Genesis 41:27

Posted on February 10, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 41:27 Septem quoque boves tenues atque macilentæ, quæ ascenderunt post eas, et septem spicæ tenues, et vento urente percussæ, septem anni venturæ sunt famis.

The seven thin and gaunt cows also, which came up after them, and the seven thin ears, and those struck by the burning wind, are seven years of coming famine.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Septem seven NUM.INVAR
2 quoque also ADV
3 boves cows NOM.PL.F
4 tenues thin NOM.PL.F
5 atque and also CONJ
6 macilentae gaunt NOM.PL.F
7 quae which REL.PRON.NOM.PL.F
8 ascenderunt came up 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
9 post after PREP+ACC
10 eas them ACC.PL.F
11 et and CONJ
12 septem seven NUM.INVAR
13 spicae ears (of grain) NOM.PL.F
14 tenues thin NOM.PL.F
15 et and CONJ
16 vento by wind ABL.SG.M
17 urente burning ABL.SG.M.PRESP.PTCP
18 percussi struck NOM.PL.F.PPP
19 septem seven NUM.INVAR
20 anni years NOM.PL.M
21 venturae of coming GEN.SG.F.FUT.PASS.PTCP
22 sunt are 3PL.PRES.ACT.IND
23 famis of famine GEN.SG.F

Syntax

Subject Group 1:
Septem quoque boves tenues atque macilentae — “the seven thin and gaunt cows also.”
These form a compound subject describing the negative symbol.

Relative Clause:
• quae ascenderunt post eas — “which came up after them.”
— quae = subject
— ascenderunt = verb
— post eas = prepositional phrase (“after them,” the healthy cows).

Subject Group 2:
et septem spicae tenues — second symbolic subject.

Expanded Description:
• et vento urente percussi — “and those struck by the burning wind.”
Ablative of agent/cause: vento urente.
percussi modifies spicae.

Main Clause:
septem anni venturae sunt famis
• Predicate nominative: septem anni
• venturae — future passive participle, genitive modifying famis (“of coming famine”).
• sunt — copula.

Morphology

  1. Septem — Lemma: septem; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies boves; Translation: “seven”; Notes: cardinal number.
  2. quoque — Lemma: quoque; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: adds “also”; Translation: “also”; Notes: enclitic in meaning, not in form.
  3. boves — Lemma: bos; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural feminine; Function: subject; Translation: “cows”; Notes: feminine by context.
  4. tenues — Lemma: tenuis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative plural feminine; Function: modifies boves; Translation: “thin”; Notes: descriptive attribute.
  5. atque — Lemma: atque; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: intensifying conjunction (“and also”); Translation: “and also”; Notes: stronger than et.
  6. macilentae — Lemma: macilentus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative plural feminine; Function: modifies boves; Translation: “gaunt”; Notes: reinforces diseased condition.
  7. quae — Lemma: qui, quae, quod; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative plural feminine; Function: subject of relative clause; Translation: “which”; Notes: agrees with boves.
  8. ascenderunt — Lemma: ascendo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative third person plural; Function: verb of the relative clause; Translation: “came up”; Notes: completed action in dream narrative.
  9. post — Lemma: post; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: marks sequence; Translation: “after”; Notes: temporal.
  10. eas — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: object of post; Translation: “them”; Notes: refers to healthy cows.
  11. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: links subjects; Translation: “and”; Notes: coordinating.
  12. septem — Lemma: septem; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies spicae; Translation: “seven”; Notes: symbolic number.
  13. spicae — Lemma: spica; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural feminine; Function: subject; Translation: “ears (of grain)”; Notes: parallel symbol to cows.
  14. tenues — Lemma: tenuis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative plural feminine; Function: describes spicae; Translation: “thin”; Notes: parallels with diseased cattle.
  15. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: joins clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: links with blight description.
  16. vento — Lemma: ventus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: ablative of cause/agent; Translation: “by wind”; Notes: modifies urente.
  17. urente — Lemma: uro; Part of Speech: participle; Form: ablative singular masculine present active participle; Function: modifies vento; Translation: “burning”; Notes: describes scorching wind.
  18. percussi — Lemma: percutio; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative plural feminine perfect passive participle; Function: predicate modifying spicae; Translation: “struck”; Notes: describes damage.
  19. septem — Lemma: septem; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies anni; Translation: “seven”; Notes: symbolic count.
  20. anni — Lemma: annus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: predicate nominative; Translation: “years”; Notes: years of famine.
  21. venturae — Lemma: venturus; Part of Speech: participle; Form: genitive singular feminine future passive participle; Function: modifies famis; Translation: “of coming”; Notes: expresses impending condition.
  22. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative third person plural; Function: copula; Translation: “are”; Notes: identifies symbols.
  23. famis — Lemma: fames; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: modifies venturae; Translation: “of famine”; Notes: expresses the coming tribulation.

 

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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