Genesis 45:21

Posted on February 14, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 45:21 Feceruntque filii Israel ut eis mandatum fuerat. Quibus dedit Ioseph plaustra, secundum Pharaonis imperium: et cibaria in itinere.

And the sons of Israel did as it had been commanded to them. And Joseph gave them wagons according to the command of Pharao, and provisions for the journey.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Feceruntque and they did 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND + ENCLITIC
2 filii sons NOM.PL.M
3 Israel Israel NOM.SG.INVAR.PROP
4 ut as CONJ
5 eis to them DAT.PL.M
6 mandatum it had been commanded NOM.SG.N.PPP
7 fuerat had been 3SG.PLUP.ACT.IND
8 Quibus to whom DAT.PL.M.REL.PRON
9 dedit he gave 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
10 Ioseph Joseph NOM.SG.M
11 plaustra wagons ACC.PL.N
12 secundum according to PREP+ACC
13 Pharaonis of Pharaoh GEN.SG.M
14 imperium command ACC.SG.N
15 et and CONJ
16 cibaria provisions ACC.PL.N
17 in in / for PREP+ABL
18 itinere journey ABL.SG.N

Syntax

Main clause 1:
• Feceruntque filii Israel ut eis mandatum fuerat — “And the sons of Israel did as it had been commanded to them.”
— Verb: Feceruntque
— Subject: filii Israel
— Comparative clause: ut eis mandatum fuerat

Comparative clause:
• Verb: mandatum fuerat (periphrastic pluperfect passive)
• Dative of advantage: eis

Main clause 2 introduced by relative pronoun:
• Quibus dedit Ioseph plaustra — “To whom Joseph gave wagons”
— Relative pronoun: Quibus
— Verb: dedit
— Subject: Ioseph
— Direct object: plaustra

Prepositional phrase:
• secundum Pharaonis imperium — “according to the command of Pharaoh”

Additional object:
• et cibaria in itinere — “and provisions for the journey”

Morphology

  1. Feceruntque — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd plural + enclitic -que; Function: main verb; Translation: “and they did”; Notes: -que links this action to the prior command sequence.
  2. filii — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject of Fecerunt; Translation: “sons”; Notes: refers to the tribes of Israel.
  3. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: indeclinable (nominative here); Function: genitive of filiation; Translation: “Israel”; Notes: Hebrew proper name used indeclinably in Latin.
  4. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: comparative; Function: introduces clause of conformity; Translation: “as”; Notes: not purpose here.
  5. eis — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative plural; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to them”; Notes: refers to the sons of Israel.
  6. mandatum — Lemma: mando; Part of Speech: participle (PPP used substantively); Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: subject complement with fuerat; Translation: “it had been commanded”; Notes: part of Latin pluperfect passive periphrasis.
  7. fuerat — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: pluperfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: auxiliary to PPP; Translation: “had been”; Notes: completes pluperfect passive sense.
  8. Quibus — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: dative plural masculine; Function: indirect object of dedit; Translation: “to whom”; Notes: connects second clause to first.
  9. dedit — Lemma: do; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “he gave”; Notes: Joseph as benefactor.
  10. Ioseph — Lemma: Ioseph; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of dedit; Translation: “Joseph”; Notes: Hebrew name Latinized.
  11. plaustra — Lemma: plaustrum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: direct object of dedit; Translation: “wagons”; Notes: vehicles for transporting family.
  12. secundum — Lemma: secundum; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses accordance; Translation: “according to”; Notes: normative reference.
  13. Pharaonis — Lemma: Pharao; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possesses imperium; Translation: “of Pharaoh”; Notes: the king of Egypt.
  14. imperium — Lemma: imperium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of secundum; Translation: “command”; Notes: royal authorization.
  15. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: adds another object; Translation: “and”; Notes: simple connector.
  16. cibaria — Lemma: cibarium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: second object of dedit; Translation: “provisions”; Notes: food supplies for travel.
  17. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses purpose/location; Translation: “for”; Notes: here idiomatic for “for the journey.”
  18. itinere — Lemma: iter; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: object of in; Translation: “journey”; Notes: indicates destination-related supplies.

 

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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