Genesis 48:10

Posted on February 17, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 48:10 Oculi enim Israel caligabant præ nimia senectute, et clare videre non poterat. Applicitosque ad se, deosculatus et circumplexus eos,

For the eyes of Israel were dim because of excessive old age, and he was not able to see clearly. And when they were brought near to him, he kissed them and embraced them,

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Oculi eyes NOM.PL.M
2 enim for ADV
3 Israel Israel GEN.SG.M.PROP
4 caligabant were dim 3PL.IMP.ACT.IND
5 præ because of PREP+ABL
6 nimia excessive ABL.SG.F.ADJ
7 senectute old age ABL.SG.F
8 et and CONJ
9 clare clearly ADV
10 videre to see PRES.ACT.INF
11 non not ADV
12 poterat was able 3SG.IMP.ACT.IND
13 Applicitosque and (when) brought near ACC.PL.M.PTCP.PERF.PASS + ENCLITIC -QUE
14 ad to PREP+ACC
15 se himself ACC.SG.REFL.PRON
16 deosculatus having kissed NOM.SG.M.PTCP.PERF.DEP
17 et and CONJ
18 circumplexus having embraced NOM.SG.M.PTCP.PERF.ACT
19 eos them ACC.PL.M.PRON

Syntax

Main clause 1:
Oculi enim Israel caligabant præ nimia senectute
• Subject: Oculi
• Genitive modifier: Israel
• Verb: caligabant
• Causal phrase: præ nimia senectute (“because of excessive old age”)

Main clause 2 (coordinated):
et clare videre non poterat
• Verb: poterat
• Complement: videre
• Adverbial modifier: clare

Temporal/circumstantial participial clause:
Applicitosque ad se — “and when they were brought near to him”
• Passive participle + enclitic -que

Main predicate participles (sequential action):
deosculatus et circumplexus
• Both nominative masculine singular referring to Israel/Jacob
• Followed by object: eos (“them”)

Morphology

  1. Oculi — Lemma: oculus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “eyes”; Notes: Possessive genitive Israel follows.
  2. enim — Lemma: enim; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: postpositive; Function: explanatory; Translation: “for”; Notes: Never appears clause-initial.
  3. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessive; Translation: “of Israel”; Notes: Refers to Jacob.
  4. caligabant — Lemma: caligo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperfect active indicative third plural; Function: verb of state; Translation: “were dim”; Notes: Imperfect expresses ongoing impairment.
  5. præ — Lemma: præ; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: causal; Translation: “because of”; Notes: Classical causal preposition.
  6. nimia — Lemma: nimius; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: modifies senectute; Translation: “excessive”; Notes: Intensifies old age.
  7. senectute — Lemma: senectus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of præ; Translation: “old age”; Notes: Ablative of cause.
  8. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Simple coordination.
  9. clare — Lemma: clarus; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: adverbial; Function: modifies videre; Translation: “clearly”; Notes: From adjective clarus.
  10. videre — Lemma: video; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active infinitive; Function: complementary infinitive; Translation: “to see”; Notes: Depends on poterat.
  11. non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: negative; Function: negation; Translation: “not”; Notes: Negates verb phrase.
  12. poterat — Lemma: possum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperfect active indicative third singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “was able”; Notes: Expresses inability due to age.
  13. Applicitosque — Lemma: applico; Part of Speech: participle; Form: accusative plural masculine perfect passive participle + enclitic -que; Function: circumstantial participle; Translation: “and (when) brought near”; Notes: Refers to Joseph’s sons.
  14. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: direction; Translation: “to”; Notes: Indicates motion toward Jacob.
  15. se — Lemma: sui; Part of Speech: reflexive pronoun; Form: accusative singular; Function: object of ad; Translation: “himself”; Notes: Refers to Jacob.
  16. deosculatus — Lemma: deosculor; Part of Speech: participle (deponent); Form: nominative singular masculine perfect participle; Function: main predicate participle; Translation: “having kissed”; Notes: Deponent verb with active meaning.
  17. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links actions; Translation: “and”; Notes: Simple coordination.
  18. circumplexus — Lemma: complector; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular masculine perfect participle active; Function: predicate participle; Translation: “having embraced”; Notes: Expresses affectionate action.
  19. eos — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: direct object; Translation: “them”; Notes: Refers to Ephraim and Manasseh.

 

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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