Genesis 48:1

Posted on February 17, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 48:1 His ita transactis, nunciatum est Ioseph quod ægrotaret pater suus: qui, assumptis duobus filiis Manasse et Ephraim, ire perrexit.

When these things had been done, it was reported to Joseph that his father was sick; and he, taking with him his two sons Manasse and Ephraim, went on his way.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 His these things ABL.PL.N.DEM
2 ita thus ADV
3 transactis having been completed ABL.PL.N.PTCP.PERF.PASS
4 nunciatum it was reported NOM.SG.N.PTCP.PERF.PASS
5 est was 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
6 Ioseph to Joseph DAT.SG.M.PROP
7 quod that CONJ
8 ægrotaret was sick 3SG.IMP.ACT.SUBJ
9 pater father NOM.SG.M
10 suus his NOM.SG.M.ADJ
11 qui who NOM.SG.M.REL
12 assumptis having taken ABL.PL.M.PTCP.PERF.PASS
13 duobus two ABL.PL.M.NUM
14 filiis sons ABL.PL.M
15 Manasse Manasseh ABL.SG.M.PROP
16 et and CONJ
17 Ephraim Ephraim ABL.SG.M.PROP
18 ire to go PRES.ACT.INF
19 perrexit he went on 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND

Syntax

Ablative Absolute:
His ita transactis — “when these things had been done”
• His = ablative plural demonstrative
• transactis = perfect passive participle
• ita = adverb modifying the participle

Impersonal Passive Construction:
nunciatum est Ioseph — “it was reported to Joseph”
• nunciatum = passive participle functioning as predicate
• est = auxiliary
• Ioseph = dative of the person informed

Object Clause introduced by quod:
quod ægrotaret pater suus — “that his father was sick”
• ægrotaret = subjunctive (reported speech)
• pater suus = subject phrase

Relative Clause:
qui, assumptis duobus filiis Manasse et Ephraim — “who, having taken his two sons…”
• qui = subject of relative clause
• assumptis duobus filiis = ablative absolute

Main Verb:
ire perrexit — “went on his way”
• Literal = “he proceeded to go”

Morphology

  1. His — Lemma: hic; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: ablative plural neuter; Function: part of ablative absolute; Translation: “these things”; Notes: Refers to previously completed matters.
  2. ita — Lemma: ita; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies transactis; Translation: “thus”; Notes: Describes the manner of completion.
  3. transactis — Lemma: transigo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: ablative plural neuter perfect passive participle; Function: ablative absolute; Translation: “having been completed”; Notes: Marks prior action.
  4. nunciatum — Lemma: nuncio; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular neuter perfect passive participle; Function: predicate participle in impersonal passive; Translation: “it was reported”; Notes: Treated exactly as typed per your instruction.
  5. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative third singular; Function: auxiliary; Translation: “was”; Notes: Forms impersonal passive.
  6. Ioseph — Lemma: Ioseph; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: dative of the person informed; Translation: “to Joseph”; Notes: Recipient of report.
  7. quod — Lemma: quod; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces object clause; Translation: “that”; Notes: Common in reported speech.
  8. ægrotaret — Lemma: ægroto; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperfect active subjunctive third singular; Function: verb of object clause; Translation: “was sick”; Notes: Subjunctive of indirect statement.
  9. pater — Lemma: pater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of ægrotaret; Translation: “father”; Notes: Refers to Jacob.
  10. suus — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: modifies pater; Translation: “his”; Notes: Reflexive to subject of main clause.
  11. qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: introduces relative clause; Translation: “who”; Notes: Refers to Joseph.
  12. assumptis — Lemma: assumo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: ablative plural masculine perfect passive participle; Function: ablative absolute; Translation: “having taken”; Notes: Joseph taking his sons.
  13. duobus — Lemma: duo; Part of Speech: numeral adjective; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: modifies filiis; Translation: “two”; Notes: Numerical specification.
  14. filiis — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: object of ablative absolute; Translation: “sons”; Notes: Manasseh and Ephraim.
  15. Manasse — Lemma: Manasses; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: part of ablative absolute; Translation: “Manasseh”; Notes: One of Joseph’s sons.
  16. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Function: joins names; Translation: “and”; Notes: Coordinating.
  17. Ephraim — Lemma: Ephraim; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: part of ablative absolute; Translation: “Ephraim”; Notes: Younger son of Joseph.
  18. ire — Lemma: eo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active infinitive; Function: complements perrexit; Translation: “to go”; Notes: Expresses purpose or continuation.
  19. perrexit — Lemma: pergo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative third singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “he went on”; Notes: Indicates decisive movement.

 

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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