Genesis 45:8

Posted on February 14, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 45:8 Non vestro consilio, sed Dei voluntate huc missum sum: qui fecit me quasi patrem Pharaonis, et dominum universæ domus eius, ac principem in omni terra Ægypti.

Not by your counsel, but by the will of God was I sent here: who has made me as a father of Pharao, and lord of all his house, and ruler in all the land of Egypt.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Non not ADV
2 vestro your ABL.SG.N.MASC/NEUT
3 consilio counsel ABL.SG.N
4 sed but CONJ
5 Dei of God GEN.SG.M
6 voluntate will ABL.SG.F
7 huc to here ADV
8 missum sent ACC.SG.M.PPP
9 sum I am 1SG.PRES.ACT.IND
10 qui who NOM.SG.M.REL.PRON
11 fecit made 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
12 me me ACC.SG
13 quasi as if ADV
14 patrem father ACC.SG.M
15 Pharaonis of Pharaoh GEN.SG.M
16 et and CONJ
17 dominum lord ACC.SG.M
18 universae of the whole GEN.SG.F
19 domus house GEN.SG.F
20 eius of him GEN.SG
21 ac and CONJ
22 principem ruler ACC.SG.M
23 in in PREP+ABL
24 omni all ABL.SG.F
25 terra land ABL.SG.F
26 Aegypti of Egypt GEN.SG.F

Syntax

Clause 1 (contrastive ablative of means):
• Non vestro consilio, sed Dei voluntate huc missum sum
— Contrast: Non… sed…
— Ablatives of means: vestro consilio vs. Dei voluntate.
— Verb: missum sum
— Predicate construction: passive perfect + participle
— Adverb of motion: huc

Relative clause:
• qui fecit me quasi patrem Pharaonis
— Subject: qui
— Verb: fecit
— Object: me
— Complement: quasi patrem Pharaonis (“as a father of Pharaoh”)

Coordinated complements:
• et dominum universae domus eius
• ac principem in omni terra Aegypti
All three (pater, dominus, princeps) are predicate accusatives governed by fecit.

Morphology

  1. Non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: negative; Function: negates ablative phrase; Translation: “not”; Notes: forms part of contrast.
  2. vestro — Lemma: vester; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative singular neuter/masc; Function: modifies consilio; Translation: “your”; Notes: refers to brothers.
  3. consilio — Lemma: consilium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: ablative of means; Translation: “counsel”; Notes: contrasts divine intention.
  4. sed — Lemma: sed; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: strong contrast; Translation: “but”; Notes: adversative.
  5. Dei — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: modifies voluntate; Translation: “of God”; Notes: divine agency.
  6. voluntate — Lemma: voluntas; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: ablative of means; Translation: “will”; Notes: expresses divine purpose.
  7. huc — Lemma: huc; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: direction; Translation: “here”; Notes: motion toward speaker.
  8. missum — Lemma: mitto; Part of Speech: participle; Form: accusative singular masculine perfect passive participle; Function: predicate with sum; Translation: “sent”; Notes: agrees with subject “I.”
  9. sum — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present indicative 1st singular; Function: auxiliary; Translation: “I am”; Notes: forms passive perfect.
  10. qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of fecit; Translation: “who”; Notes: refers to God.
  11. fecit — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “made”; Notes: governs double accusative.
  12. me — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular; Function: object of fecit; Translation: “me”; Notes: central to Joseph’s exaltation.
  13. quasi — Lemma: quasi; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: introduces comparative role; Translation: “as if”; Notes: metaphorical function.
  14. patrem — Lemma: pater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: predicate accusative; Translation: “father”; Notes: symbolic authority.
  15. Pharaonis — Lemma: Pharao; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: modifies patrem; Translation: “of Pharaoh”; Notes: denotes relation.
  16. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Function: links predicate accusatives; Translation: “and”; Notes: additive.
  17. dominum — Lemma: dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: predicate accusative; Translation: “lord”; Notes: domestic authority.
  18. universae — Lemma: universus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: modifies domus; Translation: “of the whole”; Notes: intensifier.
  19. domus — Lemma: domus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine (irregular declension); Function: dependent genitive; Translation: “house”; Notes: refers to Pharaoh’s household.
  20. eius — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive singular; Function: modifies domus; Translation: “of him”; Notes: refers to Pharaoh.
  21. ac — Lemma: ac; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: stronger connective; Function: links emphatically; Translation: “and”; Notes: stylistic elevation.
  22. principem — Lemma: princeps; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: predicate accusative; Translation: “ruler”; Notes: denotes political authority.
  23. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: locative; Translation: “in”; Notes: spatial reference.
  24. omni — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: modifies terra; Translation: “all”; Notes: totality of land.
  25. terra — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of in; Translation: “land”; Notes: refers to Egypt.
  26. Aegypti — Lemma: Aegyptus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: modifies terra; Translation: “of Egypt”; Notes: specifies region.

 

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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