Genesis 49:24

Posted on February 18, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gm 49:24 Sedit in forti arcus eius, et dissoluta sunt vincula brachiorum et manuum illius per manus potentis Iacob: inde pastor egressus est lapis Israel.

His bow remained firm, and the bonds of his arms and hands were loosed by the hands of the mighty one of Jacob; from there the shepherd, the stone of Israel, has gone forth.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Sedit remained firm V.3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 in in PREP+ABL
3 forti strong ADJ.ABL.SG.M
4 arcus bow N.MASC.NOM.SG
5 eius his PRON.GEN.SG
6 et and CONJ.COORD
7 dissoluta were loosened PPP.NOM.PL.N
8 sunt were V.3PL.PRES.ACT.IND
9 vincula bonds N.NEUT.NOM.PL
10 brachiorum of the arms N.NEUT.GEN.PL
11 et and CONJ.COORD
12 manuum of the hands N.FEM.GEN.PL
13 illius of him PRON.GEN.SG.M
14 per through PREP+ACC
15 manus hands N.FEM.ACC.PL
16 potentis of the mighty one ADJ.GEN.SG.M
17 Iacob Jacob PN.GEN.SG
18 inde from there ADV
19 pastor shepherd N.MASC.NOM.SG
20 egressus went forth PPP.NOM.SG.M
21 est has V.3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
22 lapis stone N.MASC.NOM.SG
23 Israel Israel PN.GEN.SG

Syntax

Main clause 1: Sedit in forti arcus eius —
Sedit is the main verb (“remained firm”).
arcus eius is the subject (“his bow”), described by forti in ablative with in.

Main clause 2: et dissoluta sunt vincula brachiorum et manuum illius —
dissoluta sunt is a passive periphrastic meaning “were loosened.”
vincula is the nominative plural subject;
brachiorum and manuum illius are genitives (“of his arms and hands”).

Instrumental phrase: per manus potentis Iacob —
Indicates agency (“through the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob”).

Final clause: inde pastor egressus est lapis Israel —
egressus est is perfect deponent.
pastor and lapis Israel are appositional nominatives referring to the same figure.

Morphology

  1. Sedit — Lemma: sedeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: remained firm; Notes: metaphorical stability of Joseph’s bow.
  2. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: indicates state; Translation: in; Notes: marks location of stability.
  3. forti — Lemma: fortis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: modifies arcus; Translation: strong; Notes: emphasizes might.
  4. arcus — Lemma: arcus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: bow; Notes: poetic symbol of martial strength.
  5. eius — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessive; Translation: his; Notes: referring to Joseph.
  6. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariant; Function: links clauses; Translation: and; Notes: simple coordination.
  7. dissoluta — Lemma: dissolvo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: perfect passive participle nominative plural neuter; Function: part of passive verb; Translation: loosened; Notes: indicates relief from strain.
  8. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person plural present active indicative; Function: auxiliary; Translation: were; Notes: completes passive construction.
  9. vincula — Lemma: vinculum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural neuter; Function: subject; Translation: bonds; Notes: figurative of tension or hardship.
  10. brachiorum — Lemma: bracchium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural neuter; Function: specifies vincula; Translation: of the arms; Notes: anatomical metaphor.
  11. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariant; Function: connects genitives; Translation: and; Notes: simple coordination.
  12. manuum — Lemma: manus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural feminine; Function: partitive genitive; Translation: of the hands; Notes: figurative.
  13. illius — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessor; Translation: of him; Notes: refers to Joseph.
  14. per — Lemma: per; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses agency; Translation: through; Notes: indicates divine intervention.
  15. manus — Lemma: manus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: object of per; Translation: hands; Notes: plural form identical in several cases.
  16. potentis — Lemma: potens; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: modifies Iacob; Translation: of the mighty one; Notes: epithet of God.
  17. Iacob — Lemma: Iacob; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular; Function: dependent genitive; Translation: of Jacob; Notes: refers to the God of Jacob.
  18. inde — Lemma: inde; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariant; Function: marks origin; Translation: from there; Notes: transitional marker.
  19. pastor — Lemma: pastor; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: shepherd; Notes: title of leadership.
  20. egressus — Lemma: egredior; Part of Speech: deponent participle; Form: perfect participle nominative singular masculine; Function: part of deponent verb; Translation: has gone forth; Notes: passive form, active meaning.
  21. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular present active indicative; Function: auxiliary; Translation: has; Notes: completes deponent construction.
  22. lapis — Lemma: lapis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: apposition to pastor; Translation: stone; Notes: symbol of foundational strength.
  23. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular; Function: dependent genitive; Translation: of Israel; Notes: epithets refer to same figure.

 

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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