Genesis 42:16

Posted on February 11, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 42:16 Mittite ex vobis unum, et adducat eum: vos autem eritis in vinculis, donec probentur quæ dixistis utrum vera an falsa sint: alioquin per salutem Pharaonis exploratores estis.

Send one of you, and let him bring him; but you shall be in chains until the things you have said are tested, whether they are true or false; otherwise, by the life of Pharao, you are spies.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Mittite send 2PL.PRES.ACT.IMP
2 ex from PREP+ABL
3 vobis you ABL.PL.M
4 unum one ACC.SG.M
5 et and CONJ
6 adducat let him bring 3SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
7 eum him ACC.SG.M
8 vos you NOM.PL.M
9 autem however ADV
10 eritis you will be 2PL.FUT.ACT.IND
11 in in PREP+ABL
12 vinculis chains ABL.PL.N
13 donec until CONJ
14 probentur are tested 3PL.PRES.PASS.SUBJ
15 quæ the things which NOM.PL.N.REL
16 dixistis you said 2PL.PERF.ACT.IND
17 utrum whether CONJ
18 vera true things ACC.PL.N
19 an or CONJ
20 falsa false things ACC.PL.N
21 sint are 3PL.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
22 alioquin otherwise ADV
23 per by PREP+ACC
24 salutem the life ACC.SG.F
25 Pharaonis of Pharaoh GEN.SG.M
26 exploratores spies NOM.PL.M
27 estis you are 2PL.PRES.ACT.IND

Syntax

Imperative Command:
• Mittite ex vobis unum — “Send one of you.”
— ex vobis = partitive (“from among you”).
— unum is the object of the sending.

Purpose/Result Clause:
• et adducat eum — “and let him bring him.”
— subjunctive as jussive.

Main Threat:
• vos autem eritis in vinculis — “but you shall be in chains.”
— future indicative expresses certain consequence.

Temporal-Test Clause:
• donec probentur quæ dixistis
— “until the things you said are tested.”
— probentur passive subjunctive indicating evaluation.

Indirect Question:
• utrum vera an falsa sint — “whether they are true or false.”
— sint subjunctive required by indirect question.

Oath-Based Accusation:
• alioquin per salutem Pharaonis exploratores estis
— “otherwise, by the life of Pharaoh, you are spies.”
— per salutem Pharaonis = oath formula.
— exploratores estis repeats the charge.

Morphology

  1. Mittite — Lemma: mitto; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active imperative second person plural; Function: command; Translation: “send”; Notes: directs immediate action.
  2. ex — Lemma: e/ex; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: partitive; Translation: “from”; Notes: indicates selection.
  3. vobis — Lemma: vos; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: ablative plural; Function: object of ex; Translation: “you”; Notes: refers to Joseph’s brothers.
  4. unum — Lemma: unus; Part of Speech: adjective/pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object; Translation: “one”; Notes: one representative must be sent.
  5. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: joins commands; Translation: “and”; Notes: simple coordinator.
  6. adducat — Lemma: adduco; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active subjunctive third person singular; Function: jussive; Translation: “let him bring”; Notes: expresses required action.
  7. eum — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of adducat; Translation: “him”; Notes: refers to Benjamin.
  8. vos — Lemma: vos; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative plural; Function: subject; Translation: “you”; Notes: brothers as group.
  9. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: adverb/conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: contrastive particle; Translation: “however”; Notes: contrasts one brother with the rest.
  10. eritis — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative second person plural; Function: main verb; Translation: “you will be”; Notes: expresses certain consequence.
  11. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: indicates state/condition; Translation: “in”; Notes: metaphorical location.
  12. vinculis — Lemma: vinculum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural neuter; Function: object of in; Translation: “chains”; Notes: imprisonment.
  13. donec — Lemma: donec; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces temporal clause; Translation: “until”; Notes: takes subjunctive for future action.
  14. probentur — Lemma: probo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present passive subjunctive third person plural; Function: verb of temporal clause; Translation: “are tested”; Notes: testing truthfulness.
  15. quæ — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative plural neuter; Function: subject of probentur; Translation: “the things which”; Notes: refers to their statements.
  16. dixistis — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative second person plural; Function: verb of relative clause; Translation: “you said”; Notes: completed statement.
  17. utrum — Lemma: utrum; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces indirect question; Translation: “whether”; Notes: paired with an.
  18. vera — Lemma: verus; Part of Speech: adjective/substantive; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: first alternative; Translation: “true things”; Notes: substantive plural.
  19. an — Lemma: an; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: alternative marker; Translation: “or”; Notes: marks second choice.
  20. falsa — Lemma: falsus; Part of Speech: adjective/substantive; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: second alternative; Translation: “false things”; Notes: opposite of vera.
  21. sint — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active subjunctive third person plural; Function: verb of indirect question; Translation: “are”; Notes: required by utrum… an clause.
  22. alioquin — Lemma: alioquin; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: introduces negative consequence; Translation: “otherwise”; Notes: threat formula.
  23. per — Lemma: per; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: oath marker; Translation: “by”; Notes: solemn vow.
  24. salutem — Lemma: salus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of per; Translation: “life”; Notes: standard oath expression.
  25. Pharaonis — Lemma: Pharao; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: modifies salutem; Translation: “of Pharaoh”; Notes: Egyptian oath.
  26. exploratores — Lemma: explorator; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: predicate nominative; Translation: “spies”; Notes: formal accusation.
  27. estis — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative second person plural; Function: main verb; Translation: “you are”; Notes: emphatic conclusion.

 

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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