Genesis 45:25

Posted on February 14, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 45:25 Qui ascendentes ex Ægypto, venerunt in terram Chanaan ad patrem suum Iacob.

And they, going up from Egypt, came into the land of Chanaan to their father Jacob.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Qui who NOM.PL.M.REL.PRON
2 ascendentes going up NOM.PL.M.PRES.ACT.PTCP
3 ex from PREP+ABL
4 Aegypto Egypt ABL.SG.F
5 venerunt they came 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
6 in into PREP+ACC
7 terram land ACC.SG.F
8 Chanaan Chanaan ACC.SG.F.PROP
9 ad to PREP+ACC
10 patrem father ACC.SG.M
11 suum their ACC.SG.M.REFL
12 Iacob Jacob ACC.SG.M.PROP

Syntax

Relative clause as narrative subject:
• Qui ascendentes ex Aegypto — “who, going up from Egypt”
— Qui introduces the brothers as the acting group
— ascendentes is a circumstantial participle describing their movement upward from Egypt
— ex Aegypto = ablative of source

Main clause:
• venerunt in terram Chanaan
— Verb: venerunt
— Destination: in terram Chanaan (accusative of motion)

Final prepositional phrase:
• ad patrem suum Iacob
— Indicates ultimate goal: reunion with Jacob
— suum is reflexive, referring to the brothers

Morphology

  1. Qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: introduces relative clause referring to the brothers; Translation: “who”; Notes: serves as grammatical subject of participle.
  2. ascendentes — Lemma: ascendo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative plural masculine present active participle; Function: circumstantial participle modifying subject; Translation: “going up”; Notes: describes their movement from Egypt.
  3. ex — Lemma: ex; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: indicates source; Translation: “from”; Notes: expresses origin of travel.
  4. Aegypto — Lemma: Aegyptus; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of ex; Translation: “Egypt”; Notes: geographic name.
  5. venerunt — Lemma: venio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd plural; Function: main verb of the sentence; Translation: “they came”; Notes: marks completed arrival.
  6. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces motion towards; Translation: “into”; Notes: dynamic, not static.
  7. terram — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of in; Translation: “land”; Notes: physical destination.
  8. Chanaan — Lemma: Chanaan; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: modifies terram; Translation: “Chanaan”; Notes: region’s name in Latin.
  9. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: indicates goal; Translation: “to”; Notes: expresses destination toward a person.
  10. patrem — Lemma: pater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of ad; Translation: “father”; Notes: refers to Jacob.
  11. suum — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: reflexive possessive adjective; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: modifies patrem; Translation: “their”; Notes: reflexive to subject “the brothers.”
  12. Iacob — Lemma: Iacob; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: apposition to patrem suum; Translation: “Jacob”; Notes: retained Hebrew name in Latin 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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