Genesis 45:19

Posted on February 14, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 45:19 Præcipe etiam ut tollant plaustra de terra Ægypti, ad subvectionem parvulorum suorum ac coniugum: et dicito: Tollite patrem vestrum, et properate quantocyus venientes.

Command also that they take wagons from the land of Egypt for the transport of their little ones and their wives; and say: ‘Take your father, and hasten as quickly as possible as you come.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Praecipe command 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP
2 etiam also ADV
3 ut that CONJ
4 tollant they take 3PL.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
5 plaustra wagons ACC.PL.N
6 de from PREP+ABL
7 terra land ABL.SG.F
8 Aegypti of Egypt GEN.SG.F
9 ad for PREP+ACC
10 subvectionem transport ACC.SG.F
11 parvulorum of the little ones GEN.PL.M
12 suarum their GEN.PL.F.REFL
13 ac and CONJ
14 coniugum of the wives GEN.PL.F
15 et and CONJ
16 dicito say 2SG.FUT.ACT.IMP
17 Tollite take 2PL.PRES.ACT.IMP
18 patrem father ACC.SG.M
19 vestrum your ACC.SG.M.POSS
20 et and CONJ
21 properate hasten 2PL.PRES.ACT.IMP
22 quantocyus as quickly as possible ADV
23 venientes coming NOM.PL.M.PRES.PTCP

Syntax

Main imperative clause:
• Praecipe etiam — “Command also …”

Ut-clause (object clause of command):
• ut tollant plaustra de terra Aegypti — “that they take wagons from the land of Egypt”
— Verb (subj.): tollant
— Direct object: plaustra
— Prepositional phrase: de terra Aegypti

Prepositional phrase expressing purpose:
• ad subvectionem parvulorum suarum ac coniugum — “for the transport of their little ones and their wives”
— Genitives: parvulorum… suarum… coniugum

Second imperative with future form:
• dicito — “say”

Direct quotation (commands to the brothers):
• Tollite patrem vestrum — “Take your father”
• et properate quantocyus venientes — “and hasten as quickly as possible as you come”
— Circumstantial participle: venientes

Morphology

  1. Praecipe — Lemma: praecipio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active imperative 2nd singular; Function: main command; Translation: “command”; Notes: addressed to Joseph.
  2. etiam — Lemma: etiam; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: adverbial; Function: intensifier; Translation: “also”; Notes: adds additional instruction.
  3. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: introduces object clause; Function: governs subjunctive; Translation: “that”; Notes: expresses commanded action.
  4. tollant — Lemma: tollo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active subjunctive 3rd plural; Function: verb in object clause; Translation: “they take”; Notes: subordinate to praecipe.
  5. plaustra — Lemma: plaustrum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: direct object of tollant; Translation: “wagons”; Notes: transport vehicles provided by Egypt.
  6. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: origin; Translation: “from”; Notes: marks source region.
  7. terra — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of de; Translation: “land”; Notes: geographical location.
  8. Aegypti — Lemma: Aegyptus; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: possessive genitive; Translation: “of Egypt”; Notes: specifies origin of wagons.
  9. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: purpose; Translation: “for”; Notes: introduces purpose phrase.
  10. subvectionem — Lemma: subvectio; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of ad; Translation: “transport”; Notes: travel accommodation.
  11. parvulorum — Lemma: parvulus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: possessive genitive; Translation: “of the little ones”; Notes: small children included in journey.
  12. suarum — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: reflexive possessive adjective; Form: genitive plural feminine; Function: modifies coniugum; Translation: “their”; Notes: reflexive to subject of tollant.
  13. ac — Lemma: ac; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links nouns; Translation: “and”; Notes: often more emphatic than et.
  14. coniugum — Lemma: coniunx; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural feminine; Function: possessive genitive; Translation: “of the wives”; Notes: family unit emphasized.
  15. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: introduces next command; Translation: “and”; Notes: simple connector.
  16. dicito — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active imperative 2nd singular; Function: command directed at Joseph; Translation: “say”; Notes: authoritative tone.
  17. Tollite — Lemma: tollo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active imperative 2nd plural; Function: command to brothers; Translation: “take”; Notes: repeated urgency.
  18. patrem — Lemma: pater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of Tollite; Translation: “father”; Notes: refers to Jacob.
  19. vestrum — Lemma: vester; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: modifies patrem; Translation: “your”; Notes: plural ownership.
  20. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links commands; Translation: “and”; Notes: ties second command.
  21. properate — Lemma: propero; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active imperative 2nd plural; Function: direct command; Translation: “hasten”; Notes: urgency emphasized.
  22. quantocyus — Lemma: quantocius; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: comparative/superlative adverbial; Function: modifies properate; Translation: “as quickly as possible”; Notes: intensifies haste.
  23. venientes — Lemma: venio; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative plural masculine present participle; Function: circumstantial participle; Translation: “coming”; Notes: describes manner of their hastening.

 

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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