Genesis 41:43

Posted on February 10, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 41:43 Fecitque eum ascendere super currum suum secundum, clamante præcone, ut omnes coram eo genuflecterent, et præpositum esse scirent universæ Terræ Ægypti.

And he made him go up over his second chariot, with a herald crying out, that all might kneel before him, and that they might know he was appointed over all the Land of Egypt.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Fecitque and he made 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND + -QUE
2 eum him ACC.SG.M
3 ascendere to ascend PRES.ACT.INF
4 super over PREP+ACC
5 currum chariot ACC.SG.M
6 suum his ACC.SG.M
7 secundum second ACC.SG.M
8 clamante crying out ABL.SG.M.PRES.ACT.PTCP
9 praecone herald ABL.SG.M
10 ut that CONJ
11 omnes all NOM.PL.M
12 coram before PREP+ABL
13 eo him ABL.SG.M
14 genuflecterent might kneel 3PL.IMP.ACT.SUBJ
15 et and CONJ
16 praepositum appointed ACC.SG.M.PERF.PASS.PTCP
17 esse to be PRES.ACT.INF
18 scirent might know 3PL.IMP.ACT.SUBJ
19 universae of all GEN.SG.F
20 Terrae of the Land GEN.SG.F
21 Aegypti of Egypt GEN.SG.F

Syntax

Main Clause:
• Fecitque eum ascendere super currum suum secundum — “And he made him ascend over his second chariot.”
— Fecitque = causative main verb.
— eum = object of causative.
— ascendere = complementary infinitive.
— super currum suum secundum = prepositional phrase of location.

Participial Phrase:
• clamante praecone — “with a herald crying out.”
— Ablative absolute expressing attendant circumstance.

Purpose Clauses (two coordinated):
1. ut omnes coram eo genuflecterent — “that all might kneel before him.”
— genuflecterent = imperfect subjunctive in a purpose clause.

2. et praepositum esse scirent universae Terrae Aegypti — “and that they might know he was appointed over all the Land of Egypt.”
— scirent = main subjunctive verb.
— praepositum esse = infinitive clause (accusative + infinitive).
— universae Terrae Aegypti = genitive phrase modifying the implied domain.

Morphology

  1. Fecitque — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: verb + enclitic; Form: perfect active indicative third person singular; Function: causative main verb; Translation: “and he made”; Notes: -que links actions.
  2. eum — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of causative; Translation: “him”; Notes: refers to Joseph.
  3. ascendere — Lemma: ascendo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active infinitive; Function: complementary infinitive; Translation: “to ascend”; Notes: expresses caused action.
  4. super — Lemma: super; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses authority/position; Translation: “over”; Notes: royal vehicle.
  5. currum — Lemma: currus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of super; Translation: “chariot”; Notes: Pharaoh’s ceremonial chariot.
  6. suum — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: modifies currum; Translation: “his”; Notes: reflexive, referring to Pharaoh.
  7. secundum — Lemma: secundus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: modifies currum; Translation: “second”; Notes: Joseph’s chariot of rank.
  8. clamante — Lemma: clamo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: ablative singular masculine present active participle; Function: ablative absolute; Translation: “crying out”; Notes: herald’s proclamation.
  9. praecone — Lemma: praeco; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: ablative absolute subject; Translation: “herald”; Notes: royal announcer.
  10. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces purpose clause; Translation: “that”; Notes: marks intended effect.
  11. omnes — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective (substantive); Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject of genuflecterent; Translation: “all”; Notes: all Egyptians.
  12. coram — Lemma: coram; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: indicates presence; Translation: “before”; Notes: public homage.
  13. eo — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of coram; Translation: “him”; Notes: Joseph.
  14. genuflecterent — Lemma: genuflecto; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperfect active subjunctive third person plural; Function: purpose clause verb; Translation: “might kneel”; Notes: ceremonial reverence.
  15. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: links two purpose clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: connects effects.
  16. praepositum — Lemma: praepositus; Part of Speech: participle; Form: accusative singular masculine perfect passive participle; Function: predicate in ACI; Translation: “appointed”; Notes: Joseph’s official title.
  17. esse — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active infinitive; Function: infinitive of ACI; Translation: “to be”; Notes: complements praepositum.
  18. scirent — Lemma: scio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperfect active subjunctive third person plural; Function: verb of second purpose clause; Translation: “might know”; Notes: intended public awareness.
  19. universae — Lemma: universus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: modifies Terrae; Translation: “of all”; Notes: total scope.
  20. Terrae — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: possessed entity; Translation: “of the Land”; Notes: political domain.
  21. Aegypti — Lemma: Aegyptus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: specifies territory; Translation: “of Egypt”; Notes: Joseph’s new jurisdiction.

 

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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