Genesis 46:34

Posted on February 15, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 46:34 Respondebitis: Viri pastores sumus servi tui, ab infantia nostra usque in præsens, et nos et patres nostri. Hæc autem dicetis, ut habitare possitis in Terra Gessen: quia detestantur Ægyptii omnes pastores ovium.

You will answer: ‘We are men, shepherds, your servants, from our infancy until the present, both we and our fathers.’ But you will say these things so that you may live in the Land of Gessen, because the Egyptians detest all shepherds of sheep.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Respondebitis you will answer 2PL.FUT.ACT.IND
2 Viri men NOM.PL.M
3 pastores shepherds NOM.PL.M
4 sumus we are 1PL.PRES.ACT.IND
5 servi servants NOM.PL.M
6 tui your GEN.SG.M
7 ab from PREP+ABL
8 infantia infancy ABL.SG.F
9 nostra our ABL.SG.F
10 usque all the way ADV
11 in into / until PREP+ACC
12 praesens the present ACC.SG.N
13 et and CONJ
14 nos we NOM.PL
15 et and CONJ
16 patres fathers NOM.PL.M
17 nostri our GEN.PL.M
18 Haec these things ACC.PL.N
19 autem however ADV
20 dicetis you will say 2PL.FUT.ACT.IND
21 ut so that CONJ
22 habitare to live PRES.ACT.INF
23 possitis you may be able 2PL.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
24 in in PREP+ABL
25 Terra land ABL.SG.F
26 Gessen Goshen ABL.SG.F
27 quia because CONJ
28 detestantur they detest 3PL.PRES.ACT.IND
29 Ægyptii Egyptians NOM.PL.M
30 omnes all ACC.PL.M
31 pastores shepherds ACC.PL.M
32 ovium of sheep GEN.PL.F

Syntax

Main Clause:
Respondebitis — main verb introducing direct speech.

Direct Speech:
Viri pastores sumus — subject Viri pastores + verb sumus.
servi tui — predicate nominative + possessive.
ab infantia nostra usque in praesens — ablative construction of duration.
et nos et patres nostri — coordinated subjects in apposition.

Instruction / Purpose Section:
Haec autem dicetis — directive future.
ut habitare possitis in Terra Gessen — purpose clause.

Causal Clause:
quia detestantur Aegyptii omnes pastores ovium — subject Aegyptii, object omnes pastores ovium.

Morphology

  1. Respondebitis — Lemma: respondeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative second plural; Function: main verb; Translation: “you will answer”; Notes: introduces quoted discourse.
  2. Viri — Lemma: vir; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “men”; Notes: paired with pastores.
  3. pastores — Lemma: pastor; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject complement; Translation: “shepherds”; Notes: part of identity statement.
  4. sumus — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative first plural; Function: linking verb; Translation: “we are”; Notes: equates subject and complement.
  5. servi — Lemma: servus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: predicate nominative; Translation: “servants”; Notes: expresses status.
  6. tui — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessive modifier; Translation: “your”; Notes: modifies servi.
  7. ab — Lemma: ab; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces ablative; Translation: “from”; Notes: expresses origin point.
  8. infantia — Lemma: infantia; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of preposition; Translation: “infancy”; Notes: source of duration.
  9. nostra — Lemma: noster; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: modifies infantia; Translation: “our”; Notes: specifies whose infancy.
  10. usque — Lemma: usque; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: expresses continuation; Translation: “all the way”; Notes: modifies temporal movement.
  11. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: with accusative; Function: marks endpoint; Translation: “into / until”; Notes: temporal nuance.
  12. praesens — Lemma: praesens; Part of Speech: adjective used substantively; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of preposition; Translation: “the present”; Notes: final limit.
  13. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links coordinated subjects; Translation: “and”; Notes: simple connector.
  14. nos — Lemma: nos; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative plural; Function: coordinated subject; Translation: “we”; Notes: personal pronoun for emphasis.
  15. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: connects further subject; Translation: “and”; Notes: second link in pair.
  16. patres — Lemma: pater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: coordinated subject; Translation: “fathers”; Notes: refers to forefathers.
  17. nostri — Lemma: noster; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: possessive; Translation: “our”; Notes: modifies patres.
  18. Haec — Lemma: hic; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: object; Translation: “these things”; Notes: anticipates speech.
  19. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: adversative; Function: adds contrast; Translation: “however”; Notes: mild shift marker.
  20. dicetis — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative second plural; Function: main verb; Translation: “you will say”; Notes: parallels respondebitis.
  21. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: introduces subjunctive clause; Function: purpose marker; Translation: “so that”; Notes: requires subjunctive.
  22. habitare — Lemma: habito; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active infinitive; Function: complementary infinitive; Translation: “to live”; Notes: dependent on possitis.
  23. possitis — Lemma: possum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active subjunctive second plural; Function: verb of purpose clause; Translation: “you may be able”; Notes: expresses potentiality.
  24. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: with ablative; Function: marks location; Translation: “in”; Notes: geographical placement.
  25. Terra — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of preposition; Translation: “land”; Notes: region name.
  26. Gessen — Lemma: Gessen; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: ablative singular; Function: locative; Translation: “Gessen”; Notes: Egyptian region.
  27. quia — Lemma: quia; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: causal; Function: introduces reason; Translation: “because”; Notes: cause-and-effect.
  28. detestantur — Lemma: detestor; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative third plural; Function: main verb of causal clause; Translation: “they detest”; Notes: strong emotional reaction.
  29. Aegyptii — Lemma: Aegyptius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “Egyptians”; Notes: agent of detestation.
  30. omnes — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: modifies pastores; Translation: “all”; Notes: totality emphasis.
  31. pastores — Lemma: pastor; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: direct object; Translation: “shepherds”; Notes: what Egyptians detest.
  32. ovium — Lemma: ovis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural feminine; Function: genitive of specification; Translation: “of sheep”; Notes: identifies shepherd type.

 

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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