Genesis 41:46

Posted on February 10, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 41:46 (Triginta autem annorum erat quando stetit in conspectu regis Pharaonis) et circuivit omnes regiones Ægypti.

(Now he was thirty years old when he stood before king Pharao) and he went around all the regions of Egypt.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Triginta thirty INDECL.NUM
2 autem however ADV
3 annorum of years GEN.PL.M
4 erat was 3SG.IMP.ACT.IND
5 quando when CONJ
6 stitit stood 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
7 in in PREP+ABL
8 conspectu presence ABL.SG.M
9 regis of the king GEN.SG.M
10 Pharaonis Pharaoh GEN.SG.M
11 et and CONJ
12 circuivit went around 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
13 omnes all ACC.PL.F
14 regiones regions ACC.PL.F
15 Aegypti of Egypt GEN.SG.F

Syntax

Parenthetical Age Clause:
• Triginta autem annorum erat — “He was thirty years old.”
— Triginta = numeral modifying annorum.
— annorum = genitive of measure (“of years”).
— erat = copula with a genitive of quality/measure.

Temporal Clause:
• quando stetit in conspectu regis Pharaonis — “when he stood before King Pharaoh.”
— stitit = main verb of clause.
— in conspectu = ablative of location (“in the presence”).
— regis Pharaonis = genitive chain.

Main Narrative Clause:
• et circuivit omnes regiones Aegypti
— circuivit = main verb.
— omnes regiones = object.
— Aegypti = specifying genitive.

Morphology

  1. Triginta — Lemma: triginta; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies annorum; Translation: “thirty”; Notes: numerals ≥ 20 often indeclinable.
  2. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: adverb/conjunctive particle; Form: invariable; Function: transitional marker; Translation: “however”; Notes: soft contrastive nuance.
  3. annorum — Lemma: annus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: genitive of measure; Translation: “of years”; Notes: expresses age.
  4. erat — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperfect active indicative third person singular; Function: copula; Translation: “was”; Notes: background information.
  5. quando — Lemma: quando; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces temporal clause; Translation: “when”; Notes: time context.
  6. stitit — Lemma: sto; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative third person singular; Function: main verb of temporal clause; Translation: “stood”; Notes: perfect with punctual force.
  7. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces locative phrase; Translation: “in”; Notes: static location.
  8. conspectu — Lemma: conspectus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of in; Translation: “presence”; Notes: formal audience before Pharaoh.
  9. regis — Lemma: rex; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: modifies conspectu; Translation: “of the king”; Notes: specifies which presence.
  10. Pharaonis — Lemma: Pharao; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: clarifies regis; Translation: “of Pharaoh”; Notes: appositional genitive.
  11. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: links clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: smooth narrative continuation.
  12. circuivit — Lemma: circueo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative third person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “went around”; Notes: expresses Joseph’s administrative tour.
  13. omnes — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: modifies regiones; Translation: “all”; Notes: exhaustive scope.
  14. regiones — Lemma: regio; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: direct object; Translation: “regions”; Notes: administrative districts.
  15. Aegypti — Lemma: Aegyptus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: specifies the regions; Translation: “of Egypt”; Notes: national territory under Joseph’s authority.

 

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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