Genesis 45:7

Posted on February 14, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 45:7 Præmisitque me Deus ut reservemini super terram, et escas ad vivendum habere possitis.

And God sent me ahead that you may be preserved upon the earth, and that you may be able to have food for living.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Praemisitque and he sent ahead 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND + ENCLITIC
2 me me ACC.SG
3 Deus God NOM.SG.M
4 ut so that CONJ
5 reservemini you may be preserved 2PL.PRES.PASS.SUBJ
6 super upon PREP+ACC
7 terram earth ACC.SG.F
8 et and CONJ
9 escas food ACC.PL.F
10 ad for PREP+ACC
11 vivendum living GERUND.ACC
12 habere to have PRES.ACT.INF
13 possitis you may be able 2PL.PRES.ACT.SUBJ

Syntax

Main clause:
• Praemisitque me Deus — “And God sent me ahead.”
— Verb: Praemisitque
— Subject: Deus
— Object: me

Purpose clause #1:
• ut reservemini super terram — “so that you may be preserved upon the earth.”
— Conjunction: ut
— Verb (subjunctive): reservemini
— Prepositional phrase: super terram (location of preservation)

Purpose clause #2 (linked by et):
• et escas ad vivendum habere possitis — “and that you may be able to have food for living.”
— Main verb of clause: possitis
— Complement infinitive: habere
— Object: escas
— Purpose/goal phrase: ad vivendum (gerund construction)

Morphology

  1. Praemisitque — Lemma: praemitto; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd singular + enclitic -que; Function: main verb; Translation: “and he sent ahead”; Notes: -que links to previous context, narrative progression.
  2. me — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular; Function: direct object of praemisit; Translation: “me”; Notes: emphatic in speech context.
  3. Deus — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “God”; Notes: agent of Joseph’s sending.
  4. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: introduces purpose clause; Function: purpose; Translation: “so that”; Notes: demands subjunctive verb.
  5. reservemini — Lemma: reservo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present passive subjunctive 2nd plural; Function: verb of purpose clause; Translation: “you may be preserved”; Notes: divine protection emphasized.
  6. super — Lemma: super; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: spatial relation; Translation: “upon”; Notes: elevated spatial nuance.
  7. terram — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of super; Translation: “earth”; Notes: refers to the land where they reside.
  8. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: joins purpose clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: additive.
  9. escas — Lemma: esca; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: object of habere; Translation: “food”; Notes: plural to indicate provisions.
  10. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses purpose; Translation: “for”; Notes: standard gerundive/gerund construction marker.
  11. vivendum — Lemma: vivo; Part of Speech: gerund; Form: accusative singular; Function: object of ad forming purpose phrase; Translation: “living”; Notes: expresses the goal of having food.
  12. habere — Lemma: habeo; Part of Speech: verb (infinitive); Form: present active infinitive; Function: complement of possitis; Translation: “to have”; Notes: infinitival purpose of ability.
  13. possitis — Lemma: possum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active subjunctive 2nd plural; Function: main verb of second purpose clause; Translation: “you may be able”; Notes: subjunctive governed by ut (purpose).

 

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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