Genesis 47:18

Posted on February 16, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 47:18 Venerunt quoque anno secundo, et dixerunt ei: Non celabimus dominum nostrum quod deficiente pecunia, pecora simul defecerunt: nec clam te est, quod absque corporibus et terra nihil habeamus.

They also came in the second year, and they said to him: “We will not hide from our lord that with the money failing, the cattle likewise have failed: nor is it hidden from you, that apart from our bodies and the land we have nothing.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Venerunt they came 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
2 quoque also ADV
3 anno year ABL.SG.M
4 secundo second ABL.SG.M.ADJ
5 et and CONJ
6 dixerunt they said 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
7 ei to him DAT.SG.M
8 Non not ADV
9 celabimus we will hide 1PL.FUT.ACT.IND
10 dominum lord ACC.SG.M
11 nostrum our ACC.SG.M.ADJ
12 quod that NOM/ACC.SG.N REL/CONJ
13 deficiente failing ABL.SG.F.PRESPART
14 pecunia money ABL.SG.F
15 pecora cattle NOM.PL.N
16 simul likewise ADV
17 defecerunt have failed 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
18 nec nor CONJ
19 clam hidden ADV
20 te from you ABL.SG
21 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
22 quod that CONJ
23 absque without PREP+ABL
24 corporibus bodies ABL.PL.N
25 et and CONJ
26 terra land ABL.SG.F
27 nihil nothing NOM/ACC.SG.N INDECL.
28 habeamus we have 1PL.PRES.ACT.SUBJ

Syntax

Ablative of Time: anno secundo — “in the second year.”
Main Clause: Venerunt… et dixerunt ei — two coordinated perfect verbs.
Direct Speech Introduced: Non celabimus dominum nostrum quod…
First “quod” Clause: deficiente pecunia, pecora simul defecerunt — ablative absolute + main verb.
Second “quod” Clause: quod absque corporibus et terra nihil habeamus — “that apart from our bodies and the land we have nothing.”
Ablative Absolute: deficiente pecunia — “with the money failing.”
Negated Statement: nec clam te est — “nor is it hidden from you.”

Morphology

  1. Venerunt — Lemma: venio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative third plural; Function: first main verb; Translation: “they came”; Notes: Marks action of petitioners returning.
  2. quoque — Lemma: quoque; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: adverbial; Function: adds emphasis; Translation: “also”; Notes: Continues sequence of famine-year appeals.
  3. anno — Lemma: annus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: ablative of time; Translation: “year”; Notes: Temporal setting.
  4. secundo — Lemma: secundus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: modifies anno; Translation: “second”; Notes: Specifies famine’s progression.
  5. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Function: coordinates verbs; Translation: “and”; Notes: Simple connector.
  6. dixerunt — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative third plural; Function: second main verb; Translation: “they said”; Notes: Introduces direct speech.
  7. ei — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to him”; Notes: Refers to Joseph.
  8. Non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Function: negation; Translation: “not”; Notes: Negates the future intention of hiding truth.
  9. celabimus — Lemma: celo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative first plural; Function: verb of direct speech; Translation: “we will hide”; Notes: Promise of honesty.
  10. dominum — Lemma: dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object; Translation: “lord”; Notes: Honorific title for Joseph.
  11. nostrum — Lemma: noster; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: modifies dominum; Translation: “our”; Notes: Declares submission.
  12. quod — Lemma: quod; Part of Speech: conjunction; Function: introduces content clause; Translation: “that”; Notes: First “that” clause.
  13. deficiente — Lemma: deficio; Part of Speech: participle; Form: ablative singular feminine present active participle; Function: ablative absolute; Translation: “failing”; Notes: Circumstantial cause.
  14. pecunia — Lemma: pecunia; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: noun of ablative absolute; Translation: “money”; Notes: Indicates exhausted funds.
  15. pecora — Lemma: pecus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural neuter; Function: subject of defecerunt; Translation: “cattle”; Notes: Livestock depleted.
  16. simul — Lemma: simul; Part of Speech: adverb; Function: intensifier; Translation: “likewise”; Notes: Means “at the same time.”
  17. defecerunt — Lemma: deficio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative third plural; Function: main verb; Translation: “have failed”; Notes: Indicates total collapse of resources.
  18. nec — Lemma: nec; Part of Speech: conjunction; Function: negative connector; Translation: “nor”; Notes: Introduces further admission.
  19. clam — Lemma: clam; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: adverbial;
    Function: modifies est; Translation: “hidden”; Notes: Means “secretly” or “unknown.”
  20. te — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: ablative singular; Function: object of clam; Translation: “from you”; Notes: Joseph knows their situation.
  21. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative third singular; Function: copula; Translation: “is”; Notes: Forms full clause “nor is it hidden.”
  22. quod — Lemma: quod; Part of Speech: conjunction; Function: introduces second content clause; Translation: “that”; Notes: Begins further explanation.
  23. absque — Lemma: absque; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: indicates exclusion; Translation: “without”; Notes: Expresses utter destitution.
  24. corporibus — Lemma: corpus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural neuter; Function: object of absque; Translation: “bodies”; Notes: Refers to their physical selves (slavery potential).
  25. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Function: joins phrases; Translation: “and”; Notes: Coordinates with terra.
  26. terra — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: second object of absque; Translation: “land”; Notes: Denotes their property.
  27. nihil — Lemma: nihil; Part of Speech: noun (indeclinable); Form: nominative/accusative singular neuter; Function: object of habeamus; Translation: “nothing”; Notes: Expresses total poverty.
  28. habeamus — Lemma: habeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active subjunctive first plural; Function: verb in dependent clause; Translation: “we have”; Notes: Subjunctive used in subordinate clause of content.

 

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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