Genesis 37:16

Posted on February 6, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 37:16 At ille respondit: Fratres meos quæro, indica mihi ubi pascant greges.

And he replied: “I am seeking my brothers; tell me where they are pasturing the flocks.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 At but / and CONJ
2 ille he PRON.DEM.NOM.SG.M
3 respondit answered V.3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
4 Fratres brothers NOUN.ACC.PL.M
5 meos my ADJ.POSS.ACC.PL.M
6 quæro I seek V.1SG.PRES.ACT.IND
7 indica tell V.2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP
8 mihi to me PRON.PERS.DAT.SG
9 ubi where ADV.INTERROG
10 pascant they pasture V.3PL.PRES.SUBJ.ACT
11 greges flocks NOUN.ACC.PL.M

Morphology

  1. At — Lemma: at; Part of Speech: coordinating conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces contrast or continuation; Translation: “but / and”; Notes: Used to transition from narration to direct reply, often emphasizing a shift in speaker.
  2. ille — Lemma: ille, illa, illud; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of respondit; Translation: “he”; Notes: Refers to Joseph, the person answering; demonstrative often marks narrative continuity.
  3. respondit — Lemma: respondeō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular perfect indicative active; Function: main verb of narration; Translation: “he replied / answered”; Notes: Perfect indicative indicates completed speech act; frequent verb introducing dialogue in the Vulgate.
  4. Fratres — Lemma: frāter; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: direct object of quæro; Translation: “brothers”; Notes: Object of the searching verb, focal point of Joseph’s quest.
  5. meos — Lemma: meus, -a, -um; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: modifies fratres; Translation: “my”; Notes: Possessive adjective agrees in case, number, and gender with fratres.
  6. quæro — Lemma: quaerō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 1st person singular present indicative active; Function: main verb of direct speech; Translation: “I seek / am seeking”; Notes: Expresses the present ongoing search of Joseph; direct statement of purpose.
  7. indica — Lemma: indicō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 2nd person singular present imperative active; Function: command addressed to the man; Translation: “tell / show”; Notes: Imperative requests specific information, continuing polite direct discourse.
  8. mihi — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: dative singular; Function: indirect object of indica; Translation: “to me”; Notes: Marks recipient of communication; enclitic position after imperative common in speech.
  9. ubi — Lemma: ubi; Part of Speech: interrogative adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces indirect question; Translation: “where”; Notes: Governs the subjunctive pascant; introduces location clause dependent on indica.
  10. pascant — Lemma: pascō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person plural present subjunctive active; Function: verb of the indirect question introduced by ubi; Translation: “they are pasturing / they may feed”; Notes: Subjunctive used after interrogative adverbs; present tense marks contemporaneous activity of the brothers.
  11. greges — Lemma: grex; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: direct object of pascant; Translation: “flocks”; Notes: Denotes herds or flocks; here referring to sheep under the brothers’ care, continuing pastoral imagery central to Joseph’s story.

 

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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