Genesis 42:28

Posted on February 11, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 42:28 dixit fratribus suis: Reddita est mihi pecunia, en habetur in sacco. Et obstupefacti, turbatique mutuo dixerunt: Quidnam est hoc quod fecit nobis Deus?

he said to his brothers: “My money has been returned; behold, it is found in the sack.” And astonished and troubled, they said to one another: “What is this that God has done to us?”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 dixit he said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 fratribus to his brothers DAT.PL.M
3 suis his DAT.PL.M (REFL.POSS)
4 Reddita returned PERF.PASS.PTCP.NOM.SG.F
5 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND (AUX)
6 mihi to me DAT.SG
7 pecunia money NOM.SG.F
8 en behold INTERJ
9 habetur it is found 3SG.PRES.PASS.IND
10 in in PREP+ABL
11 sacco the sack ABL.SG.M
12 Et and CONJ
13 obstupefacti astonished PERF.PASS.PTCP.NOM.PL.M
14 turbatique and troubled PERF.PASS.PTCP.NOM.PL.M + ENCLITIC -QUE
15 mutuo to one another ADV
16 dixerunt they said 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
17 Quidnam what then INTERROG.PRON
18 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
19 hoc this NOM.SG.N.DEM.PRON
20 quod which REL.PRON.NOM.SG.N
21 fecit has done 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
22 nobis to us DAT.PL
23 Deus God NOM.SG.M

Syntax

Main Clause: dixit fratribus suis — subject implied (“he”), verb “said,” indirect object “to his brothers.”
Reported Speech: Reddita est mihi pecunia — passive perfect (“my money has been returned”).
Exclamatory Clause: en habetur in sacco — emphasizes discovery.
Coordinated Participles: obstupefacti, turbatique — describe emotional state of subject of dixerunt.
Reciprocal Adverb: mutuo — “to one another,” modifying “they said.”
Interrogative Clause: Quidnam est hoc quod fecit nobis Deus? — direct question expressing fear and confusion.
• hoc (demonstrative subject)
• quod introduces relative clause modifying “this”
• fecit with agent Deus (“God has done”)
• nobis indirect object

Morphology

  1. dixit — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “he said”; Notes: Introduces direct speech.
  2. fratribus — Lemma: frater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative plural masculine; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to his brothers”; Notes: Family members addressed.
  3. suis — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: reflexive adjective; Form: dative plural masculine; Function: modifies “fratribus”; Translation: “his”; Notes: Indicates possession tied to subject.
  4. Reddita — Lemma: reddo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: perfect passive participle nominative singular feminine; Function: predicate with “pecunia”; Translation: “returned”; Notes: Describes state of the money.
  5. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative 3rd singular; Function: auxiliary; Translation: “is”; Notes: Forms perfect passive.
  6. mihi — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to me”; Notes: Marks personal involvement.
  7. pecunia — Lemma: pecunia; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject of “reddita est”; Translation: “money”; Notes: Object returned.
  8. en — Lemma: en; Part of Speech: interjection; Form: indeclinable; Function: dramatic emphasis; Translation: “behold”; Notes: Marks sudden discovery.
  9. habetur — Lemma: habeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present passive indicative 3rd singular; Function: verb of exclamation; Translation: “it is found”; Notes: Passive of existence.
  10. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses location; Translation: “in”; Notes: Simple locative.
  11. sacco — Lemma: saccus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of preposition; Translation: “the sack”; Notes: Refers to travel storage.
  12. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: joins clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Links reactions.
  13. obstupefacti — Lemma: obstupefacio; Part of Speech: participle; Form: perfect passive participle nominative plural masculine; Function: subject complement; Translation: “astonished”; Notes: Emotional reaction.
  14. turbatique — Lemma: turbo; Part of Speech: participle + enclitic; Form: perfect passive participle nominative plural masculine + -que; <bFunction: linked descriptor; Translation: “and troubled”; Notes: Indicates anxiety.
  15. mutuo — Lemma: mutuo; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: reciprocal marker; Translation: “to one another”; Notes: Shows dialogue among brothers.
  16. dixerunt — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd plural; Function: main verb; Translation: “they said”; Notes: Introduces their reaction.
  17. Quidnam — Lemma: quidnam; Part of Speech: interrogative pronoun; Form: nominative/accusative singular neuter; Function: introduces question; Translation: “what then?”; Notes: Intensified form of “quid.”
  18. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative 3rd singular; Function: copula; Translation: “is”; Notes: Links “hoc” with relative clause.
  19. hoc — Lemma: hic; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: subject; Translation: “this”; Notes: Refers to discovered money.
  20. quod — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: introduces relative clause; Translation: “which”; Notes: Refers to “hoc.”
  21. fecit — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: verb of relative clause; Translation: “has done”; Notes: Implies divine agency.
  22. nobis — Lemma: nos; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative plural; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to us”; Notes: Indicates recipients of divine act.
  23. Deus — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of “fecit”; Translation: “God”; Notes: Final theological framing.

 

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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