Genesis 42:3

Posted on February 11, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 42:3 Descendentes igitur fratres Ioseph decem, ut emerent frumenta in Ægypto,

Therefore the ten brothers of Joseph went down in order to buy grain in Egypt.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Descendentes going down NOM.PL.M.PRES.ACT.PTCP
2 igitur therefore ADV
3 fratres brothers NOM.PL.M
4 Ioseph of Joseph GEN.SG.M
5 decem ten NUM.INVAR
6 ut to CONJ (PURPOSE)
7 emerent they might buy 3PL.IMPF.ACT.SUBJ
8 frumenta grain ACC.PL.N
9 in in PREP+ABL
10 Ægypto Egypt ABL.SG.F

Syntax

Participial Frame:
• Descendentes igitur fratres Ioseph decem — “Therefore the ten brothers of Joseph going down…”
— Descendentes = circumstantial participle describing the action of the subject.
— fratres Ioseph decem = full subject phrase (brothers of Joseph, ten in number).

Purpose Clause:
• ut emerent frumenta — “to buy grain.”
— ut introduces intention.
— emerent = imperfect subjunctive (purpose).
— frumenta = direct object.

Locative Phrase:
• in Ægypto — “in Egypt.”
— ablative of location.

Morphology

  1. Descendentes — Lemma: descendo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative plural masculine present active participle; Function: circumstantial modifier of subject; Translation: “going down”; Notes: signals movement from Canaan to Egypt.
  2. igitur — Lemma: igitur; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: logical connector; Translation: “therefore”; Notes: marks consequence in narrative.
  3. fratres — Lemma: frater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “brothers”; Notes: refers to sons of Jacob.
  4. Ioseph — Lemma: Ioseph; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessive modifier; Translation: “of Joseph”; Notes: identifies family relation.
  5. decem — Lemma: decem; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: invariable; Function: quantifies subject; Translation: “ten”; Notes: excludes Benjamin.
  6. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces purpose clause; Translation: “to”; Notes: governs subjunctive.
  7. emerent — Lemma: emo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperfect active subjunctive third person plural; Function: verb of purpose; Translation: “they might buy”; Notes: buying grain for survival.
  8. frumenta — Lemma: frumentum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: direct object; Translation: “grain”; Notes: specifically wheat or cereal crops.
  9. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: indicates location; Translation: “in”; Notes: static location.
  10. Ægypto — Lemma: Ægyptus; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of in; Translation: “Egypt”; Notes: place of economic activity during famine.

 

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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