Genesis 50:20

Posted on February 19, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 50:20 Vos cogitastis de me malum: sed Deus vertit illud in bonum, ut exaltaret me, sicut in præsentiarum cernitis, et salvos faceret multos populos.

You planned evil against me; but God turned it into good, in order that He might exalt me, as you see at the present time, and might save many peoples.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Vos you PRON.NOM.PL
2 cogitastis you planned V.2PL.PERF.ACT.IND
3 de about PREP+ABL
4 me me PRON.ABL.SG
5 malum evil N.NEUT.ACC.SG
6 sed but CONJ.COORD
7 Deus God N.MASC.NOM.SG
8 vertit turned V.3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
9 illud it PRON.NEUT.ACC.SG
10 in into PREP+ACC
11 bonum good N.NEUT.ACC.SG
12 ut so that CONJ.SUBORD
13 exaltaret he might exalt V.3SG.IMP.ACT.SUBJ
14 me me PRON.ACC.SG
15 sicut as CONJ.SUBORD
16 in in PREP+ABL
17 præsentiarum of the present time N.FEM.GEN.PL (IDIOMATIC GEN.)
18 cernitis you see V.2PL.PRES.ACT.IND
19 et and CONJ.COORD
20 salvos safe / rescued ADJ.MASC.ACC.PL
21 faceret he might make V.3SG.IMP.ACT.SUBJ
22 multos many ADJ.MASC.ACC.PL
23 populos peoples N.MASC.ACC.PL

Syntax

Main clause 1: Vos cogitastis de me malum —
Vos = emphatic subject (“you yourselves”).
cogitastis = perfect verb (“you planned”).
malum = direct object (“evil”).
de me = phrase indicating hostile intention.

Main clause 2: sed Deus vertit illud in bonum —
Contrastive sed.
Deus = subject.
vertit = perfect verb.
illud = object (“that very thing”).
in bonum = result of divine transformation.

Purpose clause: ut exaltaret me —
ut + imperfect subjunctive expresses God’s purpose: “that He might exalt me.”

Comparative clause: sicut in præsentiarum cernitis —
sicut introduces comparison;
cernitis = present observable reality.

Second purpose clause: et salvos faceret multos populos —
salvos + facere = idiom “to save.”
multos populos = many nations/peoples rescued through Joseph.

Morphology

  1. Vos — Lemma: vos; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative plural; Function: emphatic subject; Translation: you; Notes: placed first for contrast.
  2. cogitastis — Lemma: cogito; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 2nd plural perfect active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: you planned; Notes: perfect of completed intent.
  3. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses reference; Translation: about; Notes: hostile connotation with persons.
  4. me — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: ablative singular; Function: object of de; Translation: me; Notes: refers to Joseph.
  5. malum — Lemma: malum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object; Translation: evil; Notes: intended harm.
  6. sed — Lemma: sed; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariant; Function: adversative; Translation: but; Notes: marks divine reversal.
  7. Deus — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: God; Notes: agent of reversal.
  8. vertit — Lemma: verto; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: turned; Notes: completed divine action.
  9. illud — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object; Translation: that; Notes: refers back to malum.
  10. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses change of state; Translation: into; Notes: marks transformation.
  11. bonum — Lemma: bonum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: predicate of transformation; Translation: good; Notes: opposite of malum.
  12. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariant; Function: introduces purpose clause; Translation: so that; Notes: governs subjunctive exaltaret.
  13. exaltaret — Lemma: exalto; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd singular imperfect active subjunctive; Function: purpose verb; Translation: he might exalt; Notes: refers to God’s raising Joseph.
  14. me — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular; Function: object of exaltaret; Translation: me; Notes: Joseph.
  15. sicut — Lemma: sicut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariant; Function: introduces comparison; Translation: as; Notes: factual comparison.
  16. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: temporal/idiomatic; Translation: in; Notes: part of idiom in praesentiarum.
  17. præsentiarum — Lemma: praesentia; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural feminine; Function: idiomatic genitive meaning “of the present time”; Translation: of the present time; Notes: Latin idiom.
  18. cernitis — Lemma: cerno; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 2nd plural present active indicative; Function: main verb of comparison; Translation: you see; Notes: denotes perception.
  19. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariant; Function: coordination; Translation: and; Notes: links second purpose clause.
  20. salvos — Lemma: salvus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: predicate complement with facere; Translation: safe / rescued; Notes: idiomatically “to save.”
  21. faceret — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd singular imperfect active subjunctive; Function: purpose verb; Translation: he might make; Notes: subordinate to ut.
  22. multos — Lemma: multus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: modifies populos; Translation: many; Notes: extent of salvation.
  23. populos — Lemma: populus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object of facere; Translation: peoples; Notes: refers to nations saved through Joseph.

 

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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