Genesis 45:18

Posted on February 14, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 45:18 et tollite inde patrem vestrum et cognationem, et venite ad me: et ego dabo vobis omnia bona Ægypti, ut comedatis medullam terræ.

and take from there your father and your kin, and come to me, and I will give to you all the good things of Egypt, so that you may eat the richness of the land.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 et and CONJ
2 tollite take 2PL.PRES.ACT.IMP
3 inde from there ADV
4 patrem father ACC.SG.M
5 vestrum your ACC.SG.M.POSS
6 et and CONJ
7 cognitionem kinsfolk ACC.SG.F
8 et and CONJ
9 venite come 2PL.PRES.ACT.IMP
10 ad to PREP+ACC
11 me me ACC.SG.1ST.PRON
12 et and CONJ
13 ego I NOM.SG.1ST.PRON
14 dabo I will give 1SG.FUT.ACT.IND
15 vobis to you DAT.PL.2ND.PRON
16 omnia all ACC.PL.N
17 bona good things ACC.PL.N
18 Aegypti of Egypt GEN.SG.F
19 ut so that CONJ
20 comedatis you may eat 2PL.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
21 medullam richness ACC.SG.F
22 terrae of the land GEN.SG.F

Syntax

Main sequence of imperatives:
• tollite inde patrem vestrum et cognitionem — “take from there your father and your kin”
• venite ad me — “and come to me”

Future main clause:
• ego dabo vobis omnia bona Aegypti — “and I will give to you all the good things of Egypt”

Final clause (purpose):
• ut comedatis medullam terrae — “so that you may eat the richness of the land”

Morphology

  1. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: simple coordination.
  2. tollite — Lemma: tollo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active imperative 2nd plural; Function: direct command; Translation: “take”; Notes: addressed to Joseph’s brothers.
  3. inde — Lemma: inde; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: adverbial; Function: expresses origin; Translation: “from there”; Notes: refers to Egypt.
  4. patrem — Lemma: pater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of tollite; Translation: “father”; Notes: Benjamin and brothers’ father Jacob.
  5. vestrum — Lemma: vester; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: modifies patrem; Translation: “your”; Notes: plural possession.
  6. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links objects; Translation: “and”; Notes: connects patrem and cognitionem.
  7. cognitionem — Lemma: cognatio; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: second object of tollite; Translation: “kin / extended family”; Notes: denotes entire clan.
  8. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links imperatives; Translation: “and”; Notes: connective particle.
  9. venite — Lemma: venio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active imperative 2nd plural; Function: direct command; Translation: “come”; Notes: urgent instruction.
  10. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: shows direction; Translation: “to”; Notes: expresses movement toward Joseph.
  11. me — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular; Function: object of ad; Translation: “me”; Notes: Joseph as destination.
  12. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: introduces promise.
  13. ego — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative singular; Function: subject of dabo; Translation: “I”; Notes: emphatic placement.
  14. dabo — Lemma: do; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative 1st singular; Function: main verb of future promise; Translation: “I will give”; Notes: expresses generosity.
  15. vobis — Lemma: vos; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative plural; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to you”; Notes: refers to the brothers.
  16. omnia — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective/substantive; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: direct object of dabo; Translation: “all”; Notes: totality emphasized.
  17. bona — Lemma: bonum; Part of Speech: adjective/substantive; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: completes omnia; Translation: “good things”; Notes: material prosperity.
  18. Aegypti — Lemma: Aegyptus; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: possessive genitive; Translation: “of Egypt”; Notes: indicates origin of the benefits.
  19. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: introduces purpose clause; Function: expresses purpose; Translation: “so that”; Notes: governs subjunctive.
  20. comedatis — Lemma: comedo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active subjunctive 2nd plural; Function: verb of purpose clause; Translation: “you may eat”; Notes: expresses intended result.
  21. medullam — Lemma: medulla; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object of comedatis; Translation: “richness / choicest part”; Notes: idiom: “the fat of the land.”
  22. terrae — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: possessive genitive; Translation: “of the land”; Notes: completes idiom.

 

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.
This entry was posted in Genesis. Bookmark the permalink.

Comments are closed.