Genesis 44:1

Posted on February 13, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 44:1 Præcepit autem Ioseph dispensatori domus suæ, dicens: Imple saccos eorum frumento, quantum possunt capere: et pone pecuniam singulorum in summitate sacci.

And Joseph commanded the steward of his house, saying: “Fill their sacks with grain, as much as they are able to hold, and place the money of each one at the top of his sack.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Præcepit he commanded 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 autem however CONJ
3 Ioseph Joseph NOM.SG.M
4 dispensatori to the steward DAT.SG.M
5 domus of the house GEN.SG.F
6 suæ his GEN.SG.F
7 dicens: saying PRES.ACT.PTCP.NOM.SG.M
8 Imple fill 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP
9 saccos sacks ACC.PL.M
10 eorum their GEN.PL.M
11 frumento, with grain ABL.SG.N
12 quantum as much as ACC.SG.N
13 possunt they are able 3PL.PRES.ACT.IND
14 capere: to hold PRES.ACT.INF
15 et and CONJ
16 pone place 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP
17 pecuniam money ACC.SG.F
18 singulorum of each GEN.PL.M
19 in in PREP+ABL
20 summitate top ABL.SG.F
21 sacci. of the sack GEN.SG.M

Syntax

Main Clause: Ioseph (subject) + Præcepit (main verb)
Indirect Object: dispensatori — recipient of the command
Genitive Phrase: domus suæ — specifying whose steward
Participial Phrase: dicens — introduces quoted commands
Imperative Clause 1: Imple (verb) + saccos eorum (object) + frumento (instrumental ablative) + clause quantum possunt capere (limiting measure)
Imperative Clause 2: pone (verb) + pecuniam singulorum (object) + in summitate sacci (locative phrase)

Morphology

  1. Præcepit — Lemma: praecipio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative third singular; Function: main verb of clause; Translation: “he commanded”; Notes: introduces a directive speech.
  2. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating conjunction; Function: transitional connective; Translation: “however”; Notes: adds narrative flow without contrast.
  3. Ioseph — Lemma: Ioseph; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of verb; Translation: “Joseph”; Notes: proper name left untranslated.
  4. dispensatori — Lemma: dispensator; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to the steward”; Notes: indicates recipient of command.
  5. domus — Lemma: domus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: modifies “dispensatori”; Translation: “of the house”; Notes: possession phrase.
  6. suæ — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: adjective/pronoun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: possesses “house”; Translation: “his”; Notes: reflexive to subject Ioseph.
  7. dicens: — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: participle; Form: present active participle nominative singular masculine; Function: introduces direct speech; Translation: “saying”; Notes: modifies Ioseph.
  8. Imple — Lemma: impleo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperative second singular present active; Function: command; Translation: “fill”; Notes: addressed to the steward.
  9. saccos — Lemma: saccus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: direct object of “Imple”; Translation: “sacks”; Notes: physical containers.
  10. eorum — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: possession; Translation: “their”; Notes: refers to Joseph’s brothers.
  11. frumento, — Lemma: frumentum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: ablative of means; Translation: “with grain”; Notes: instrumental use.
  12. quantum — Lemma: quantus; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: introduces measure clause; Translation: “as much as”; Notes: anticipates infinitive.
  13. possunt — Lemma: possum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative third plural; Function: finite verb within clause; Translation: “they are able”; Notes: refers to sacks’ capacity contextually.
  14. capere: — Lemma: capio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active infinitive; Function: complement of “possunt”; Translation: “to hold”; Notes: expresses potential capacity.
  15. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating conjunction; Function: links commands; Translation: “and”; Notes: joins imperatives.
  16. pone — Lemma: pono; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperative second singular present active; Function: command; Translation: “place”; Notes: second imperative to steward.
  17. pecuniam — Lemma: pecunia; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object; Translation: “money”; Notes: payment returned to brothers’ sacks.
  18. singulorum — Lemma: singuli; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: modifies “pecuniam”; Translation: “of each”; Notes: distributive force.
  19. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces location; Translation: “in”; Notes: spatial placement.
  20. summitate — Lemma: summitas; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of preposition; Translation: “top”; Notes: specifies exact placement.
  21. sacci. — Lemma: saccus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: genitive of the location; Translation: “of the sack”; Notes: ends the imperative instruction.

 

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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