Genesis 42:24

Posted on February 11, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 42:24 Avertitque se parumper, et flevit: et reversus locutus est ad eos.

And he turned himself away for a little while and wept; and having returned, he spoke to them.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Avertitque and he turned away 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 se himself ACC.SG.REFL
3 parumper for a little while ADV
4 et and CONJ
5 flevit he wept 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
6 et and CONJ
7 reversus having returned NOM.SG.M.PERF.PASS.PTCP
8 locutus having spoken NOM.SG.M.PERF.DEP.PTCP
9 est he spoke 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
10 ad to PREP+ACC
11 eos them ACC.PL.M

Syntax

Narrative Sequence:
• Avertitque se parumper — “And he turned himself away for a little while.”
— avertit main verb; se reflexive; parumper adverb modifying duration.

Coordinated Action:
• et flevit — “and he wept.”
— Perfect tense indicates completed emotional action.

Participial + Finite Verb Construction:
• et reversus locutus est — “and having returned, he spoke.”
— reversus (perfect participle) provides background action.
— locutus est = deponent perfect, translated actively.

Prepositional Complement:
• ad eos — “to them.”
— completes the verb of speaking.

Morphology

  1. Avertitque — Lemma: averto; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative third person singular; Function: main verb of clause; Translation: “and he turned away”; Notes: enclitic -que joins it to preceding context.
  2. se — Lemma: sui; Part of Speech: reflexive pronoun; Form: accusative singular; Function: object of avertit; Translation: “himself”; Notes: refers to Joseph.
  3. parumper — Lemma: parumper; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: modifies avertit; Translation: “for a little while”; Notes: expresses brief duration.
  4. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: connects actions; Translation: “and”; Notes: links narrative events.
  5. flevit — Lemma: fleo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative third person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “he wept”; Notes: strong emotional reaction of Joseph.
  6. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: connects clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: coordinating device.
  7. reversus — Lemma: revertor; Part of Speech: deponent participle; Form: nominative singular masculine perfect participle; Function: temporal participle; Translation: “having returned”; Notes: deponent participle with active meaning.
  8. locutus — Lemma: loquor; Part of Speech: deponent participle; Form: nominative singular masculine perfect participle; Function: participle forming perfect periphrastic; Translation: “having spoken”; Notes: used with est to form perfect.
  9. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present indicative third person singular; Function: auxiliary; Translation: “he spoke”; Notes: completes perfect deponent locutus est.
  10. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: indicates direction; Translation: “to”; Notes: standard with verbs of speaking.
  11. eos — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object of ad; Translation: “them”; Notes: Joseph’s brothers.

 

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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