Genesis 45:20

Posted on February 14, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 45:20 Nec dimittatis quidquam de supellectili vestra: quia omnes opes Ægypti, vestræ erunt.

And do not leave behind anything of your household goods, for all the wealth of Egypt shall be yours.’”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Nec and not CONJ/ADV
2 dimittatis you leave behind 2PL.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
3 quidquam anything ACC.SG.N.INDEF
4 de from PREP+ABL
5 supellectili furniture / household goods ABL.SG.F
6 vestra your ABL.SG.F.POSS
7 quia because CONJ
8 omnes all NOM.PL.F
9 opes wealth NOM.PL.F
10 Aegypti of Egypt GEN.SG.F
11 vestrae yours NOM.PL.F.POSS
12 erunt will be 3PL.FUT.ACT.IND

Syntax

Negative command (prohibition):
• Nec dimittatis quidquam de supellectili vestra — “And do not leave behind anything of your household goods.”
— Negative coordinator: Nec
— Verb (subjunctive used as jussive): dimittatis
— Direct object: quidquam
— Prepositional phrase: de supellectili vestra

Causal clause:
• quia omnes opes Aegypti vestrae erunt — “because all the wealth of Egypt shall be yours.”
— Subject: omnes opes
— Genitive modifier: Aegypti
— Predicate adjective: vestrae
— Verb: erunt

Morphology

  1. Nec — Lemma: nec; Part of Speech: conjunction/adverb; Form: negative coordinator; Function: introduces prohibition; Translation: “and not”; Notes: softens transition while negating action.
  2. dimittatis — Lemma: dimitto; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active subjunctive 2nd plural; Function: jussive negative command; Translation: “you (should) leave behind”; Notes: common in prohibitions after nec.
  3. quidquam — Lemma: quidquam; Part of Speech: indefinite pronoun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object of dimittatis; Translation: “anything”; Notes: emphasizes absolute completeness.
  4. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: marks separation; Translation: “from”; Notes: expresses origin or source.
  5. supellectili — Lemma: supellex; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of de; Translation: “furniture / household goods”; Notes: includes movable property.
  6. vestra — Lemma: vester; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: modifies supellectili; Translation: “your”; Notes: plural possession.
  7. quia — Lemma: quia; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: causal; Function: introduces reason; Translation: “because”; Notes: explanatory clause.
  8. omnes — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative plural feminine; Function: modifies opes; Translation: “all”; Notes: totality emphasized.
  9. opes — Lemma: ops; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural feminine; Function: subject of erunt; Translation: “wealth”; Notes: refers to prosperity.
  10. Aegypti — Lemma: Aegyptus; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: possessive genitive modifying opes; Translation: “of Egypt”; Notes: indicates national wealth.
  11. vestrae — Lemma: vester; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: nominative plural feminine; Function: predicate adjective; Translation: “yours”; Notes: agrees with opes.
  12. erunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative 3rd plural; Function: main verb of causal clause; Translation: “will be”; Notes: expresses future possession.

 

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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