Genesis 37:28

Posted on February 6, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 37:28 Et prætereuntibus Madianitis negotiatoribus, extrahentes eum de cisterna, vendiderunt eum Ismaelitis, viginti argenteis: qui duxerunt eum in Ægyptum.

And as the Madianite merchants passed by, they drew him up out of the pit and sold him to the Ismaelites for twenty pieces of silver, who took him into Egypt.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Et and CONJ
2 prætereuntibus passing by PART.PRES.ACT.ABL.PL.M
3 Madianitis Midianites NOUN.ABL.PL.M (proper)
4 negotiatoribus merchants NOUN.ABL.PL.M
5 extrahentes drawing out PART.PRES.ACT.NOM.PL.M
6 eum him PRON.PERS.ACC.SG.M
7 de out of / from PREP+ABL
8 cisterna pit / cistern NOUN.ABL.SG.F
9 vendiderunt they sold V.3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
10 eum him PRON.PERS.ACC.SG.M
11 Ismaelitis to the Ishmaelites NOUN.DAT.PL.M (proper)
12 viginti twenty NUM.INDECL
13 argenteis pieces of silver NOUN.ABL.PL.M
14 qui who PRON.REL.NOM.PL.M
15 duxerunt they led / took V.3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
16 eum him PRON.PERS.ACC.SG.M
17 in into PREP+ACC
18 Ægyptum Egypt NOUN.ACC.SG.F (proper)

Syntax

Ablative absolute: prætereuntibus Madianitis negotiatoribus — an ablative absolute expressing temporal circumstance: “as the Midianite merchants were passing by.” prætereuntibus (present participle in ablative plural) agrees with both Madianitis and negotiatoribus.

Main clause: extrahentes eum de cisterna, vendiderunt eum Ismaelitis — extrahentes functions as a participle expressing a prior or accompanying action to vendiderunt (“having drawn him out, they sold him”). The repetition of eum emphasizes Joseph as both the one rescued and sold.

Instrumental expression: viginti argenteis — ablative of price meaning “for twenty pieces of silver.”

Relative clause: qui duxerunt eum in Ægyptum — relative pronoun qui refers to the Ishmaelites; duxerunt (perfect indicative) continues the narrative action: “who took him into Egypt.”

Morphology

  1. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: connects this event to the preceding narrative; Translation: “and”; Notes: Marks sequential continuity in storytelling.
  2. prætereuntibus — Lemma: praetereō; Part of Speech: participle; Form: ablative plural masculine present active; Function: ablative absolute with Madianitis negotiatoribus; Translation: “passing by”; Notes: Indicates concurrent action: the merchants were passing as the brothers acted.
  3. Madianitis — Lemma: Madianita; Part of Speech: noun (proper); Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: ablative in agreement with participle; Translation: “Midianites”; Notes: A nomadic people related to Ishmaelites, often associated in trade caravans.
  4. negotiatoribus — Lemma: negotiātor; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: in apposition with Madianitis; Translation: “merchants”; Notes: Describes occupation, highlighting the commercial context of Joseph’s sale.
  5. extrahentes — Lemma: extrahō; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative plural masculine present active; Function: circumstantial participle modifying the implied subject (the brothers); Translation: “drawing out”; Notes: Expresses the action preceding the sale.
  6. eum — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of both extrahentes and vendiderunt; Translation: “him”; Notes: Refers to Joseph throughout the verse.
  7. de — Lemma: dē; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: marks source; Translation: “from / out of”; Notes: Indicates motion from a lower place (the pit).
  8. cisterna — Lemma: cisterna; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of de; Translation: “pit / cistern”; Notes: Cisterns were common storage pits for water; here, used as an improvised prison.
  9. vendiderunt — Lemma: vendō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person plural perfect indicative active; Function: main verb of the narrative; Translation: “they sold”; Notes: Perfect tense denotes completed commercial act—marks the betrayal event.
  10. eum — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of vendiderunt; Translation: “him”; Notes: Emphasizes Joseph as the object of both extraction and transaction.
  11. Ismaelitis — Lemma: Ismaēlīta; Part of Speech: noun (proper); Form: dative plural masculine; Function: indirect object of vendiderunt; Translation: “to the Ishmaelites”; Notes: Caravan traders who carried goods—and Joseph—into Egypt.
  12. viginti — Lemma: vīgintī; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: indeclinable; Function: numeral modifier; Translation: “twenty”; Notes: Indicates the transaction price—later echoed in Mosaic law (Exod. 21:32).
  13. argenteis — Lemma: argentum; Part of Speech: noun (used substantively); Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: ablative of price; Translation: “pieces of silver”; Notes: Typical currency in ancient Semitic trade; twenty silver pieces equal two shekels each.
  14. qui — Lemma: quī, quae, quod; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject of duxerunt; Translation: “who”; Notes: Refers back to the Ishmaelites as antecedent.
  15. duxerunt — Lemma: dūcō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person plural perfect indicative active; Function: main verb of the relative clause; Translation: “they took / led”; Notes: Perfect tense completes the movement sequence toward Egypt.
  16. eum — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of duxerunt; Translation: “him”; Notes: Continues focus on Joseph as object of successive actions.
  17. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: indicates motion toward; Translation: “into”; Notes: Marks destination of the journey.
  18. Ægyptum — Lemma: Ægyptus; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of in; Translation: “Egypt”; Notes: The land of bondage and future divine providence—foreshadowing Joseph’s destiny.

 

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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