Genesis 46:3

Posted on February 15, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 46:3 Ait illi Deus: Ego sum fortissimus Deus patris tui: noli timere, descende in Ægyptum, quia in gentem magnam faciam te ibi.

God said to him: “I am the mighty God of your father; do not fear, go down into Egypt, for I will make you there into a great nation.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Ait said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 illi to him DAT.SG.M
3 Deus God NOM.SG.M
4 Ego I NOM.SG.PRON
5 sum am 1SG.PRES.ACT.IND
6 fortissimus most mighty NOM.SG.M.SUPERL
7 Deus God NOM.SG.M
8 patris of the father GEN.SG.M
9 tui your GEN.SG.M.PRON
10 noli do not 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMPER
11 timere to fear PRES.ACT.INF
12 descende go down 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMPER
13 in into PREP+ACC
14 Ægyptum Egypt ACC.SG.F
15 quia because CONJ
16 in in PREP+ABL
17 gentem nation ACC.SG.F
18 magnam great ACC.SG.F
19 faciam I will make 1SG.FUT.ACT.IND
20 te you ACC.SG.PRON
21 ibi there ADV

Syntax

Main clause:
• Ait illi Deus — “God said to him.”
Subject: Deus; Verb: Ait; Indirect object: illi.

Direct speech:
• Ego sum fortissimus Deus patris tui — identification formula; fortissimus modifies Deus.
• noli timere — prohibition formed by noli + infinitive.
• descende in Ægyptum — command + motion preposition.
• quia … faciam te in gentem magnam — causal clause with future indicative.

In gentem magnam is a predicate accusative construction with te.

Morphology

  1. Ait — Lemma: aio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: introduces divine speech; Translation: “said”; Notes: irregular verb of speaking.
  2. illi — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to him”; Notes: refers to Jacob.
  3. Deus — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “God”; Notes: speaker of the message.
  4. Ego — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative singular; Function: subject of sum; Translation: “I”; Notes: emphatic identity.
  5. sum — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative 1st singular; Function: equative verb; Translation: “am”; Notes: part of divine self-identification.
  6. fortissimus — Lemma: fortis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative singular masculine superlative; Function: modifies Deus; Translation: “most mighty”; Notes: expresses divine power.
  7. Deus — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: in predicate nominative following sum; Translation: “God”; Notes: repeated for emphasis.
  8. patris — Lemma: pater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: dependent genitive; Translation: “of the father”; Notes: part of genitive chain.
  9. tui — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: modifies patris; Translation: “your”; Notes: addressed to Jacob.
  10. noli — Lemma: nolo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 2nd singular present active imperative; Function: prohibition; Translation: “do not”; Notes: classical negative command.
  11. timere — Lemma: timeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active infinitive; Function: complement of noli; Translation: “to fear”; Notes: infinitive of prohibition.
  12. descende — Lemma: descendo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 2nd singular present active imperative; Function: command; Translation: “go down”; Notes: divine directive.
  13. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses motion into; Translation: “into”; Notes: directional.
  14. Ægyptum — Lemma: Ægyptus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of in; Translation: “Egypt”; Notes: destination of command.
  15. quia — Lemma: quia; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: subordinating; Function: introduces causal clause; Translation: “because”; Notes: introduces reason.
  16. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses place where; Translation: “in”; Notes: static location.
  17. gentem — Lemma: gens; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: predicate accusative with te; Translation: “nation”; Notes: part of transformation idiom.
  18. magnam — Lemma: magnus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: modifies gentem; Translation: “great”; Notes: emphasis on promised prosperity.
  19. faciam — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative 1st singular; Function: main verb of causal clause; Translation: “I will make”; Notes: divine promise.
  20. te — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular; Function: object of faciam; Translation: “you”; Notes: refers to Jacob/Israel.
  21. ibi — Lemma: ibi; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: locative adverb; Translation: “there”; Notes: indicates Egypt as place of fulfillment.

 

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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