Genesis 47:6

Posted on February 16, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 47:6 Terra Ægypti in conspectu tuo est: in optimo loco fac eos habitare, et trade eis Terram Gessen. Quod si nosti in eis esse viros industrios, constitue illos magistros pecorum meorum.

The Land of Egypt is before you; in the best place make them live, and hand over to them the Land of Gessen. But if you know that in them there are industrious men, appoint them as masters of my flocks.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Terra land NOM.SG.F
2 Ægypti of Egypt GEN.SG.F
3 in in PREP+ABL
4 conspectu before ABL.SG.M
5 tuo your ABL.SG.M.ADJ
6 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
7 in in PREP+ABL
8 optimo best ABL.SG.M.ADJ
9 loco place ABL.SG.M
10 fac make 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMPER
11 eos them ACC.PL.M
12 habitare to live PRES.ACT.INF
13 et and CONJ
14 trade hand over 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMPER
15 eis to them DAT.PL.M
16 Terram land ACC.SG.F
17 Gessen Goshen ACC.SG.F
18 Quod but if CONJ
19 si if CONJ
20 nosti you know 2SG.PERF.ACT.IND
21 in in PREP+ABL
22 eis in them ABL.PL.M
23 esse to be PRES.ACT.INF
24 viros men ACC.PL.M
25 industrios industrious ACC.PL.M.ADJ
26 consti­tue appoint 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMPER
27 illos them ACC.PL.M
28 magistros masters ACC.PL.M
29 pecorum of flocks GEN.PL.N
30 meorum my GEN.PL.N.ADJ

Syntax

Declarative Clause: Terra Ægypti … est forms the initial declaration.
Prepositional Phrase: in conspectu tuo shows availability before Joseph.
Imperative Sequence: fac … habitare and trade … Terram Gessen express two commands.
Conditional Clause: Quod si nosti … introduces a hypothetical.
Subordinate Infinitive: esse viros industrios serves as object of nosti.
Second Imperative: constiture illos magistros gives the consequence of the condition.
Genitive Phrase: pecorum meorum explains whose flocks they would oversee.

Morphology

  1. Terra — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject; Translation: “land”; Notes: Refers to Egypt’s territory.
  2. Ægypti — Lemma: Ægyptus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: possession; Translation: “of Egypt”; Notes: Geographic identifier.
  3. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: with ablative; Function: location; Translation: “in”; Notes: Begins prepositional phrase.
  4. conspectu — Lemma: conspectus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of in; Translation: “presence / sight”; Notes: Indicates visibility.
  5. tuo — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: modifies conspectu; Translation: “your”; Notes: Addressed to Joseph.
  6. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative third person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “is”; Notes: Equative verb.
  7. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: with ablative; Function: location; Translation: “in”; Notes: Starts second locative phrase.
  8. optimo — Lemma: optimus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: modifies loco; Translation: “best”; Notes: Superlative form.
  9. loco — Lemma: locus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: complement of in; Translation: “place”; Notes: Indicates quality of land.
  10. fac — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperative present active second singular; Function: command; Translation: “make”; Notes: Pharaoh instructs Joseph.
  11. eos — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: subject of infinitive habitare; Translation: “them”; Notes: Refers to Jacob’s family.
  12. habitare — Lemma: habito; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active infinitive; Function: dependent infinitive; Translation: “to live”; Notes: Controlled by fac.
  13. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: joins imperatives; Translation: “and”; Notes: Links commands.
  14. trade — Lemma: trado; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperative present active second singular; Function: command; Translation: “hand over”; Notes: Legal transfer.
  15. eis — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative plural; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to them”; Notes: Beneficiary.
  16. Terram — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object; Translation: “land”; Notes: Object of trade.
  17. Gessen — Lemma: Gessen; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: specifies land; Translation: “Gessen”; Notes: Region in Egypt.
  18. Quod — Lemma: quod; Part of Speech: conjunction/pronoun; Form: neuter nominative/accusative; Function: transitional; Translation: “but”; Notes: Introduces condition.
  19. si — Lemma: si; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: conditional; Function: introduces condition; Translation: “if”; Notes: Standard protasis.
  20. nosti — Lemma: nosco; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative second person singular; Function: verb of condition; Translation: “you know”; Notes: Perfect with present nuance.
  21. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: ablative; Function: locative; Translation: “in”; Notes: Begins phrase.
  22. eis — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: ablative plural; Function: complement; Translation: “in them”; Notes: Refers to Joseph’s family.
  23. esse — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: infinitive; Function: subject infinitive; Translation: “to be”; Notes: Accusative + infinitive construction.
  24. viros — Lemma: vir; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: subject of infinitive; Translation: “men”; Notes: Talent being identified.
  25. industrios — Lemma: industrius; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: modifies viros; Translation: “industrious”; Notes: Competent workers.
  26. constiture — Lemma: constituo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperative present active second singular; Function: apodosis command; Translation: “appoint”; Notes: Requires action if condition met.
  27. illos — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object of constiture; Translation: “them”; Notes: Those identified as industrious.
  28. magistros — Lemma: magister; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: predicate accusative; Translation: “masters”; Notes: Overseers.
  29. pecorum — Lemma: pecus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural neuter; Function: specifying; Translation: “of flocks”; Notes: Refers to animals.
  30. meorum — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: genitive plural neuter; Function: modifies pecorum; Translation: “my”; Notes: Pharaoh’s personal property.

 

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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