Genesis 47:21

Posted on February 16, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 47:21 et cunctos populos eius a novissimis terminis Ægypti usque ad extremos fines eius,

and all his people, from the farthest boundaries of Egypt even to the extreme limits of it,

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 et and CONJ
2 cunctos all ACC.PL.M.ADJ
3 populos peoples ACC.PL.M
4 eius his GEN.SG.M/F.PRON
5 a from PREP+ABL
6 novissimis farthest ABL.PL.M/F.ADJ.SUP
7 terminis boundaries ABL.PL.M
8 Ægypti of Egypt GEN.SG.F
9 usque up to ADV/PREP
10 ad to PREP+ACC
11 extremos extreme ACC.PL.M.ADJ
12 fines limits ACC.PL.M
13 eius of it GEN.SG.M/F.PRON

Syntax

Coordinating Conjunction: et links this phrase with the previous action.
Direct Object Phrase: cunctos populos eius — “all his people,” accusative.
Prepositional Phrase of Origin: a novissimis terminis Ægypti — “from the farthest boundaries of Egypt.”
• a governs ablative
• novissimis terminis = ablative plural
• Ægypti = genitive

Directional Phrase: usque ad extremos fines eius — “even to its extreme limits.”
• usque strengthens extension
• ad + accusative extremos fines
• eius = genitive dependent

Morphology

  1. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating conjunction; Function: links clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Connects this phrase to the previous statement.
  2. cunctos — Lemma: cunctus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: modifies populos; Translation: “all”; Notes: Totality emphasized.
  3. populos — Lemma: populus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: direct object; Translation: “peoples”; Notes: Collective inhabitants.
  4. eius — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive singular; Function: possessive genitive; Translation: “his”; Notes: Refers to Pharaoh.
  5. a — Lemma: a/ab; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses origin; Translation: “from”; Notes: Standard ablative preposition.
  6. novissimis — Lemma: novus; Part of Speech: adjective (superlative); Form: ablative plural masculine/feminine; Function: modifies terminis; Translation: “farthest”; Notes: Indicates most distant borders.
  7. terminis — Lemma: terminus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: object of a; Translation: “boundaries”; Notes: Geographic limits.
  8. Ægypti — Lemma: Ægyptus; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: genitive of possession; Translation: “of Egypt”; Notes: Identifies which boundaries.
  9. usque — Lemma: usque; Part of Speech: adverb/prepositional particle; Form: indeclinable; Function: intensifies directional ad; Translation: “even to / all the way to”; Notes: Extends spatial range.
  10. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses limit; Translation: “to”; Notes: Introduces destination.
  11. extremos — Lemma: extremus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: modifies fines; Translation: “extreme”; Notes: Superlative force.
  12. fines — Lemma: finis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object of ad; Translation: “limits”; Notes: Territorial edges.
  13. eius — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive singular; Function: possessive genitive; Translation: “of it”; Notes: Refers back to Ægypti, maintaining cohesion.

 

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.
This entry was posted in Genesis. Bookmark the permalink.

Comments are closed.