Genesis 37:14

Posted on February 6, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 37:14 Præsto sum, ait ei: Vade, et vide si cuncta prospera sint erga fratres tuos, et pecora: et renuncia mihi quid agatur. Missus de Valle Hebron, venit in Sichem:

“Here I am,” he said to him. “Go, and see if all is well with your brothers and the flocks, and report to me what is happening.” And being sent from the Valley of Hebron, he came to Sichem;

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Præsto I am ready ADV + 1SG.PRES.ACT.IND
2 sum am V.1SG.PRES.ACT.IND
3 ait he said V.3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
4 ei to him PRON.PERS.DAT.SG.M
5 Vade go V.2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP
6 et and CONJ
7 vide see V.2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP
8 si if CONJ.SUBORD
9 cuncta all things ADJ.NOM/ACC.PL.N
10 prospera well / prosperous ADJ.NOM/ACC.PL.N
11 sint may be V.3PL.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
12 erga toward PREP+ACC
13 fratres brothers NOUN.ACC.PL.M
14 tuos your PRON.POSS.ACC.PL.M
15 et and CONJ
16 pecora flocks NOUN.ACC.PL.N
17 et and CONJ
18 renuncia report V.2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP
19 mihi to me PRON.PERS.DAT.SG
20 quid what PRON.INTERROG.NOM/ACC.SG.N
21 agatur is happening V.3SG.PRES.SUBJ.PASS
22 Missus having been sent PART.PERF.PASS.NOM.SG.M
23 de from PREP+ABL
24 Valle Valley NOUN.ABL.SG.F
25 Hebron Hebron PN.LOC.ABL
26 venit came V.3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
27 in to / into PREP+ACC
28 Sichem Shechem PN.LOC.ACC

Syntax

Dialogue Sequence: Præsto sum, ait ei —
Joseph’s immediate response (“I am ready”) demonstrates obedience. ait ei is parenthetical, introducing direct speech.

Main Imperatives: Vade, et vide si cuncta prospera sint erga fratres tuos et pecora —
Two commands (Vade and vide) form a directive sequence. The subordinate clause si cuncta prospera sint uses the subjunctive (sint) to express indirect inquiry. The prepositional phrase erga fratres tuos et pecora defines the concern.

Second Imperative: et renuncia mihi quid agatur —
< b>Renuncia introduces another command; quid agatur is an indirect question with the subjunctive passive.

Participial Clause: Missus de Valle Hebron, venit in Sichem —
An ablative absolute construction (Missus de Valle Hebron) expresses circumstance. The main clause verb venit states completed action.

Morphology

  1. Præsto — Lemma: praestō; Part of Speech: adverb used idiomatically with sum; Form: invariant adverb within the idiom; Function: predicate complement in the idiom praestō sum; Translation: “ready / at hand”; Notes: Together with sum forms a fixed expression meaning “I am ready / here I am.”
  2. sum — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 1st person singular present indicative active; Function: copula completing the idiom with praestō; Translation: “am”; Notes: Supplies the finite element of the readiness formula.
  3. ait — Lemma: aiō; Part of Speech: defective verb; Form: 3rd person singular (historic) present used as past in narration; Function: introduces direct speech; Translation: “he said”; Notes: Common narrative reporting verb in Vulgate style.
  4. ei — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: personal/demonstrative pronoun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: indirect object with verbs of saying; Translation: “to him”; Notes: Refers to Israel/Jacob as the addressee of Joseph’s reply.
  5. Vade — Lemma: eō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 2nd person singular present imperative active; Function: command; Translation: “go”; Notes: Imperative initiating the mission.
  6. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: coordinating conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: links coordinated imperatives/clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Polysyndetic linkage throughout the sequence.
  7. vide — Lemma: videō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 2nd person singular present imperative active; Function: command of inspection; Translation: “see / look”; Notes: Governs an indirect question with si + subjunctive.
  8. si — Lemma: sī; Part of Speech: subordinating conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces indirect question; Translation: “if / whether”; Notes: Triggers subjunctive in the subordinate clause.
  9. cuncta — Lemma: cunctus, -a, -um; Part of Speech: adjective used substantively; Form: nominative/accusative plural neuter; Function: subject of sint within indirect question; Translation: “all (things)”; Notes: Neuter plural substantive common in Latin.
  10. prospera — Lemma: prosperus, -a, -um; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative/accusative plural neuter; Function: predicate complement with sint; Translation: “well / favorable”; Notes: Agreeing with cuncta in number/gender.
  11. sint — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person plural present subjunctive active; Function: verb of the indirect question; Translation: “are / may be”; Notes: Subjunctive required by interrogative si after a verb of sensing/command.
  12. erga — Lemma: ergā; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: marks relation/attitude toward persons; Translation: “toward / with respect to”; Notes: Takes human objects, here Joseph’s brothers.
  13. fratres — Lemma: frāter; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object of erga; Translation: “brothers”; Notes: Directs the welfare inquiry to the siblings.
  14. tuos — Lemma: tuus, -a, -um; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: modifies fratres; Translation: “your”; Notes: Second-person possession (addressed to Joseph).
  15. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: coordinating conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: coordinates objects in the prepositional scope; Translation: “and”; Notes: Adds a second object beyond the brothers.
  16. pecora — Lemma: pecus (pecoris); Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: coordinated object (with implied prepositional relation from erga); Translation: “flocks / livestock”; Notes: Collective neuter; pastoral context.
  17. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: coordinating conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: links clauses/commands; Translation: “and”; Notes: Transitions to the reporting directive.
  18. renuncia — Lemma: renuntiō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 2nd person singular present imperative active; Function: command to report; Translation: “report / inform”; Notes: Vulgate orthography often shows renuncia for renuntia.
  19. mihi — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: dative singular; Function: indirect object of renuncia; Translation: “to me”; Notes: Marks the recipient of the report (Israel).
  20. quid — Lemma: quis, quid; Part of Speech: interrogative pronoun; Form: nominative/accusative singular neuter; Function: introduces indirect question; Translation: “what”; Notes: Heads content clause governed by renuncia.
  21. agatur — Lemma: agō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular present subjunctive passive; Function: verb of the indirect question; Translation: “is going on / is being done”; Notes: Passive impersonal usage; subjunctive via indirect question.
  22. Missus — Lemma: mittō; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular masculine perfect passive; Function: participle in ablative-absolute phrase with understood ablative agent/origin; Translation: “(having been) sent”; Notes: Semantically anterior to the main verb venit.
  23. de — Lemma: dē; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses source/origin; Translation: “from”; Notes: Standard preposition of separation or origin.
  24. Valle — Lemma: vallis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of de; Translation: “(the) Valley”; Notes: Topographical designation paired with a proper name.
  25. Hebron — Lemma: Hebron; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: ablative (indeclinable/foreign name); Function: apposition to Valle; Translation: “Hebron”; Notes: Patriarchal center; the phrase means “from the Valley of Hebron.”
  26. venit — Lemma: veniō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular perfect indicative active; Function: main verb of clause; Translation: “he came”; Notes: Perfective arrival at destination.
  27. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses motion toward; Translation: “into / to”; Notes: With accusative marks goal/destination.
  28. Sichem — Lemma: Sichem; Part of Speech: proper noun (place); Form: accusative singular (indeclinable/foreign name); Function: object of in; Translation: “Shechem”; Notes: Destination of Joseph’s journey, matching earlier locale.

 

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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