Genesis 37:4

Posted on February 6, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 37:4 Videntes autem fratres eius quod a patre plus cunctis filiis amaretur, oderant eum, nec poterant ei quidquam pacifice loqui.

But when his brothers saw that he was loved by his father more than all his sons, they hated him, and they were not able to speak to him peaceably.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Videntes seeing PART.PRES.ACT.NOM.PL.M
2 autem but CONJ.ADV
3 fratres brothers NOUN.NOM.PL.M
4 eius his PRON.POSS.GEN.SG.M
5 quod that CONJ
6 a by PREP+ABL
7 patre father NOUN.ABL.SG.M
8 plus more ADV.COMPAR
9 cunctis all ADJ.ABL.PL.M
10 filiis sons NOUN.ABL.PL.M
11 amaretur was loved V.3SG.IMPF.SUBJ.PASS
12 oderant they hated V.3PL.IMPF.ACT.IND
13 eum him PRON.PERS.ACC.SG.M
14 nec and not CONJ.NEG
15 poterant were able V.3PL.IMPF.ACT.IND
16 ei to him PRON.PERS.DAT.SG.M
17 quidquam anything PRON.INDEF.ACC.SG.N
18 pacifice peaceably ADV
19 loqui to speak V.INF.PRES.ACT

Syntax

Subordinate Clause: Videntes autem fratres eius quod a patre plus cunctis filiis amaretur —
The participle videntes introduces a circumstantial clause meaning “when they saw.” The conjunction autem provides a narrative transition. The clause quod a patre plus cunctis filiis amaretur expresses the content of what they saw (“that he was loved by his father more than all his sons”), with a patre as the agent of the passive verb amaretur.

Main Clauses:
1. oderant eum — Imperfect of emotion, showing continuing hatred.
2. nec poterant ei quidquam pacifice loqui — A coordinated negative clause with nec; the infinitive loqui depends on poterant. ei is the dative of reference (“to him”), and quidquam is the object of loqui.

Morphology

  1. Videntes — Lemma: videō; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative plural masculine, present active; Function: circumstantial participle; Translation: “seeing”; Notes: Describes contemporaneous action—“when they saw.”
  2. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: adversative conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: transitional connector; Translation: “but”; Notes: Introduces contrast from previous affection to ensuing jealousy.
  3. fratres — Lemma: frāter; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject of videntes and oderant; Translation: “brothers”; Notes: Refers to Joseph’s brothers, the subjects of jealousy.
  4. eius — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: possessive/genitive pronoun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: modifies fratres; Translation: “his”; Notes: Indicates possession—Joseph’s brothers.
  5. quod — Lemma: quod; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces content clause; Translation: “that”; Notes: Object of perception with videntes.
  6. a — Lemma: ab (variant a); Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: marks agent of passive verb; Translation: “by”; Notes: Standard agent marker in passive construction.
  7. patre — Lemma: pater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of a; Translation: “father”; Notes: The agent of love (Jacob).
  8. plus — Lemma: multus; Part of Speech: adverb (comparative); Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies amaretur; Translation: “more”; Notes: Comparative degree of affection.
  9. cunctis — Lemma: cunctus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: object of comparison with plus; Translation: “all”; Notes: Expresses total comparison.
  10. filiis — Lemma: fīlius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: part of comparative phrase; Translation: “sons”; Notes: The other sons of Jacob contrasted with Joseph.
  11. amaretur — Lemma: amō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular imperfect subjunctive passive; Function: verb of content clause; Translation: “was loved”; Notes: Imperfect subjunctive after quod conveys continuous affection observed by the brothers.
  12. oderant — Lemma: ōdī (defective verb); Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person plural imperfect indicative active; Function: main verb; Translation: “they hated”; Notes: Imperfect form denotes enduring hostility.
  13. eum — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of oderant; Translation: “him”; Notes: Refers to Joseph.
  14. nec — Lemma: nec; Part of Speech: negative conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: coordinates negative clause; Translation: “and not / nor”; Notes: Links the second action to the first with negative sense.
  15. poterant — Lemma: possum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person plural imperfect indicative active; Function: main verb; Translation: “they were able”; Notes: Expresses inability; complements loqui.
  16. ei — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to him”; Notes: Refers to Joseph as recipient of speech.
  17. quidquam — Lemma: quidquam; Part of Speech: indefinite pronoun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of loqui; Translation: “anything”; Notes: Used in negative constructions—“not able to speak anything.”
  18. pacifice — Lemma: pacificē; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: adverbial modifier of loqui; Translation: “peaceably”; Notes: Describes tone and manner of speech.
  19. loqui — Lemma: loquor; Part of Speech: deponent verb; Form: present infinitive; Function: complementary infinitive with poterant; Translation: “to speak”; Notes: Deponent in form, active in 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.
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