Genesis 42:12

Posted on February 11, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 42:12 Quibus ille respondit: Aliter est: immunita terræ huius considerare venistis.

To whom he replied: It is otherwise; you have come to inspect the unguarded parts of this land.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Quibus to whom ABL.PL.M/F.REL
2 ille he NOM.SG.M.DEM
3 respondit replied 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
4 Aliter otherwise ADV
5 est it is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
6 immunita unguarded NOM.PL.N.PPP
7 terræ of the land GEN.SG.F
8 huius of this GEN.SG.F.DEM
9 considerare to inspect PRES.ACT.INF
10 venistis you have come 2PL.PERF.ACT.IND

Syntax

Relative Phrase (Indirect Object):
• Quibus ille respondit — “To whom he replied…”
— Quibus = dative/ablative plural relative referring to Joseph’s brothers.

Main Assertion:
• Aliter est — “It is otherwise.”
— a flat contradiction of their claim.

Accusation Clause:
• immunita terræ huius considerare venistis
— “you have come to inspect the unguarded parts of this land.”
— immunita is predicate with understood loca; neuter plural agreeing with implied noun.
— terræ huius modifies it: “of this land.”
— considerare expresses purpose.
— venistis marks completed arrival with hostile intent implied.

Morphology

  1. Quibus — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: ablative plural masculine/feminine; Function: indirect object of respondit; Translation: “to whom”; Notes: refers to Joseph’s brothers.
  2. ille — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “he”; Notes: Joseph as speaker.
  3. respondit — Lemma: respondeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative third person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “replied”; Notes: completed speech action.
  4. Aliter — Lemma: aliter; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: expresses contradiction; Translation: “otherwise”; Notes: denies their claim.
  5. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative third person singular; Function: copula; Translation: “is”; Notes: forms assertion.
  6. immunita — Lemma: immunitus; Part of Speech: participle/adjective; Form: nominative plural neuter perfect passive participle; Function: substantive predicate describing implied loca; Translation: “unguarded”; Notes: refers to undefended border regions.
  7. terræ — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: possesses/qualifies immunita; Translation: “of the land”; Notes: Egypt as territory to protect.
  8. huius — Lemma: hic; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun/adjective; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: modifies terræ; Translation: “of this”; Notes: specifies location.
  9. considerare — Lemma: considero; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active infinitive; Function: expresses purpose; Translation: “to inspect”; Notes: Joseph’s accusation of espionage.
  10. venistis — Lemma: venio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative second person plural; Function: main verb; Translation: “you have come”; Notes: perfect indicates completed arrival with intent.

 

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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