Genesis 42:34

Posted on February 11, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 42:34 fratremque vestrum minimum adducite ad me, ut sciam quod non sitis exploratores: et istum, qui tenetur in vinculis, recipere possitis: ac deinceps quæ vultis, emendi habeatis licentiam.

and bring your youngest brother to me, so that I may know that you are not spies; and this one who is held in chains you may be able to receive; and thereafter you will have permission to purchase whatever you wish.’”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 fratremque and brother ACC.SG.M + ENCLITIC -QUE
2 vestrum your ACC.SG.M
3 minimum youngest ACC.SG.M.SUPERL
4 adducite bring 2PL.PRES.ACT.IMPER
5 ad to PREP+ACC
6 me me ACC.SG
7 ut so that CONJ
8 sciam I may know 1SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
9 quod that CONJ
10 non not ADV
11 sitis you are 2PL.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
12 exploratores explorers / spies NOM.PL.M
13 et and CONJ
14 istum this one ACC.SG.M
15 qui who NOM.SG.M (REL.PRON)
16 tenetur is held 3SG.PRES.PASS.IND
17 in in PREP+ABL
18 vinculis chains ABL.PL.N
19 recipere to receive PRES.ACT.INF
20 possitis you may be able 2PL.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
21 ac and CONJ
22 deinceps thereafter ADV
23 quæ what things ACC.PL.N (REL.PRON)
24 vultis you wish 2PL.PRES.ACT.IND
25 emendi of buying GEN.SG (GERUND)
26 habeatis you may have 2PL.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
27 licentiam permission ACC.SG.F

Syntax

Imperative Command: fratremque vestrum minimum adducite ad me — direct instruction to bring the youngest brother.
Purpose Clause: ut sciam quod non sitis exploratores — “so that I may know that you are not explorers.”
• sciam (subjunctive) expresses intended purpose.
• quod… sitis is an object clause.

Relative Clause: istum, qui tenetur in vinculis — describes the one held as hostage.

Potential Clause: recipere possitis — expresses ability (“you may be able to receive”).

Final Clause with Gerund: quae vultis, emendi habeatis licentiam — “you will have permission for buying whatever you wish.”
• emendi = gerund in the genitive expressing purpose (“for buying”).
• licentiam = object of habeatis.

Morphology

  1. fratremque — Lemma: frater; Part of Speech: noun + enclitic; Form: accusative singular masculine + -que; Function: direct object of “adducite”; Translation: “and brother”; Notes: Object tightly linked by enclitic.
  2. vestrum — Lemma: vester; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: modifies “fratrem”; Translation: “your”; Notes: Possession by the group.
  3. minimum — Lemma: parvus; Part of Speech: adjective (superlative); Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: modifies “fratrem”; Translation: “youngest”; Notes: Refers to Benjamin.
  4. adducite — Lemma: adduco; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active imperative 2nd plural; Function: command; Translation: “bring”; Notes: First imperative.
  5. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: + accusative; Function: direction; Translation: “to”; Notes: Standard motion preposition.
  6. me — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular; Function: object of preposition; Translation: “me”; Notes: Refers to the ruler.
  7. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: introduces purpose clause; Function: expresses purpose; Translation: “so that”; Notes: Governs subjunctive.
  8. sciam — Lemma: scio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active subjunctive 1st person singular; Function: purpose clause verb; Translation: “I may know”; Notes: Desired result.
  9. quod — Lemma: quod; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces object clause; Translation: “that”; Notes: Not relative.
  10. non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: negates “sitis”; Translation: “not”; Notes: Strong negation.
  11. sitis — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active subjunctive 2nd plural; Function: dependent verb; Translation: “you are”; Notes: Subjunctive required in object clause.
  12. exploratores — Lemma: explorator; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: predicate nominative; Translation: “explorers”; Notes: Compliment of “sitis.”
  13. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links next thought; Translation: “and”; Notes: Neutral connector.
  14. istum — Lemma: iste; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of “recipere”; Translation: “this one”; Notes: Refers to Simeon.
  15. qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: introduces relative clause; Translation: “who”; Notes: Describes “istum.”
  16. tenetur — Lemma: teneo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present passive indicative 3rd singular; Function: verb of relative clause; Translation: “is held”; Notes: Passive voice.
  17. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: + ablative; Function: locative; Translation: “in”; Notes: Standard ablative preposition.
  18. vinculis — Lemma: vinculum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural neuter; Function: object of preposition; Translation: “chains”; Notes: Literal imprisonment.
  19. recipere — Lemma: recipio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active infinitive; Function: infinitive complement to “possitis”; Translation: “to receive”; Notes: Marks purpose/ability.
  20. possitis — Lemma: possum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active subjunctive 2nd plural; Function: verb of potential clause; Translation: “you may be able”; Notes: Subjunctive of ability.
  21. ac — Lemma: ac; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links next clause; Translation: “and”; Notes: Slightly stronger than “et.”
  22. deinceps — Lemma: deinceps; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: temporal modifier; Translation: “thereafter”; Notes: Marks future permission.
  23. quae — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun (used substantively); Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: object of gerund; Translation: “what things”; Notes: Relative free clause.
  24. vultis — Lemma: volo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative 2nd plural; Function: modifies relative clause; Translation: “you wish”; Notes: Expresses desire.
  25. emendi — Lemma: emo; Part of Speech: gerund; Form: genitive singular; Function: genitive of purpose; Translation: “of buying”; Notes: Gerund used with “licentiam.”
  26. habeatis — Lemma: habeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active subjunctive 2nd plural; Function: verb of clause; Translation: “you may have”; Notes: Subjunctive of permission.
  27. licentiam — Lemma: licentia; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object; Translation: “permission”; Notes: Concluding assurance.

 

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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