Genesis 42:26

Posted on February 11, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 42:26 At illi portantes frumenta in asinis suis, profecti sunt.

But they, carrying the grain on their donkeys, set out.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 At but CONJ
2 illi they NOM.PL.M
3 portantes carrying PRES.ACT.PTCP.NOM.PL.M
4 frumenta grain ACC.PL.N
5 in on PREP+ABL
6 asinis donkeys ABL.PL.M/F
7 suis their ABL.PL.M/F (REFL.POSS)
8 profecti having set out PERF.DEP.PTCP.NOM.PL.M
9 sunt they are 3PL.PRES.ACT.IND (AUX)

Syntax

Main Clause: illi (subject) + profecti sunt (verb phrase “set out”).
Participial Phrase: portantes frumenta — describes the subject while departing.
Prepositional Phrase: in asinis suis — indicates where the grain was carried (“on their donkeys”).
Connector: At introduces a contrast with the previous narrative.

Morphology

  1. At — Lemma: at; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: contrasts clauses; Translation: “but”; Notes: Marks narrative shift.
  2. illi — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “they”; Notes: Refers to Joseph’s brothers.
  3. portantes — Lemma: porto; Part of Speech: participle; Form: present active participle nominative plural masculine; Function: modifies subject; Translation: “carrying”; Notes: Indicates simultaneous action.
  4. frumenta — Lemma: frumentum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: direct object of participle; Translation: “grain”; Notes: Object of transport.
  5. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: indicates location; Translation: “on”; Notes: Spatial relation.
  6. asinis — Lemma: asinus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural; Function: object of preposition; Translation: “donkeys”; Notes: Transport animals.
  7. suis — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: reflexive adjective; Form: ablative plural; Function: modifies “asinis”; Translation: “their”; Notes: Refers back to same subject.
  8. profecti — Lemma: proficiscor; Part of Speech: deponent participle; Form: perfect deponent participle nominative plural masculine; Function: predicate with “sunt”; Translation: “having set out”; Notes: Deponent verb takes active meaning.
  9. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative 3rd plural; Function: auxiliary forming perfect; Translation: “they are”; Notes: Helps form perfect periphrasis with deponent participle.

 

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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