Genesis 48:17

Posted on February 17, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 48:17 Videns autem Ioseph quod posuisset pater suus dexteram manum super caput Ephraim, graviter accepit: et apprehensam manum patris levare conatus est de capite Ephraim, et transferre super caput Manasse.

But Joseph, seeing that his father had placed his right hand upon the head of Ephraim, took it badly, and he tried to lift the hand of his father that had been taken hold of from the head of Ephraim and to transfer it upon the head of Manasses.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Videns seeing PRP.PRES.ACT.NOM.SG.M
2 autem however ADV.CONTRAST
3 Ioseph Joseph PN.NOM.SG.M
4 quod that CONJ.SUBORD
5 posuisset had placed V.3SG.PLUPERF.ACT.SUBJ
6 pater father N.NOM.SG.M
7 suus his POSS.ADJ.NOM.SG.M
8 dexteram right (hand) ADJ.FEM.ACC.SG
9 manum hand N.FEM.ACC.SG
10 super upon PREP+ACC
11 caput head N.NEUT.ACC.SG
12 Ephraim Ephraim PN.ACC.SG.M
13 graviter grievously ADV
14 accepit took V.3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
15 et and CONJ.COORD
16 apprehensam having been taken hold of PRP.PERF.PASS.ACC.SG.F
17 manum hand N.FEM.ACC.SG
18 patris of (his) father N.MASC.GEN.SG
19 levare to lift V.PRES.ACT.INF
20 conatus having attempted PRP.PERF.DEP.NOM.SG.M
21 est was V.3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
22 de from PREP+ABL
23 capite head N.NEUT.ABL.SG
24 Ephraim of Ephraim PN.GEN.SG.M
25 et and CONJ.COORD
26 transferre to transfer V.PRES.ACT.INF
27 super upon PREP+ACC
28 caput head N.NEUT.ACC.SG
29 Manasse of Manasseh PN.GEN.SG.M

Syntax

Initial participial clause: Videns autem Ioseph introduces Joseph as the perceiving agent.
The participle Videns governs the subordinate clause introduced by quod.

Content clause: quod posuisset pater suus dexteram manum super caput Ephraim expresses what Joseph saw.
The pluperfect subjunctive posuisset carries the meaning of prior completed action, with pater suus as subject and dexteram manum as object.

Main emotional reaction: graviter accepit expresses Joseph’s displeasure.
The adverb graviter intensifies the emotional reception.

Attempt clause: et apprehensam manum patris levare conatus est describes Joseph’s attempt to reposition Jacob’s hand.
Conatus est introduces a complementary infinitive levare.

Source and goal: de capite Ephraim marks the point from which the hand was to be lifted, while et transferre super caput Manasse marks the intended transfer location.

Morphology

  1. Videns — Lemma: video; Part of Speech: participle; Form: present active participle nominative singular masculine; Function: circumstantial participle describing Joseph’s perception; Translation: seeing; Notes: sets background action.
  2. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: adverbial conjunction; Form: invariant; Function: contrastive marker; Translation: however; Notes: shifts tone.
  3. Ioseph — Lemma: Ioseph; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: Joseph; Notes: actor of the sentence.
  4. quod — Lemma: quod; Part of Speech: subordinating conjunction; Form: invariant; Function: introduces content clause; Translation: that; Notes: common after verbs of perception.
  5. posuisset — Lemma: pono; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular pluperfect active subjunctive; Function: verb of subordinate clause; Translation: had placed; Notes: marks action prior to Joseph’s perception.
  6. pater — Lemma: pater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of posuisset; Translation: father; Notes: refers to Jacob.
  7. suus — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: modifies pater; Translation: his; Notes: reflexive, referring to Joseph’s father.
  8. dexteram — Lemma: dexter; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: modifies manum; Translation: right; Notes: culturally associated with blessing.
  9. manum — Lemma: manus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object of posuisset; Translation: hand; Notes: object of the blessing gesture.
  10. super — Lemma: super; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces spatial relation; Translation: upon; Notes: indicates placement.
  11. caput — Lemma: caput; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of super; Translation: head; Notes: seat of blessing.
  12. Ephraim — Lemma: Ephraim; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: complement of super caput; Translation: Ephraim; Notes: younger son.
  13. graviter — Lemma: graviter; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariant; Function: modifies accepit; Translation: grievously; Notes: expresses emotional weight.
  14. accepit — Lemma: accipio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: took; Notes: expresses Joseph’s displeasure.
  15. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariant; Function: links actions; Translation: and; Notes: simple connector.
  16. apprehensam — Lemma: apprehendo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: perfect passive participle accusative singular feminine; Function: modifies manum; Translation: having been taken hold of; Notes: already grasped by Jacob.
  17. manum — Lemma: manus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of levare; Translation: hand; Notes: Jacob’s right hand.
  18. patris — Lemma: pater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: dependent genitive; Translation: of (his) father; Notes: clarifies possession.
  19. levare — Lemma: levo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active infinitive; Function: complementary infinitive; Translation: to lift; Notes: expresses Joseph’s intention.
  20. conatus — Lemma: conor; Part of Speech: deponent participle; Form: perfect participle nominative singular masculine; Function: with est forms perfect tense; Translation: attempted; Notes: deponent verb.
  21. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular present active indicative; Function: auxiliary with conatus; Translation: was; Notes: completes deponent perfect.
  22. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: source marker; Translation: from; Notes: marks removal point.
  23. capite — Lemma: caput; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: object of de; Translation: head; Notes: refers again to Ephraim’s head.
  24. Ephraim — Lemma: Ephraim; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: dependent genitive; Translation: of Ephraim; Notes: identifies whose head.
  25. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariant; Function: connects infinitives; Translation: and; Notes: joins actions.
  26. transferre — Lemma: transfero; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active infinitive; Function: second complementary infinitive; Translation: to transfer; Notes: expresses second intended action.
  27. super — Lemma: super; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces target location; Translation: upon; Notes: matches earlier spatial use.
  28. caput — Lemma: caput; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of super; Translation: head; Notes: destination of transfer.
  29. Manasse — Lemma: Manasses; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: dependent genitive with caput; Translation: of Manasseh; Notes: refers to the elder son.

 

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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