Genesis 45:17

Posted on February 14, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 45:17 Dixitque ad Ioseph ut imperaret fratribus suis, dicens: Onerantes iumenta, ite in terram Chanaan,

And he said to Joseph that he should command his brothers, saying: “Load the pack-animals, go into the land of Chanaan,

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Dixitque and he said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND + ENCLITIC
2 ad to PREP+ACC
3 Ioseph Joseph ACC.SG.M
4 ut that CONJ
5 imperaret he should command 3SG.IMP.ACT.SUBJ
6 fratribus to (his) brothers DAT.PL.M
7 suis his DAT.PL.M.REFL
8 dicens saying NOM.SG.M.PRES.PTCP
9 Onerantes loading NOM.PL.M.PRES.PTCP
10 iumenta pack-animals ACC.PL.N
11 ite go 2PL.PRES.ACT.IMP
12 in into PREP+ACC
13 terram land ACC.SG.F
14 Chanaan Canaan ACC.SG.F

Syntax

Main clause:
• Dixitque ad Ioseph — “And he said to Joseph.”
— Verb: Dixit
— Indirect object: ad Ioseph

Content clause (noun clause with ut + subjunctive):
• ut imperaret fratribus suis — “that he should command his brothers.”
— Conjunction: ut
— Verb (subj.): imperaret
— Indirect object: fratribus suis

Participial introduction to direct command:
• dicens — “saying”

Direct commands:
1. Onerantes iumenta — participial phrase: “loading the pack-animals” (addressing the brothers)
2. ite in terram Chanaan — “go into the land of Chanaan”
— Verb: ite
— Prepositional phrase: in terram Chanaan

Morphology

  1. Dixitque — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd singular + enclitic -que; Function: main verb; Translation: “and he said”; Notes: -que links to prior narrative action.
  2. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses direction toward person; Translation: “to”; Notes: standard preposition of address.
  3. Ioseph — Lemma: Ioseph; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of ad; Translation: “Joseph”; Notes: Hebrew name used in Latin case system.
  4. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: introduces substantive clause; Function: marks content of command; Translation: “that”; Notes: governs subjunctive.
  5. imperaret — Lemma: impero; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperfect active subjunctive 3rd singular; Function: verb of content clause; Translation: “he should command”; Notes: indirect command structure.
  6. fratribus — Lemma: frater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative plural masculine; Function: indirect object of imperaret; Translation: “to (his) brothers”; Notes: recipients of the command.
  7. suis — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: reflexive possessive adjective; Form: dative plural masculine; Function: modifies fratribus; Translation: “his”; Notes: reflexive to the subject of imperaret.
  8. dicens — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular masculine present participle; Function: introduces quotation; Translation: “saying”; Notes: transitional participle.
  9. Onerantes — Lemma: onero; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative plural masculine present participle; Function: participial command addressed to brothers; Translation: “loading”; Notes: describes action to accompany the journey.
  10. iumenta — Lemma: iumentum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: object of participle Onerantes; Translation: “pack-animals”; Notes: beasts of burden for the journey.
  11. ite — Lemma: eo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active imperative 2nd plural; Function: direct command; Translation: “go”; Notes: command directed to Joseph’s brothers.
  12. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative (motion toward); Function: directional; Translation: “into”; Notes: expresses movement.
  13. terram — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of in; Translation: “land”; Notes: specific destination.
  14. Chanaan — Lemma: Chanaan; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: apposition to terram; Translation: “Chanaan”; Notes: geographical name in Latinized Hebrew form.

 

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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