Genesis 39:5

Posted on February 8, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 39:5 benedixitque Dominus domui Ægyptii propter Ioseph, et multiplicavit tam in ædibus quam in agris cunctam eius substantiam:

and the LORD blessed the house of the Egyptian because of Joseph, and He multiplied all his substance both in the house and in the fields;

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 benedixitque and blessed V.3SG.PERF.ACT.IND + ENCLITIC -que
2 Dominus the LORD NOUN.NOM.SG.M
3 domui to the house NOUN.DAT.SG.F
4 Ægyptii of the Egyptian NOUN.GEN.SG.M
5 propter because of PREP+ACC
6 Ioseph Joseph NOUN.ACC.SG.M (proper)
7 et and CONJ
8 multiplicavit multiplied V.3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
9 tam as much / both ADV.CORR
10 in in PREP+ABL
11 ædibus in the house NOUN.ABL.PL.F
12 quam as / as also CONJ.CORR
13 in in PREP+ABL
14 agris in the fields NOUN.ABL.PL.M
15 cunctam all ADJ.ACC.SG.F
16 eius his PRON.POSS.GEN.SG.M
17 substantiam substance / wealth NOUN.ACC.SG.F

Syntax

Main Clause 1: benedixitque Dominus domui Ægyptii propter Ioseph — “And the LORD blessed the house of the Egyptian because of Joseph.” The dative domui Ægyptii marks the recipient of divine favor, and propter Ioseph expresses causation.
Main Clause 2: et multiplicavit … cunctam eius substantiam — second divine action, expanding all the Egyptian’s possessions.
Correlative Pair: tam … quam — “both … and,” balancing in ædibus (“in the house”) and in agris (“in the fields”).
The structure underscores total prosperity—divine blessing extended to every sphere of life through Joseph’s presence.

Morphology

  1. benedixitque — Lemma: benedīcō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular perfect indicative active + enclitic -que; Function: main verb; Translation: “and blessed”; Notes: Perfect tense marks decisive divine action in the narrative.
  2. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of benedixit; Translation: “the LORD”; Notes: Refers to YHWH, who acts through Joseph’s faithfulness.
  3. domui — Lemma: domus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative singular feminine; Function: indirect object of benedixit; Translation: “to the house”; Notes: Indicates the recipient of the blessing.
  4. Ægyptii — Lemma: Ægyptius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessive genitive modifying domui; Translation: “of the Egyptian”; Notes: Refers to Putiphar, Joseph’s master.
  5. propter — Lemma: propter; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses cause or reason; Translation: “because of”; Notes: Causal preposition linking blessing to Joseph’s presence.
  6. Ioseph — Lemma: Ioseph; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of propter; Translation: “Joseph”; Notes: Hebrew Yosep, “he adds”; cause of the household’s prosperity.
  7. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Function: joins clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Continues the sequence of divine favor.
  8. multiplicavit — Lemma: multiplicō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular perfect indicative active; Function: main verb; Translation: “multiplied”; Notes: Denotes tangible growth or increase of possessions.
  9. tam — Lemma: tam; Part of Speech: adverb; Function: part of correlative pair tam … quam; Translation: “both / as much”; Notes: Introduces first element of comparison.
  10. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: locative; Translation: “in”; Notes: Used spatially with both ædibus and agris.
  11. ædibus — Lemma: aedēs; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural feminine; Function: object of in; Translation: “in the house”; Notes: Refers to domestic realm of blessing.
  12. quam — Lemma: quam; Part of Speech: conjunction; Function: correlative with tam; Translation: “as / as also”; Notes: Introduces second element of the comparison.
  13. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: parallels previous prepositional phrase; Translation: “in”; Notes: Spatial repetition for rhetorical balance.
  14. agris — Lemma: ager; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: object of in; Translation: “in the fields”; Notes: Refers to agricultural prosperity.
  15. cunctam — Lemma: cunctus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: modifies substantiam; Translation: “all”; Notes: Expresses totality of possessions affected.
  16. eius — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessive modifier of substantiam; Translation: “his”; Notes: Refers to Putiphar, not Joseph.
  17. substantiam — Lemma: substantia; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object of multiplicavit; Translation: “substance / wealth”; Notes: Denotes all material and household possessions.

 

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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