Genesis 50:5

Posted on February 19, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 50:5 eo quod pater meus adiuraverit me, dicens: En morior, in sepulchro meo quod fodi mihi in terra Chanaan, sepelies me. Ascendam igitur, et sepeliam patrem meum, ac revertar.

because my father has made me swear, saying: ‘Behold, I am dying; in my sepulcher which I have dug for myself in the land of Chanaan, you shall bury me.’ I will go up, therefore, and I will bury my father, and I will return.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 eo because ADV
2 quod that CONJ.SUBORD
3 pater father N.MASC.NOM.SG
4 meus my ADJ.NOM.SG.M
5 adiuraverit has sworn V.3SG.PERF.ACT.SUBJ
6 me me PRON.ACC.SG
7 dicens saying PRES.ACT.PTCP.NOM.SG.M
8 En behold INTJ
9 morior I am dying V.1SG.PRES.DEP.IND
10 in in PREP+ABL
11 sepulchro sepulcher N.NEUT.ABL.SG
12 meo my ADJ.ABL.SG.N
13 quod which REL.PRON.NOM.SG.N
14 fodi I have dug V.1SG.PERF.ACT.IND
15 mihi for myself PRON.DAT.SG
16 in in PREP+ABL
17 terra land N.FEM.ABL.SG
18 Chanaan Chanaan PN.ABL.SG
19 sepelies you shall bury V.2SG.FUT.ACT.IND
20 me me PRON.ACC.SG
21 Ascendam I will go up V.1SG.FUT.ACT.IND
22 igitur therefore ADV
23 et and CONJ.COORD
24 sepeliam I will bury V.1SG.FUT.ACT.IND
25 patrem father N.MASC.ACC.SG
26 meum my ADJ.ACC.SG.M
27 ac and CONJ.COORD
28 revertar I will return V.1SG.FUT.DEP.IND

Syntax

Causal clause: eo quod pater meus adiuraverit me —
eo quod introduces “because.”
adiuraverit is perfect subjunctive in an explanatory clause, “has made me swear.”

Quoted speech: dicens: En morior… sepelies me —
dicens introduces the content of the father’s oath.
morior is a deponent (“I am dying”).
sepelies me expresses the solemn instruction (“you shall bury me”).

Relative clause: quod fodi mihi —
sepulchro meo quod fodi mihi = “my sepulcher which I have dug for myself.”

Main request by Joseph: Ascendam igitur, et sepeliam patrem meum, ac revertar —
Three coordinated future verbs: “I will go up… I will bury… I will return.”

Morphology

  1. eo — Lemma: eo; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariant; Function: intensifier with quod; Translation: because; Notes: used in causal constructions.
  2. quod — Lemma: quod; Part of Speech: subordinating conjunction; Form: invariant; Function: introduces causal clause; Translation: that; Notes: eo quod = “because.”
  3. pater — Lemma: pater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of adiuraverit; Translation: father; Notes: refers to Jacob.
  4. meus — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: modifies pater; Translation: my; Notes: standard possessive.
  5. adiuraverit — Lemma: adiuro; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd singular perfect active subjunctive; Function: verb of causal clause; Translation: has made swear; Notes: solemn oath-taking.
  6. me — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular; Function: object of adiuraverit; Translation: me; Notes: direct object.
  7. dicens — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: participle; Form: present active participle nominative singular masculine; Function: introduces indirect quotation; Translation: saying; Notes: transitional participle.
  8. En — Lemma: en; Part of Speech: interjection; Form: invariant; Function: draws attention; Translation: behold; Notes: solemn announcement.
  9. morior — Lemma: morior; Part of Speech: deponent verb; Form: 1st singular present indicative; Function: main verb of quotation; Translation: I am dying; Notes: passive form, active meaning.
  10. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: locative; Translation: in; Notes: introduces burial location.
  11. sepulchro — Lemma: sepulchrum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: object of in; Translation: sepulcher; Notes: burial site.
  12. meo — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: modifies sepulchro; Translation: my; Notes: emphasizes personal preparation.
  13. quod — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: introduces relative clause; Translation: which; Notes: refers to sepulcher.
  14. fodi — Lemma: fodio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 1st singular perfect active indicative; Function: verb of relative clause; Translation: I have dug; Notes: personal preparation for burial.
  15. mihi — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular; Function: dative of advantage; Translation: for myself; Notes: emphasizes intention.
  16. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: locative; Translation: in; Notes: geographic phrase.
  17. terra — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of in; Translation: land; Notes: geographical reference.
  18. Chanaan — Lemma: Chanaan; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: ablative singular; Function: proper name in locative phrase; Translation: Chanaan; Notes: region name.
  19. sepelies — Lemma: sepelio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 2nd singular future active indicative; Function: direct command/promise; Translation: you shall bury; Notes: solemn final instruction.
  20. me — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular; Function: object of sepelies; Translation: me; Notes: direct object.
  21. Ascendam — Lemma: ascendo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 1st singular future active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: I will go up; Notes: ascent to Chanaan.
  22. igitur — Lemma: igitur; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariant; Function: inferential; Translation: therefore; Notes: logical progression.
  23. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariant; Function: connector; Translation: and; Notes: joins future verbs.
  24. sepeliam — Lemma: sepelio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 1st singular future active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: I will bury; Notes: promise to fulfill oath.
  25. patrem — Lemma: pater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of sepeliam; Translation: father; Notes: refers to Jacob.
  26. meum — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: modifies patrem; Translation: my; Notes: clarifies identity.
  27. ac — Lemma: ac; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariant; Function: connector; Translation: and; Notes: more formal than et.
  28. revertar — Lemma: revertor; Part of Speech: deponent verb; Form: 1st singular future indicative; Function: final future action; Translation: I will return; Notes: Deponent with active meaning.

 

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.
This entry was posted in Genesis. Bookmark the permalink.

Comments are closed.