Genesis 45:16

Posted on February 14, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 45:16 Auditumque est, et celebri sermone vulgatum in aula regis: Venerunt fratres Ioseph: et gavisus est Pharao, atque omnis familia eius.

And it was heard, and widely reported in the king’s court, saying: “The brothers of Joseph have come”; and Pharao rejoiced, and all his household.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Auditumque and it was heard NOM.SG.N.PERF.PTCP + ENCLITIC
2 est was 3SG.PRES.IND.AUX
3 et and CONJ
4 celebri widespread ABL.SG.F
5 sermone report ABL.SG.M
6 vulgatum made known NOM.SG.N.PERF.PTCP
7 in in PREP+ABL
8 aula court ABL.SG.F
9 regis of the king GEN.SG.M
10 Venerunt they have come 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
11 fratres brothers NOM.PL.M
12 Ioseph of Joseph GEN.SG.M
13 et and CONJ
14 gavisus having rejoiced NOM.SG.M.PERF.PTCP.DEP
15 est was 3SG.PRES.IND.AUX
16 Pharao Pharaoh NOM.SG.M
17 atque and also CONJ
18 omnis all NOM.SG.F
19 familia household NOM.SG.F
20 eius his GEN.SG.M

Syntax

Passive report clause:
• Auditumque est — “And it was heard.”
— Verb phrase: Auditum est
— Enclitic -que links the clause to what precedes.

Ablative absolute-like expansion:
• celebri sermone vulgatum in aula regis — “having been spread abroad in the king’s court.”
— Ablative phrase: celebri sermone (instrument)
— Predicate participle: vulgatum
— Prepositional phrase: in aula regis

Quoted content:
• Venerunt fratres Ioseph — “The brothers of Joseph have come.”
— Verb: Venerunt
— Subject: fratres
— Genitive: Ioseph

Main coordinate clause:
• et gavisus est Pharao, atque omnis familia eius — “and Pharaoh rejoiced, and also all his household.”
— Deponent participle + auxiliary: gavisus est
— Subject #1: Pharao
— Subject #2: omnis familia eius

Morphology

  1. Auditumque — Lemma: audio; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular neuter perfect passive participle + enclitic -que; Function: part of passive verb phrase; Translation: “and it was heard”; Notes: neuter agreeing with implied event.
  2. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: auxiliary verb; Form: present indicative 3rd singular; Function: completes passive; Translation: “was”; Notes: forms perfect passive.
  3. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Function: links clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: simple connective.
  4. celebri — Lemma: celeber; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: modifies sermone; Translation: “wide, well-known”; Notes: ablative of means.
  5. sermone — Lemma: sermo; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: ablative of instrument; Translation: “report”; Notes: means of dissemination.
  6. vulgatum — Lemma: vulgo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular neuter perfect passive participle; Function: predicate with Auditum est; Translation: “made known”; Notes: expresses broadcast rumor.
  7. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: locative; Translation: “in”; Notes: marks location.
  8. aula — Lemma: aula; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of in; Translation: “court”; Notes: royal setting.
  9. regis — Lemma: rex; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessive genitive; Translation: “of the king”; Notes: identifies whose court.
  10. Venerunt — Lemma: venio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd plural; Function: quoted content; Translation: “they have come”; Notes: completed arrival action.
  11. fratres — Lemma: frater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject of Venerunt; Translation: “brothers”; Notes: refers to Joseph’s siblings.
  12. Ioseph — Lemma: Ioseph; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessive modifier; Translation: “of Joseph”; Notes: Hebrew name with Latin genitive.
  13. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Function: coordination; Translation: “and”; Notes: continues narrative.
  14. gavisus — Lemma: gaudeo; Part of Speech: semi-deponent participle; Form: nominative singular masculine perfect participle; Function: subject participle in periphrasis; Translation: “having rejoiced”; Notes: emotional reaction.
  15. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: auxiliary; Form: present indicative 3rd singular; Function: completes perfect construction; Translation: “was”; Notes: standard with semi-deponents.
  16. Pharao — Lemma: Pharao; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “Pharaoh”; Notes: Egyptian ruler.
  17. atque — Lemma: atque; Part of Speech: conjunction; Function: strong coordination; Translation: “and also”; Notes: intensifies addition.
  18. omnis — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: modifies familia; Translation: “all”; Notes: collective sense.
  19. familia — Lemma: familia; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: coordinated subject; Translation: “household”; Notes: includes palace retainers.
  20. eius — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessive modifier; Translation: “his”; Notes: refers to Pharaoh.

 

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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