Genesis 41:33

Posted on February 10, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 41:33 Nunc ergo provideat rex virum sapientem et industrium, et præficiat eum Terræ Ægypti:

Now therefore let the king provide a wise and industrious man, and set him over the Land of Egypt;

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Nunc now ADV
2 ergo therefore ADV
3 provideat let him provide 3SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
4 rex king NOM.SG.M
5 virum a man ACC.SG.M
6 sapientem wise ACC.SG.M
7 et and CONJ
8 industrium industrious ACC.SG.M
9 et and CONJ
10 praeficiat let him set over 3SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
11 eum him ACC.SG.M
12 Terrae of the land GEN.SG.F
13 Aegypti of Egypt GEN.SG.F

Syntax

Main Sentence:
• Nunc ergo — adverbial pair introducing inference and urgency (“Now therefore”).
• provideat rex — jussive subjunctive, “let the king provide.”
— rex is the subject.
— provideat expresses an exhortation.

Object Phrase:
• virum sapientem et industrium — the man to be appointed; both adjectives modify virum.

Second Subjunctive Clause:
• et praeficiat eum Terrae Aegypti — “and let him set him over the land of Egypt.”
— eum is the object of praeficiat.
— Terrae Aegypti is a genitive phrase expressing the domain of authority.

Morphology

  1. Nunc — Lemma: nunc; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: temporal marker; Translation: “now”; Notes: introduces transition into advice.
  2. ergo — Lemma: ergo; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: inferential connector; Translation: “therefore”; Notes: signals deduction from Joseph’s interpretation.
  3. provideat — Lemma: provideo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active subjunctive third person singular; Function: jussive subjunctive expressing recommendation; Translation: “let him provide”; Notes: Joseph offers counsel.
  4. rex — Lemma: rex; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “king”; Notes: refers to Pharaoh.
  5. virum — Lemma: vir; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of provideat; Translation: “man”; Notes: candidate for administrative appointment.
  6. sapientem — Lemma: sapiens; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: modifies virum; Translation: “wise”; Notes: intellectual qualification.
  7. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: joins adjectives; Translation: “and”; Notes: simple connector.
  8. industrium — Lemma: industrius; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: modifies virum; Translation: “industrious”; Notes: moral/practical qualification.
  9. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: coordinates the second jussive clause; Translation: “and”; Notes: links the actions.
  10. praeficiat — Lemma: praeficio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active subjunctive third person singular; Function: jussive subjunctive; Translation: “let him set over”; Notes: standard administrative verb.
  11. eum — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of praeficiat; Translation: “him”; Notes: refers to the wise and industrious man.
  12. Terrae — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: genitive with Aegypti; Translation: “of the land”; Notes: geographical possessive.
  13. Aegypti — Lemma: Aegyptus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: modifies Terrae; Translation: “of Egypt”; Notes: country under Pharaoh’s rule.

 

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.
This entry was posted in Genesis. Bookmark the permalink.

Comments are closed.