Genesis 46:32

Posted on February 15, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 46:32 et sunt viri pastores ovium, curamque habent alendorum gregum: pecora sua, et armenta, et omnia quæ habere potuerunt, adduxerunt secum.

and the men are shepherds of sheep, and they have the care of feeding flocks; their livestock, and their herds, and all that they were able to have, they brought with them.’

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 et and CONJ
2 sunt are 3PL.PRES.ACT.IND
3 viri men NOM.PL.M
4 pastores shepherds NOM.PL.M
5 ovium of sheep GEN.PL.F
6 curamque and care ACC.SG.F+QUE
7 habent they have 3PL.PRES.ACT.IND
8 alendorum of feeding GEN.PL.M.GERUNDIVE
9 gregum of flocks GEN.PL.M
10 pecora livestock ACC.PL.N
11 sua their ACC.PL.N.ADJ
12 et and CONJ
13 armenta herds ACC.PL.N
14 et and CONJ
15 omnia all things ACC.PL.N
16 quæ which NOM.PL.N.REL
17 habere to have PRES.ACT.INF
18 potuerunt they were able 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
19 adduxerunt they brought 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
20 secum with them ADV+PRON

Syntax

Main Clause 1: et sunt viri pastores ovium — Subject: viri (“men”), with predicate nominative pastores (“shepherds”), and genitive ovium (“of sheep”) describing what they shepherd.
Main Clause 2: curamque habent alendorum gregum — Object: curam (“care”), verb: habent (“they have”), genitive gerundive phrase alendorum gregum expressing “the feeding of flocks.”
Main Clause 3: pecora sua, et armenta, et omnia quæ habere potuerunt, adduxerunt secum — Compound object: pecora sua, armenta, omnia quæ… with relative clause quæ habere potuerunt modifying omnia; verb: adduxerunt; adverbial pronoun: secum (“with them”).

Morphology

  1. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: coordinates sunt with previous discourse; Translation: “and”; Notes: simple connective.
  2. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural present active indicative; Function: copula linking viri and pastores; Translation: “are”; Notes: establishes identity.
  3. viri — Lemma: vir; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject of sunt; Translation: “men”; Notes: identifies group being described.
  4. pastores — Lemma: pastor; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: predicate nominative; Translation: “shepherds”; Notes: defines occupation.
  5. ovium — Lemma: ovis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural feminine; Function: genitive of the animals shepherded; Translation: “of sheep”; Notes: describes flock content.
  6. curamque — Lemma: cura; Part of Speech: noun + enclitic; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object of habent; Translation: “and care”; Notes: enclitic -que links to previous clause.
  7. habent — Lemma: habeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural present active indicative; Function: main verb “they have”; Translation: “they have”; Notes: forms a verbal idea of possession.
  8. alendorum — Lemma: alo; Part of Speech: gerundive; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: modifies gregum, expressing “to be fed”; Translation: “of feeding”; Notes: gerundive of obligation/necessity.
  9. gregum — Lemma: grex; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: dependent genitive with alendorum; Translation: “of flocks”; Notes: describes animals under pastoral care.
  10. pecora — Lemma: pecus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: object of adduxerunt; Translation: “livestock”; Notes: generic term for domestic animals.
  11. sua — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: modifies pecora; Translation: “their”; Notes: reflexive to implied subject “they.”
  12. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: links pecora to armenta; Translation: “and”; Notes: additive coordination.
  13. armenta — Lemma: armentum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: coordinated object of adduxerunt; Translation: “herds”; Notes: large herd animals (cattle).
  14. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: links armenta to omnia; Translation: “and”; Notes: additive conjunction.
  15. omnia — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective/substantive; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: object of adduxerunt, further defined by quæ; Translation: “all things”; Notes: broad category.
  16. quæ — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative plural neuter; Function: subject of relative clause; Translation: “which”; Notes: refers to omnia.
  17. habere — Lemma: habeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active infinitive; Function: complementary infinitive of potuerunt; Translation: “to have”; Notes: describes ability.
  18. potuerunt — Lemma: possum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural perfect active indicative; Function: verb of the relative clause; Translation: “were able”; Notes: expresses capability.
  19. adduxerunt — Lemma: adduco; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural perfect active indicative; Function: main verb of final clause; Translation: “they brought”; Notes: completes action of transport.
  20. secum — Lemma: se + cum; Part of Speech: adverbial pronoun phrase; Form: ablative singular reflexive pronoun with enclitic preposition; Function: adverbial expression meaning “with themselves”; Translation: “with them”; Notes: standard reflexive construction.

 

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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