Genesis 47:8

Posted on February 16, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 47:8 et interrogatus ab eo: Quot sunt dies annorum vitæ tuæ?

and being questioned by him: “How many are the days of the years of your life?”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 et and CONJ
2 interrogatus having been questioned NOM.SG.M; PERF.PTCP.PASS
3 ab by PREP+ABL
4 eo him ABL.SG.M
5 Quot how many INTERROG.ADJ
6 sunt are 3PL.PRES.ACT.IND
7 dies days NOM.PL.M
8 annorum of the years GEN.PL.M
9 vitæ of life GEN.SG.F
10 tuæ your GEN.SG.F.ADJ

Syntax

Participial Construction: interrogatus ab eo — passive circumstantial participle “having been questioned by him.”
Direct Question: Quot sunt dies annorum vitæ tuæ? — introduced directly after the colon, following Latin punctuation.
Subject: dies is the grammatical subject.
Genitive Chains: annorum vitæ tuæ expresses layered possession: “of the years of your life.”

Morphology

  1. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: connects to preceding clause; Translation: “and”; Notes: Smooth narrative linkage.
  2. interrogatus — Lemma: interrogo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: perfect passive participle nominative singular masculine; Function: circumstantial participle; Translation: “having been questioned”; Notes: Refers to Jacob.
  3. ab — Lemma: ab; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: with ablative; Function: marks personal agent; Translation: “by”; Notes: Typical for passive constructions.
  4. eo — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of ab; Translation: “him”; Notes: Refers to Pharaoh.
  5. Quot — Lemma: quot; Part of Speech: interrogative adjective; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies dies; Translation: “how many”; Notes: Introduces numerical question.
  6. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present indicative third plural; Function: main verb; Translation: “are”; Notes: Links subject to predicate.
  7. dies — Lemma: dies; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “days”; Notes: Treated as plural here.
  8. annorum — Lemma: annus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: modifies dies in measure phrase; Translation: “of the years”; Notes: Indicates span.
  9. vitæ — Lemma: vita; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: modifies annorum; Translation: “of life”; Notes: Part of nested genitive.
  10. tuæ — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: modifies vitæ; Translation: “your”; Notes: Addressed to Jacob.

 

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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