Genesis 41:3

Posted on February 10, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 41:3 Aliæ quoque septem emergebant de flumine, fœdæ, confectæque macie: et pascebantur in ipsa amnis ripa in locis virentibus:

And other seven also were emerging from the river, foul and wasted with thinness, and they were grazing on the very bank of the river in green places;

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Aliæ other ADJ.NOM.PL.F
2 quoque also ADV
3 septem seven NUM.INDECL
4 emergebant were emerging V.3PL.IMPF.IND.ACT
5 de from PREP+ABL
6 flumine the river NOUN.ABL.SG.N
7 fœdæ foul ADJ.NOM.PL.F
8 confectæque and worn out V.PTCP.PERF.NOM.PL.F + ENCLITIC -QUE
9 macie with thinness NOUN.ABL.SG.F
10 et and CONJ
11 pascebantur were grazing V.3PL.IMPF.IND.PASS (DEPONENT MEANING)
12 in on PREP+ABL
13 ipsa the very ADJ.ABL.SG.F
14 amnis of the river NOUN.GEN.SG.M
15 ripa bank NOUN.ABL.SG.F
16 in in PREP+ABL
17 locis places NOUN.ABL.PL.M
18 virentibus green V.PTCP.PRES.ABL.PL.M

Syntax

Main clause:
Aliæ quoque septem emergebant de flumine — “And other seven were also emerging from the river.”
• Subject: Aliæ septem
• Verb: emergebant
• Prepositional phrase: de flumine

Description of subject:
fœdæ, confectæque macie — “foul and worn out with thinness.”
• Predicate adjectives describing the cows.
• macie: ablative of cause/instrument.

Secondary clause:
et pascebantur in ipsa amnis ripa — “and they were grazing on the very bank of the river.”
• pascebantur: deponent passive form, active meaning.
• Locative ablative phrase: in ipsa amnis ripa.

Additional locative phrase:
in locis virentibus — “in green places.”
• Ablative of location.

Morphology

  1. Aliæ — Lemma: alius; Part of Speech: adjective/pronoun; Form: nominative plural feminine; Function: subject; Translation: “other”; Notes: Refers to another set of cows.
  2. quoque — Lemma: quoque; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: additive intensifier; Translation: “also”; Notes: Emphasizes sequence of visions.
  3. septem — Lemma: septem; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: indeclinable; Function: quantifier; Translation: “seven”; Notes: Matches earlier vision.
  4. emergebant — Lemma: emergo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd plural imperfect indicative active; Function: main verb; Translation: “were emerging”; Notes: Imperfect denotes repeated visionary action.
  5. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses origin; Translation: “from”; Notes: Standard with motion upward/outward.
  6. flumine — Lemma: flumen; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: object of de; Translation: “river”; Notes: The Nile in context.
  7. fœdæ — Lemma: fœdus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative plural feminine; Function: predicate adjective; Translation: “foul”; Notes: Opposite of the first healthy cows.
  8. confectæque — Lemma: conficio; Part of Speech: verb participle; Form: perfect participle nominative plural feminine + enclitic -que; Function: predicate adjective; Translation: “and worn out”; Notes: Indicates extreme emaciation.
  9. macie — Lemma: macies; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: ablative of cause/instrument; Translation: “with thinness”; Notes: Describes wasting disease.
  10. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: links actions; Translation: “and”; Notes: Simple coordination.
  11. pascebantur — Lemma: pascor; Part of Speech: verb (deponent); Form: 3rd plural imperfect indicative passive (active sense); Function: verb; Translation: “were grazing”; Notes: Deponent: active meaning despite passive form.
  12. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: place where; Translation: “on/in”; Notes: Introduces location.
  13. ipsa — Lemma: ipse; Part of Speech: intensifying adjective/pronoun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: intensifier (“the very”); Translation: “the very”; Notes: Emphasizes direct proximity to river.
  14. amnis — Lemma: amnis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: modifies ripa; Translation: “of the river”; Notes: Classical poetic word retained in Vulgate.
  15. ripa — Lemma: ripa; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of in; Translation: “bank”; Notes: Ablative of place where.
  16. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces second location; Translation: “in”; Notes: Repetition stresses dual locations.
  17. locis — Lemma: locus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: object of in; Translation: “places”; Notes: General area description.
  18. virentibus — Lemma: virens; Part of Speech: present participle (adjectival); Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: modifies locis; Translation: “green”; Notes: Indicates fertile growth near the Nile.

 

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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