Genesis 41:55

Posted on February 10, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 41:55 Qua esuriente, clamavit populus ad Pharaonem, alimenta petens. Quibus ille respondit: Ite ad Ioseph: et quidquid ipse vobis dixerit, facite.

When the people were hungry, they cried to Pharao, asking for food. And he answered them: “Go to Joseph, and whatever he tells you, do.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Qua when ABL.SG.F.REL/ADV USE
2 esuriente being hungry ABL.SG.F.PRES.ACT.PTCP
3 clamavit cried 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
4 populus the people NOM.SG.M
5 ad to PREP+ACC
6 Pharaonem Pharaoh ACC.SG.M
7 alimenta food ACC.PL.N
8 petens seeking NOM.SG.M.PRES.ACT.PTCP
9 Quibus to whom DAT.PL.M/F.NEUT.REL
10 ille he NOM.SG.M.DEM
11 respondit answered 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
12 Ite go 2PL.PRES.ACT.IMP
13 ad to PREP+ACC
14 Ioseph Joseph ACC.SG.M
15 et and CONJ
16 quidquid whatever NOM/ACC.SG.N.INDEF.REL
17 ipse he NOM.SG.M.EMPH
18 vobis to you DAT.PL
19 dixerit tells 3SG.FUT.PERF.ACT.SUBJ
20 facite do 2PL.PRES.ACT.IMP

Syntax

Temporal Clause (Ablative Absolute with Relative):
• Qua esuriente — “when (the land/people) was hungry.”
— Qua used adverbially from a relative pronoun.
— esuriente = participle.

Main Clause 1:
• clamavit populus ad Pharaonem — “the people cried to Pharaoh.”
— populus = subject.
— clamavit = verb.
— ad Pharaonem = direction.

Participial Phrase:
• alimenta petens — “seeking food.”
— modifies populus.

Main Clause 2:
• Quibus ille respondit — “and he answered them.”
— Quibus = indirect object.
— ille = subject (Pharaoh).
— respondit = verb.

Direct Speech Command:
• Ite ad Ioseph — “Go to Joseph.”
• et quidquid ipse vobis dixerit, facite
— quidquid = indefinite relative (“whatever”).
— dixerit = future perfect subjunctive (Latin instruction formula).
— facite = imperative.

Morphology

  1. Qua — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: introduces temporal sense; Translation: “when”; Notes: ablative absolute with participle.
  2. esuriente — Lemma: esurio; Part of Speech: participle; Form: ablative singular feminine present active participle; Function: ablative absolute; Translation: “being hungry”; Notes: describes condition prompting appeal.
  3. clamavit — Lemma: clamo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative third person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “cried”; Notes: narrative perfect.
  4. populus — Lemma: populus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “people”; Notes: collective social group.
  5. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: shows direction; Translation: “to”; Notes: standard motion preposition.
  6. Pharaonem — Lemma: Pharao; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of ad; Translation: “Pharaoh”; Notes: ruler of Egypt.
  7. alimenta — Lemma: alimentum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: internal object with petens; Translation: “food”; Notes: denotes sustenance.
  8. petens — Lemma: peto; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular masculine present active participle; Function: modifies populus; Translation: “seeking”; Notes: describes motivation.
  9. Quibus — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: dative plural; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to whom”; Notes: refers to the people.
  10. ille — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “he”; Notes: refers to Pharaoh.
  11. respondit — Lemma: respondeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative third person singular; Function: verb of reply; Translation: “answered”; Notes: reporting formula.
  12. Ite — Lemma: eo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active imperative second person plural; Function: command; Translation: “go”; Notes: authoritative instruction.
  13. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: direction; Translation: “to”; Notes: repeated for clarity.
  14. Ioseph — Lemma: Ioseph; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of ad; Translation: “Joseph”; Notes: recipient of petition.
  15. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: coordinates commands; Translation: “and”; Notes: links imperative clauses.
  16. quidquid — Lemma: quisquis/quidquid; Part of Speech: indefinite relative; Form: nominative/accusative singular neuter; Function: object within clause; Translation: “whatever”; Notes: introduces open-ended instruction.
  17. ipse — Lemma: ipse; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: emphatic subject; Translation: “he himself”; Notes: stresses Joseph’s authority.
  18. vobis — Lemma: vos; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative plural; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to you”; Notes: recipients of command.
  19. dixerit — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future perfect active subjunctive third person singular; Function: part of conditional instruction formula; Translation: “he may tell”; Notes: idiomatic in commands.
  20. facite — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active imperative second person plural; Function: command; Translation: “do”; Notes: enjoins obedience to Joseph.

 

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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