Concludes the verse with repetition for narrative emphasis.

 

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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