Genesis 48:9

Posted on February 17, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 48:9 Respondit: Filii mei sunt, quos donavit mihi Deus in hoc loco. Adduc, inquit, eos ad me, ut benedicam illis.

He answered: “They are my sons, whom God has given to me in this place. Bring them,” he said, “to me, that I may bless them.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Respondit answered 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 Filii sons NOM.PL.M
3 mei my GEN.SG.M.PRON
4 sunt are 3PL.PRES.ACT.IND
5 quos whom ACC.PL.M.REL
6 donavit has given 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
7 mihi to me DAT.SG.PRON
8 Deus God NOM.SG.M
9 in in PREP+ABL
10 hoc this ABL.SG.N.DEM
11 loco place ABL.SG.M
12 Adduc bring 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP
13 inquit he said 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
14 eos them ACC.PL.M.PRON
15 ad to PREP+ACC
16 me me ACC.SG.PRON
17 ut that CONJ.PURPOSE
18 benedicam I may bless 1SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
19 illis them DAT.PL.M.PRON

Syntax

Main clause:
Respondit — Jacob’s reply initiates the speech.

Identification clause:
Filii mei sunt — “They are my sons”; predicate nominative construction.

Relative clause:
quos donavit mihi Deus
• quos = object of donavit
• Deus = subject
• mihi = dative of advantage

Locative expression:
in hoc loco — “in this place.”

Direct command:
Adduc … eos ad me — imperative + motion phrase.

Purpose clause:
ut benedicam illis
• ut + subjunctive expresses intended purpose
• “that I may bless them”

Morphology

  1. Respondit — Lemma: respondeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative third singular; Function: main narrative verb; Translation: “answered”; Notes: Perfect marks completed response.
  2. Filii — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “sons”; Notes: Refers to Joseph’s children.
  3. mei — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possession; Translation: “my”; Notes: Possessive modifying filii.
  4. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative third plural; Function: copula; Translation: “are”; Notes: Links predicate nominative.
  5. quos — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object of donavit; Translation: “whom”; Notes: Introduces relative clause.
  6. donavit — Lemma: dono; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative third singular; Function: verb of giving; Translation: “has given”; Notes: God as giver.
  7. mihi — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to me”; Notes: Recipient of divine gift.
  8. Deus — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “God”; Notes: Standard Vulgate formulation.
  9. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: location; Translation: “in”; Notes: Indicates place.
  10. hoc — Lemma: hic; Part of Speech: demonstrative adjective; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: modifies loco; Translation: “this”; Notes: Deictic element.
  11. loco — Lemma: locus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of in; Translation: “place”; Notes: Refers to Egypt.
  12. Adduc — Lemma: adduco; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperative present active second singular; Function: command; Translation: “bring”; Notes: Addressed to Joseph.
  13. inquit — Lemma: inquam; Part of Speech: defective verb; Form: present active indicative third singular; Function: parenthetical quotation marker; Translation: “he said”; Notes: Formulaic.
  14. eos — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: direct object; Translation: “them”; Notes: Refers to the sons.
  15. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses direction; Translation: “to”; Notes: Motion toward Jacob.
  16. me — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular; Function: object of ad; Translation: “me”; Notes: Jacob speaking.
  17. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: purpose; Function: introduces purpose clause; Translation: “that”; Notes: Standard classical/Vulgate usage.
  18. benedicam — Lemma: benedico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active subjunctive first singular; Function: expresses purpose; Translation: “I may bless”; Notes: Subjunctive required after ut.
  19. illis — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative plural masculine; Function: indirect 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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