Genesis 47:15

Posted on February 16, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 47:15 Cumque defecisset emptoribus pretium, venit cuncta Ægyptus ad Ioseph, dicens: Da nobis panes: quare morimur coram te, deficiente pecunia?

And when the money had failed the buyers, all Egypt came to Joseph, saying: “Give to us bread: why are we dying before you, the money failing?”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Cumque and when CONJ
2 defecisset had failed 3SG.PLUPERF.ACT.SUBJ
3 emptoribus to the buyers DAT.PL.M
4 pretium money / price NOM.SG.N
5 venit came 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
6 cuncta all NOM.SG.F.ADJ
7 Ægyptus Egypt NOM.SG.F
8 ad to PREP+ACC
9 Ioseph Joseph ACC.SG.M
10 dicens saying PRES.ACT.PTCP.NOM.SG.F
11 Da give 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP
12 nobis to us DAT.PL
13 panes breads ACC.PL.M
14 quare why ADV
15 morimur we are dying 1PL.PRES.ACT.IND
16 coram before PREP+ABL
17 te you ABL.SG
18 deficiente failing ABL.SG.N.PRESPART
19 pecunia money ABL.SG.F

Syntax

Temporal Clause: Cumque defecisset emptoribus pretium — pluperfect subjunctive expressing prior circumstance: “and when the money had failed the buyers.”
Main Clause: venit cuncta Ægyptus ad Ioseph — “all Egypt came to Joseph.”
Participial Introduction to Speech: dicens: introduces direct speech and requires English “saying:”
Direct Speech: “Da nobis panes” — imperative request.
Interrogative Clause: quare morimur coram te — “why are we dying before you.”
Ablative Absolute: deficiente pecunia — “the money failing.”

Morphology

  1. Cumque — Lemma: cum + que; Part of Speech: conjunction with enclitic; Form: subordinating temporal conjunction; Function: introduces temporal clause; Translation: “and when”; Notes: Common narrative linker.
  2. defecisset — Lemma: deficio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: pluperfect active subjunctive third singular; Function: verb of temporal clause; Translation: “had failed”; Notes: Subjunctive required after cum in narrating past circumstance.
  3. emptoribus — Lemma: emptor; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative plural masculine; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to the buyers”; Notes: Refers to those purchasing grain.
  4. pretium — Lemma: pretium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: subject of defecisset; Translation: “money / price”; Notes: The purchasing funds had run out.
  5. venit — Lemma: venio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative third singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “came”; Notes: Perfect marks completed action.
  6. cuncta — Lemma: cunctus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: modifies Ægyptus; Translation: “all”; Notes: Indicates the whole nation.
  7. Ægyptus — Lemma: Ægyptus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject of venit; Translation: “Egypt”; Notes: Treated as feminine in Latin.
  8. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses motion toward; Translation: “to”; Notes: Direction towards Joseph.
  9. Ioseph — Lemma: Ioseph; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular masculine (indeclinable); Function: object of ad; Translation: “Joseph”; Notes: Hebrew proper name used indeclinably.
  10. dicens — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: participle; Form: present active participle nominative singular feminine; Function: introduces direct speech; Translation: “saying”; Notes: Requires English “saying:” followed by quotation marks.
  11. Da — Lemma: do; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperative present active second singular; Function: command; Translation: “give”; Notes: Direct request for survival food.
  12. nobis — Lemma: nos; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative plural; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to us”; Notes: Receivers of the bread.
  13. panes — Lemma: panis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: direct object of Da; Translation: “bread(s)”; Notes: Food for survival.
  14. quare — Lemma: quare; Part of Speech: adverb; Function: introduces question; Translation: “why”; Notes: Indicates desperation.
  15. morimur — Lemma: morior; Part of Speech: deponent verb; Form: present indicative active first plural; Function: verb of the question; Translation: “we are dying”; Notes: Deponent with active meaning.
  16. coram — Lemma: coram; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: spatial relation; Translation: “before”; Notes: Implies direct presence before Joseph.
  17. te — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: ablative singular; Function: object of coram; Translation: “you”; Notes: Addressing Joseph personally.
  18. deficiente — Lemma: deficio; Part of Speech: participle; Form: ablative singular neuter present active participle; Function: ablative absolute; Translation: “failing”; Notes: Circumstantial cause.
  19. pecunia — Lemma: pecunia; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: noun of ablative absolute; Translation: “money”; Notes: The cause of their desperation.

 

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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