Genesis 45:26

Posted on February 14, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 45:26 Et nunciaverunt ei, dicentes: Ioseph filius tuus vivit: et ipse dominatur in omni terra Ægypti. Quo audito Iacob, quasi de gravi somno evigilans, tamen non credebat eis.

And they announced to him, saying: “Joseph your son lives, and he himself rules over all the land of Egypt.” When this was heard, Jacob, as though waking from a heavy sleep, nevertheless did not believe them.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Et and CONJ
2 nunciaverunt they announced 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
3 ei to him DAT.SG.M
4 dicentes saying NOM.PL.M.PRES.ACT.PTCP
5 Ioseph Joseph NOM.SG.M.PROP
6 filius son NOM.SG.M
7 tuus your NOM.SG.M
8 vivit lives 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
9 et and CONJ
10 ipse he himself NOM.SG.M.DEM
11 dominatur rules 3SG.PRES.DEP.IND
12 in in / over PREP+ABL
13 omni all ABL.SG.F
14 terra land ABL.SG.F
15 Aegypti of Egypt GEN.SG.F
16 Quo which / when this ABL.SG.N.REL.PRON
17 audito having been heard ABL.SG.N.PERF.PASS.PTCP
18 Iacob Jacob NOM.SG.M.PROP
19 quasi as though ADV
20 de from PREP+ABL
21 gravi heavy ABL.SG.M/F
22 somno sleep ABL.SG.M
23 evigilans waking NOM.SG.M.PRES.ACT.PTCP
24 tamen nevertheless ADV
25 non not NEG.PART
26 credebat was believing 3SG.IMP.ACT.IND
27 eis them DAT.PL.M

Syntax

Main clause:
• Et nunciaverunt ei — plural subject “they” (the brothers) + verb + indirect object ei

Participial expression introducing direct speech:
• dicentes — circumstantial participle meaning “saying,” introducing the reported message.

Direct speech structure:
• Ioseph filius tuus vivit — nominative subject + apposition + verb.
• et ipse dominatur in omni terra Aegypti
— Emphatic pronoun ipse as subject
— dominatur (deponent) governs ablative: in omni terra Aegypti

Temporal ablative absolute:
• Quo audito — “when this was heard”
— quo = ablative of “this thing”
— audito = perfect passive participle

Descriptive participial phrase:
• Iacob quasi de gravi somno evigilans — Jacob “as though waking from a heavy sleep”

Adversative clause:
• tamen non credebat eis — “nevertheless he did not believe them”

Morphology

  1. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: joins narrative actions; Translation: “and”; Notes: frequent narrative connector.
  2. nunciaverunt — Lemma: nuntio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd plural; Function: main verb; Translation: “they announced”; Notes: completed past action.
  3. ei — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to him”; Notes: refers to Jacob.
  4. dicentes — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative plural masculine present active participle; Function: introduces direct discourse; Translation: “saying”; Notes: contemporaneous action with announcing.
  5. Ioseph — Lemma: Ioseph; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of vivit; Translation: “Joseph”; Notes: proper name.
  6. filius — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: apposition to Ioseph; Translation: “son”; Notes: stresses relationship to Jacob.
  7. tuus — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: modifies filius; Translation: “your”; Notes: second-person possession.
  8. vivit — Lemma: vivo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative 3rd singular; Function: verb of direct statement; Translation: “lives”; Notes: dramatic revelation.
  9. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: adds second major revelation.
  10. ipse — Lemma: ipse; Part of Speech: demonstrative/intensive pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: emphatic subject; Translation: “he himself”; Notes: underscores Joseph’s authority.
  11. dominatur — Lemma: dominor; Part of Speech: deponent verb; Form: present deponent indicative 3rd singular; Function: verb governing ablative; Translation: “rules”; Notes: deponent with active meaning.
  12. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses sphere; Translation: “in / over”; Notes: used idiomatically with dominari.
  13. omni — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: modifies terra; Translation: “all”; Notes: denotes totality.
  14. terra — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of in; Translation: “land”; Notes: geographic domain.
  15. Aegypti — Lemma: Aegyptus; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: genitive of possession; Translation: “of Egypt”; Notes: specifies realm ruled.
  16. Quo — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: ablative absolute with audito; Translation: “when this”; Notes: refers to entire message.
  17. audito — Lemma: audio; Part of Speech: participle; Form: ablative singular neuter perfect passive participle; Function: part of ablative absolute; Translation: “having been heard”; Notes: temporal function.
  18. Iacob — Lemma: Iacob; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of evigilans and credebat; Translation: “Jacob”; Notes: patriarch.
  19. quasi — Lemma: quasi; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: comparative marker; Translation: “as though”; Notes: introduces vivid imagery.
  20. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses origin; Translation: “from”; Notes: used metaphorically.
  21. gravi — Lemma: gravis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: modifies somno; Translation: “heavy”; Notes: indicates shock-like stupor.
  22. somno — Lemma: somnus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of de; Translation: “sleep”; Notes: metaphorical.
  23. evigilans — Lemma: evigilo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular masculine present active participle; Function: modifies Iacob; Translation: “waking”; Notes: expresses emotional awakening.
  24. tamen — Lemma: tamen; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: adversative marker; Translation: “nevertheless”; Notes: contrasts hope and disbelief.
  25. non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: negative particle; Form: indeclinable; Function: negates verb; Translation: “not”; Notes: direct negation.
  26. credebat — Lemma: credo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: describes ongoing disbelief; Translation: “was believing”; Notes: imperfect expresses repeated refusal.
  27. eis — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative plural masculine; Function: indirect object of belief; Translation: “them”; Notes: refers to the brothers.

 

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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