Genesis 47:28

Posted on February 16, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 47:28 Et vixit in ea decem et septem annis: factique sunt omnes dies vitæ illius centum quadraginta septem annorum.

And he lived in it seventeen years; and all the days of his life were one hundred forty-seven years.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Et and CONJ
2 vixit lived 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
3 in in PREP+ABL
4 ea it ABL.SG.F.PRON
5 decem ten INDECL.NUM
6 et and CONJ
7 septem seven INDECL.NUM
8 annis years ABL.PL.M
9 factique and they became NOM.PL.M.PTCP.PERF.PASS + ENCLITIC -QUE
10 sunt were 3PL.PRES.ACT.IND
11 omnes all NOM.PL.M.ADJ
12 dies days NOM.PL.M
13 vitæ of the life GEN.SG.F
14 illius of him GEN.SG.M.DEM.PRON
15 centum one hundred INDECL.NUM
16 quadraginta forty INDECL.NUM
17 septem seven INDECL.NUM
18 annorum of years GEN.PL.M

Syntax

Main Clause: Et vixit in ea decem et septem annis — “And he lived in it seventeen years.”
• vixit = verb
• in ea = locative phrase (Egypt/Goshen)
• decem et septem annis = ablative of time duration

Second Clause: factique sunt omnes dies vitæ illius — “and all the days of his life were…”
• facti sunt = perfect passive periphrastic (“became / were”)
• omnes dies = subject phrase
• vitæ illius = genitive of possession

Predicate: centum quadraginta septem annorum — “one hundred forty-seven years.”
A genitive of measure describing the duration of the “days.”

Morphology

  1. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Narrative continuation.
  2. vixit — Lemma: vivo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative third singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “lived”; Notes: Summarizes life in Egypt.
  3. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses location; Translation: “in”; Notes: Locative usage.
  4. ea — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of in; Translation: “it”; Notes: Refers to the land.
  5. decem — Lemma: decem; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies annis; Translation: “ten”; Notes: Part of compound number.
  6. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Function: joins numerals; Translation: “and”; Notes: Connects ten and seven.
  7. septem — Lemma: septem; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies annis; Translation: “seven”; Notes: Completes 17.
  8. annis — Lemma: annus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: ablative of duration; Translation: “years”; Notes: Duration of dwelling.
  9. factique — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative plural masculine perfect passive participle with enclitic -que; Function: part of periphrastic; Translation: “and they became”; Notes: Links to sunt for full sense.
  10. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative third plural; Function: auxiliary; Translation: “were”; Notes: Forms perfect passive.
  11. omnes — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: modifies dies; Translation: “all”; Notes: Totality.
  12. dies — Lemma: dies; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “days”; Notes: Refers to life span.
  13. vitæ — Lemma: vita; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: genitive of possession; Translation: “of the life”; Notes: Describes whose days.
  14. illius — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: modifies vitæ; Translation: “of him”; Notes: Refers to Israel (Jacob).
  15. centum — Lemma: centum; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies annorum; Translation: “one hundred”; Notes: Part of total age.
  16. quadraginta — Lemma: quadraginta; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies annorum; Translation: “forty”; Notes: Middle numeral.
  17. septem — Lemma: septem; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies annorum; Translation: “seven”; Notes: Final component.
  18. annorum — Lemma: annus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: genitive of measure; Translation: “of years”; Notes: Completes age statement.

 

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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