Genesis 50:9

Posted on February 19, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 50:9 Habuit quoque in comitatu currus et equites: et facta est turba non modica.

He also had in the company chariots and horsemen, and the crowd became not small.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Habuit he had V.3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 quoque also ADV
3 in in PREP+ABL
4 comitatu company / retinue N.MASC.ABL.SG
5 currus chariots N.MASC.ACC.PL
6 et and CONJ.COORD
7 equites horsemen N.MASC.ACC.PL
8 et and CONJ.COORD
9 facta became PPP.NOM.SG.F (WITH EST)
10 est was / became V.3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
11 turba crowd N.FEM.NOM.SG
12 non not ADV
13 modica small ADJ.NOM.SG.F

Syntax

Main clause 1: Habuit quoque in comitatu currus et equites —
Habuit is the perfect verb (“he had”).
in comitatu is an ablative of location (“in the company / in the retinue”).
currus et equites is a compound direct object (“chariots and horsemen”).

Main clause 2: facta est turba non modica —
facta est (perfect passive) functions here with the sense “became.”
turba is the subject.
non modica is a litotes for “very large,” literally “not small.”

Morphology

  1. Habuit — Lemma: habeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: he had; Notes: introduces additional elements of the procession.
  2. quoque — Lemma: quoque; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariant; Function: adds emphasis (“also”); Translation: also; Notes: modifies the entire clause.
  3. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: locative; Translation: in; Notes: used spatially.
  4. comitatu — Lemma: comitatus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: locative complement; Translation: company; Notes: refers to an escort or retinue.
  5. currus — Lemma: currus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: direct object; Translation: chariots; Notes: military or ceremonial vehicles.
  6. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariant; Function: connector; Translation: and; Notes: simple coordination.
  7. equites — Lemma: eques; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: direct object; Translation: horsemen; Notes: mounted escort.
  8. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariant; Function: connects second clause; Translation: and; Notes: joins clauses.
  9. facta — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: participle; Form: perfect passive participle nominative singular feminine; Function: part of the passive verb phrase; Translation: became; Notes: with est forms a copulative passive meaning “became.”
  10. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd singular present indicative; Function: auxiliary; Translation: was / became; Notes: completes the passive/perfect construction.
  11. turba — Lemma: turba; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject; Translation: crowd; Notes: refers to the entire funeral procession.
  12. non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariant; Function: negation; Translation: not; Notes: part of litotes.
  13. modica — Lemma: modicus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: predicate adjective modifying turba; Translation: small; Notes: “non modica” = “very large.”

 

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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