Genesis 47:19

Posted on February 16, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 47:19 Cur ergo moriemur te vidente? et nos et terra nostra tui erimus: eme nos in servitutem regiam, et præbe semina, ne pereunte cultore redigatur terra in solitudinem.

Why therefore shall we die with you seeing it? both we and our land shall be yours: buy us into royal servitude, and give seed, lest with the cultivator perishing the land be reduced into desolation.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Cur why ADV
2 ergo therefore ADV
3 moriemur shall we die 1PL.FUT.ACT.IND
4 te you ABL.SG
5 vidente seeing ABL.SG.M.PRESPART
6 et and CONJ
7 nos we NOM.PL
8 et and CONJ
9 terra land NOM.SG.F
10 nostra our NOM.SG.F.ADJ
11 tui yours GEN.SG.M.PRON
12 erimus we shall be 1PL.FUT.ACT.IND
13 eme buy 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP
14 nos us ACC.PL
15 in into PREP+ACC
16 servitutem servitude ACC.SG.F
17 regiam royal ACC.SG.F.ADJ
18 et and CONJ
19 præbe give 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP
20 semina seed ACC.PL.N
21 ne lest CONJ
22 pereunte perishing ABL.SG.M.PRESPART
23 cultore cultivator ABL.SG.M
24 redigatur be reduced 3SG.PRES.PASS.SUBJ
25 terra land NOM.SG.F
26 in into PREP+ACC
27 solitudinem desolation ACC.SG.F

Syntax

Main Interrogative: Cur ergo moriemur te vidente? — “Why therefore shall we die with you seeing it?” Ablative absolute: te vidente.
Coordinated Subjects: nos et terra nostra — “we and our land.”
Future Predicate: tui erimus — “we shall be yours,” indicating total submission.
Imperatives: eme nos and præbe semina — requests for purchase and provision of seed.
Negative Purpose Clause: ne pereunte cultore redigatur terra in solitudinem — “lest, the cultivator perishing, the land be reduced into desolation.”
Ablative Absolutes: te vidente and pereunte cultore — “with you seeing (it)” and “with the cultivator perishing.”

Morphology

  1. Cur — Lemma: cur; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: interrogative adverb; Function: introduces direct question; Translation: “why”; Notes: Expresses urgent appeal.
  2. ergo — Lemma: ergo; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: inferential adverb; Function: links question logically to what precedes; Translation: “therefore”; Notes: Carries argumentative force.
  3. moriemur — Lemma: morior; Part of Speech: deponent verb; Form: future indicative (active in meaning) first person plural; Function: main verb of the question; Translation: “we shall die”; Notes: Deponent, formally passive but active in sense.
  4. te — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: ablative singular; Function: ablative with participle; Translation: “you”; Notes: Part of ablative absolute construction.
  5. vidente — Lemma: video; Part of Speech: participle; Form: ablative singular masculine present active participle; Function: participle in ablative absolute; Translation: “seeing”; Notes: Indicates Joseph witnessing their plight.
  6. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating conjunction; Function: introduces the following statement after the question; Translation: “and”; Notes: Links the question with the offer that follows.
  7. nos — Lemma: nos; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: nominative plural; Function: first subject in “nos et terra nostra”; Translation: “we”; Notes: Refers to the petitioning Egyptians.
  8. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating conjunction; Function: links the two coordinated subjects; Translation: “and”; Notes: Joins nos with terra nostra.
  9. terra — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: second subject coordinated with nos; Translation: “land”; Notes: Refers to their farmland.
  10. nostra — Lemma: noster; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: modifies terra; Translation: “our”; Notes: Emphasizes personal ownership of the land.
  11. tui — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: genitive singular; Function: predicate genitive with erimus; Translation: “yours”; Notes: Genitive of possession indicating belonging to Joseph.
  12. erimus — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future indicative active first person plural; Function: main verb of the statement; Translation: “we shall be”; Notes: Declares future state of subjection.
  13. eme — Lemma: emo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperative present active second person singular; Function: direct command; Translation: “buy”; Notes: Request that Joseph purchase them.
  14. nos — Lemma: nos; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: accusative plural; Function: direct object of eme; Translation: “us”; Notes: They offer themselves as property.
  15. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces result/motion phrase; Translation: “into”; Notes: Marks transition into a new condition.
  16. servitutem — Lemma: servitus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of in; Translation: “servitude”; Notes: The state into which they are willing to be bought.
  17. regiam — Lemma: regius; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: modifies servitutem; Translation: “royal”; Notes: Specifies service belonging to the king.
  18. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating conjunction; Function: links this imperative with the previous one; Translation: “and”; Notes: Connects “buy us” with “give seed.”
  19. præbe — Lemma: præbeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperative present active second person singular; Function: command; Translation: “give / provide”; Notes: Request for practical help in the form of seed.
  20. semina — Lemma: semen; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: direct object of præbe; Translation: “seed”; Notes: Necessary resource to cultivate the land again.
  21. ne — Lemma: ne; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: negative purpose conjunction; Function: introduces purpose clause; Translation: “lest”; Notes: Marks what they wish to prevent.
  22. pereunte — Lemma: pereo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: ablative singular masculine present active participle; Function: participle in ablative absolute; Translation: “perishing”; Notes: Describes the cultivator dying as a circumstance.
  23. cultore — Lemma: cultor; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: noun in ablative absolute; Translation: “cultivator”; Notes: Refers to the farmer/worker of the land.
  24. redigatur — Lemma: redigo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present passive subjunctive third singular; Function: verb of the negative purpose clause; Translation: “be reduced”; Notes: Subjunctive dependent on ne, indicating feared outcome.
  25. terra — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject of redigatur; Translation: “land”; Notes: The cultivated land at risk.
  26. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses result/destination; Translation: “into”; Notes: Introduces the resultant state.
  27. solitudinem — Lemma: solitudo; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of in; Translation: “desolation”; Notes: Depicts the feared barren condition of the land.

 

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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