Genesis 42:17

Posted on February 11, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 42:17 Tradidit ergo illos custodiæ tribus diebus.

He therefore delivered them to custody for three days.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Tradidit he delivered 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 ergo therefore ADV
3 illos them ACC.PL.M
4 custodiæ to custody DAT.SG.F
5 tribus three ABL.PL.F
6 diebus days ABL.PL.M

Syntax

Main Clause:
• Tradidit ergo illos — “He therefore delivered them.”
— tradidit = perfect verb, Joseph’s decisive action.
— illos = direct object (the brothers).
— ergo marks logical inference from previous threat.

Indirect Object / Destination:
• custodiæ — “to custody.”
— dative of destination.

Temporal Modifier:
• tribus diebus — “for three days.”
— ablative of time (extent or duration).

Morphology

  1. Tradidit — Lemma: trado; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative third person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “he delivered”; Notes: perfect tense marks completed decisive action.
  2. ergo — Lemma: ergo; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: marks logical inference; Translation: “therefore”; Notes: links to prior judgment.
  3. illos — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: direct object; Translation: “them”; Notes: refers to Joseph’s brothers.
  4. custodiæ — Lemma: custodia; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative singular feminine; Function: dative of purpose/destination; Translation: “to custody”; Notes: indicates place of confinement.
  5. tribus — Lemma: tres; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: ablative plural; Function: modifies diebus; Translation: “three”; Notes: numeral used in ablative of time.
  6. diebus — Lemma: dies; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: ablative of duration; Translation: “days”; Notes: expresses extent of time.

 

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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