Genesis 50:1

Posted on February 19, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 50:1 Quod cernens Ioseph, ruit super faciem patris flens et deosculans eum.

Seeing this, Joseph fell upon the face of his father, weeping and kissing him.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Quod which REL.PRON.ACC.SG.N
2 cernens seeing PRES.ACT.PTCP.NOM.SG.M
3 Ioseph Joseph PN.NOM.SG
4 ruit fell V.3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
5 super upon PREP+ACC
6 faciem face N.FEM.ACC.SG
7 patris of (his) father N.MASC.GEN.SG
8 flens weeping PRES.ACT.PTCP.NOM.SG.M
9 et and CONJ.COORD
10 deosculans kissing PRES.ACT.PTCP.NOM.SG.M
11 eum him PRON.ACC.SG.M

Syntax

Relative clause: Quod cernens Ioseph —
Quod (“which”) refers back to Jacob’s death.
cernens (“seeing”) forms a circumstantial participial phrase with subject Ioseph.

Main clause: ruit super faciem patris —
ruit (“he fell”) is the main verb.
super faciem patris expresses direction upon his father’s face.

Participial sequence: flens et deosculans eum —
flens (“weeping”) and deosculans (“kissing”) describe Joseph’s emotional actions simultaneous with falling.
eum is the object (“him”).

Morphology

  1. Quod — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of cernens; Translation: which; Notes: refers to Jacob’s death.
  2. cernens — Lemma: cerno; Part of Speech: participle; Form: present active participle nominative singular masculine; Function: circumstantial modifier; Translation: seeing; Notes: expresses contemporaneous action.
  3. Ioseph — Lemma: Ioseph; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular; Function: subject; Translation: Joseph; Notes: uninflected Hebrew name in Latin.
  4. ruit — Lemma: ruo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: he fell; Notes: sudden, emotional action.
  5. super — Lemma: super; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: spatial marker; Translation: upon; Notes: indicates direction.
  6. faciem — Lemma: facies; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of super; Translation: face; Notes: intimate gesture of grief.
  7. patris — Lemma: pater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessive genitive; Translation: of (his) father; Notes: refers to Jacob.
  8. flens — Lemma: fleo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: present active participle nominative singular masculine; Function: participial modifier; Translation: weeping; Notes: emotional reaction.
  9. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariant; Function: coordination; Translation: and; Notes: joins actions.
  10. deosculans — Lemma: deosculor; Part of Speech: deponent participle; Form: present active participle nominative singular masculine; Function: participial modifier; Translation: kissing; Notes: deponent verb with active meaning.
  11. eum — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object; Translation: him; Notes: refers to Jacob.

 

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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