Genesis 48:2

Posted on February 17, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 48:2 Dictumque est seni: Ecce filius tuus Ioseph venit ad te. Qui confortatus sedit in lectulo.

And it was said to the old man: “Behold, your son Joseph is coming to you. And being strengthened, he sat up on the little bed.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Dictumque and it was said NOM.SG.N.PTCP.PERF.PASS + ENCLITIC -QUE
2 est was 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
3 seni to the old man DAT.SG.M
4 Ecce behold ADV/INTERJ
5 filius son NOM.SG.M
6 tuus your NOM.SG.M.ADJ
7 Ioseph Joseph NOM.SG.M.PROP
8 venit is coming 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
9 ad to PREP+ACC
10 te you ACC.SG.PRON
11 Qui who NOM.SG.M.REL
12 confortatus having been strengthened NOM.SG.M.PTCP.PERF.PASS
13 sedit sat 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
14 in in PREP+ABL
15 lectulo little bed ABL.SG.M

Syntax

Impersonal Passive Construction:
Dictumque est seni — “and it was said to the old man”
• dictumque = predicate participle
• est = auxiliary
• seni = dative of the person addressed

Quoted Message:
Ecce filius tuus Ioseph venit ad te.
• Ecce introduces direct demonstration
• filius tuus Ioseph = subject phrase
• venit ad te = verb + directional prepositional phrase

Relative Clause:
Qui confortatus sedit in lectulo — “who, being strengthened, sat up on the little bed.”
• qui = subject (referring to the old man, Jacob)
• confortatus = perfect passive participle modifying qui
• sedit = main verb
• in lectulo = locative phrase

Morphology

  1. Dictumque — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular neuter perfect passive participle with enclitic -que; Function: predicate in impersonal passive; Translation: “and it was said”; Notes: Impersonal usage common in narrative.
  2. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative third singular; Function: auxiliary; Translation: “was”; Notes: Forms passive construction.
  3. seni — Lemma: senex; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to the old man”; Notes: Refers to Jacob.
  4. Ecce — Lemma: ecce; Part of Speech: particle/adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces immediate demonstration; Translation: “behold”; Notes: Strong deictic force.
  5. filius — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “son”; Notes: Joseph is identified as the subject.
  6. tuus — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: modifies filius; Translation: “your”; Notes: Direct address to Jacob.
  7. Ioseph — Lemma: Ioseph; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: apposition to filius; Translation: “Joseph”; Notes: Emphasizes identity.
  8. venit — Lemma: venio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative third singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “is coming”; Notes: Present used for immediate action.
  9. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: direction; Translation: “to”; Notes: Motion toward Jacob.
  10. te — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular; Function: object of ad; Translation: “you”; Notes: Direct object.
  11. Qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of relative clause; Translation: “who”; Notes: Refers to Jacob.
  12. confortatus — Lemma: conforto; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular masculine perfect passive participle; Function: describes subject; Translation: “having been strengthened”; Notes: Implies renewed vitality.
  13. sedit — Lemma: sedeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative third singular; Function: main verb of relative clause; Translation: “sat”; Notes: Expresses his physical effort.
  14. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: locative; Translation: “in”; Notes: Indicates location.
  15. lectulo — Lemma: lectulus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of in; Translation: “little bed”; Notes: Diminutive, suggesting frailty.

 

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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