Genesis 41:30

Posted on February 10, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 41:30 quos sequentur septem anni alii tantæ sterilitatis, ut oblivioni tradatur cuncta retro abundantia: consumptura est enim fames omnem terram,

which seven other years of such great barrenness will follow, that all former abundance will be consigned to oblivion; for famine will consume the whole land,

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 quos which REL.PRON.ACC.PL.M
2 sequentur will follow 3PL.FUT.DEP.IND
3 septem seven NUM.INVAR
4 anni years NOM.PL.M
5 alii other NOM.PL.M
6 tantae of such great GEN.SG.F
7 sterilitatis of barrenness GEN.SG.F
8 ut that CONJ
9 oblivioni to oblivion DAT.SG.F
10 tradur may be consigned 3SG.PRES.PASS.SUBJ
11 cuncta all NOM.PL.N
12 retro former ADV
13 abundantia abundance NOM.PL.N
14 consumptura going to consume NOM.SG.F.FUT.ACT.PTCP
15 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
16 enim for ADV
17 fames famine NOM.SG.F
18 omnem all ACC.SG.F
19 terram land ACC.SG.F

Syntax

Relative Clause:
• quos — object of sequentur, referring back to the seven fertile years.
• sequentur — future deponent, “will follow.”
• septem anni alii tantae sterilitatis — subject; “seven other years of such barrenness.”

Result Clause:
• Introduced by ut.
• oblivioni tradur cuncta retro abundantia — “all former abundance may be consigned to oblivion.”
— oblivioni = dative of purpose
— tradur = subjunctive in result clause
— cuncta retro abundantia = subject (“all the former abundance”)

New Independent Clause:
• consumptura est enim fames omnem terram — “for famine will consume the whole land.”
— fames = subject
— consumptura est = periphrastic future
— omnem terram = object

Morphology

  1. quos — Lemma: qui, quae, quod; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object of sequentur; Translation: “which”; Notes: refers to preceding seven fertile years.
  2. sequentur — Lemma: sequor; Part of Speech: deponent verb; Form: future indicative third person plural; Function: main verb of relative clause; Translation: “will follow”; Notes: deponent with active meaning.
  3. septem — Lemma: septem; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies anni; Translation: “seven”; Notes: cardinal number.
  4. anni — Lemma: annus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “years”; Notes: refers to years of famine.
  5. alii — Lemma: alius; Part of Speech: adjective/pronoun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: modifies anni; Translation: “other”; Notes: indicates sequence.
  6. tantae — Lemma: tantus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: modifies sterilitatis; Translation: “of such great”; Notes: intensifies severity.
  7. sterilitatis — Lemma: sterilitas; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: genitive of quality; Translation: “of barrenness”; Notes: contrasts with earlier abundance.
  8. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces result clause; Translation: “that”; Notes: standard result usage.
  9. oblivioni — Lemma: oblivio; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative singular feminine; Function: dative of purpose; Translation: “to oblivion”; Notes: goal of being consigned.
  10. tradur — Lemma: trado; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present passive subjunctive third person singular; Function: verb in result clause; Translation: “may be consigned”; Notes: passive of undesirable outcome.
  11. cuncta — Lemma: cunctus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative plural neuter; Function: subject of tradur; Translation: “all”; Notes: used substantively.
  12. retro — Lemma: retro; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: modifies abundantia; Translation: “former”; Notes: temporal adverb.
  13. abundantia — Lemma: abundantia; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural neuter; Function: subject with cuncta; Translation: “abundance”; Notes: refers to prior prosperity.
  14. consumptura — Lemma: consumo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular feminine future active participle; Function: predicate adjective with fames; Translation: “going to consume”; Notes: forms periphrastic future.
  15. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative third person singular; Function: auxiliary in periphrastic future; Translation: “is”; Notes: helps form future sense.
  16. enim — Lemma: enim; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: introduces explanation; Translation: “for”; Notes: explanatory particle.
  17. fames — Lemma: fames; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject; Translation: “famine”; Notes: personified in prophetic tone.
  18. omnem — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: modifies terram; Translation: “all”; Notes: total sweeping effect.
  19. terram — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object; Translation: “land”; Notes: the land of Egypt.

 

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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