Genesis 37:23

Posted on February 6, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 37:23 Confestim igitur ut pervenit ad fratres suos, nudaverunt eum tunica talari, et polymita:

Therefore immediately when he came to his brothers, they stripped him of his long tunic and the many-colored one;

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Confestim immediately ADV
2 igitur therefore CONJ.ADV
3 ut when / as soon as CONJ.SUBORD
4 pervenit he came / arrived V.3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
5 ad to / toward PREP+ACC
6 fratres brothers NOUN.ACC.PL.M
7 suos his ADJ.POSS.ACC.PL.M
8 nudaverunt they stripped V.3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
9 eum him PRON.PERS.ACC.SG.M
10 tunica tunic NOUN.ABL.SG.F (ABL. SEP.)
11 talari long / reaching the ankles ADJ.ABL.SG.F
12 et and CONJ
13 polymita many-colored ADJ.ABL.SG.F

Syntax

Temporal clause: ut pervenit ad fratres suos — ut introduces a temporal subordinate clause (“when he came to his brothers”). The verb pervenit (perfect indicative) marks completed action preceding the main clause.

Main clause: nudaverunt eum tunica talari et polymita — The verb nudaverunt governs direct object eum (“him”) and ablative of separation tunica talari et polymita indicating what was removed. The ablative without preposition follows verbs of stripping, depriving, or freeing.

Adverbs and particles: Confestim igitur — both act as temporal and inferential markers (“Therefore immediately”), linking to the previous narrative moment when Joseph reached his brothers.

Morphology

  1. Confestim — Lemma: confestim; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: temporal adverb expressing immediacy; Translation: “immediately”; Notes: Common in narrative for suddenness or swiftness of action.
  2. igitur — Lemma: igitur; Part of Speech: adverbial conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: inferential particle connecting consequence to prior statement; Translation: “therefore / then”; Notes: Marks continuation of causal sequence.
  3. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: subordinating conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces temporal clause with indicative verb; Translation: “when / as soon as”; Notes: Temporal use of ut (not purpose or result).
  4. pervenit — Lemma: perveniō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular perfect indicative active; Function: verb of the subordinate clause; Translation: “he came / arrived”; Notes: Perfect tense implies completed action — Joseph has reached his brothers.
  5. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses motion toward; Translation: “to / toward”; Notes: Indicates direction of motion, standard with verbs of movement.
  6. fratres — Lemma: frāter; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object of preposition ad; Translation: “brothers”; Notes: The brothers of Joseph; accusative of goal/destination.
  7. suos — Lemma: suus, -a, -um; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: modifies fratres; Translation: “his”; Notes: Reflexive possessive indicating the brothers belonging to Joseph himself (family members).
  8. nudaverunt — Lemma: nūdō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person plural perfect indicative active; Function: main verb of the clause; Translation: “they stripped / they made naked”; Notes: Governs ablative of separation (tunica + adj.); perfect denotes a completed violent act.
  9. eum — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of nudaverunt; Translation: “him”; Notes: Refers to Joseph as the one being stripped.
  10. tunica — Lemma: tunica; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: ablative of separation; Translation: “(of his) tunic”; Notes: Without preposition because nudare regularly takes ablative of separation.
  11. talari — Lemma: talaris, -e; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: agrees with tunica; Translation: “long / reaching to the ankles”; Notes: Descriptive epithet specifying garment’s length.
  12. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: coordinating conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: links adjectives/phrases; Translation: “and”; Notes: Connects tunica talari with polymita.
  13. polymita — Lemma: polymitus, -a, -um; Part of Speech: adjective functioning substantively; Form: ablative singular feminine (agrees with tunica); Function: second descriptor in ablative of separation; Translation: “many-colored / embroidered”; Notes: Refers to the distinctive multicolored robe Joseph’s father made for him, a sign of favoritism.

 

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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