Genesis 42:37

Posted on February 11, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 42:37 Cui respondit Ruben: Duos filios meos interfice, si non reduxero illum tibi: trade illum in manu mea, et ego eum tibi restituam.

Ruben answered him: “Kill my two sons, if I do not bring him back to you; hand him over into my hand, and I will restore him to you.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Cui to whom DAT.SG.M (REL.PRON)
2 respondit answered 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
3 Ruben Reuben NOM.SG.M (PROPER)
4 Duos two ACC.PL.M
5 filios sons ACC.PL.M
6 meos my ACC.PL.M
7 interfice kill 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMPER
8 si if CONJ
9 non not ADV
10 reduxero I will have returned 1SG.FUT.PERF.ACT.IND
11 illum him ACC.SG.M
12 tibi to you DAT.SG
13 trade hand over 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMPER
14 illum him ACC.SG.M
15 in into PREP+ACC
16 manu hand ABL.SG.F
17 mea my ABL.SG.F
18 et and CONJ
19 ego I NOM.SG
20 eum him ACC.SG.M
21 tibi to you DAT.SG
22 restituam I will restore 1SG.FUT.ACT.IND

Syntax

Relative Link: Cui respondit Ruben — connects response to Jacob.
Main Quotation Commands:
• Duos filios meos interfice — stark conditional pledge.
• si non reduxero illum tibi — future perfect in real conditional clause.
Second Command: trade illum in manu mea — “hand him over into my hand.”
Future Assurance: ego eum tibi restituam — emphatic promise with explicit pronoun ego.

Morphology

  1. Cui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to whom”; Notes: Refers to Jacob.
  2. respondit — Lemma: respondeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “answered”; Notes: Introduces reply.
  3. Ruben — Lemma: Ruben; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “Reuben”; Notes: Eldest son of Jacob.
  4. Duos — Lemma: duo; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: modifies “filios”; Translation: “two”; Notes: Count of Reuben’s sons.
  5. filios — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object of “interfice”; Translation: “sons”; Notes: Drastic rhetorical pledge.
  6. meos — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: modifies “filios”; Translation: “my”; Notes: Emphasizes personal cost.
  7. interfice — Lemma: interficio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active imperative 2nd singular; Function: command; Translation: “kill”; Notes: Hyperbolic vow.
  8. si — Lemma: si; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: conditional; Function: introduces condition; Translation: “if”; Notes: Real condition.
  9. non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: negates verb; Translation: “not”; Notes: Simple negation.
  10. reduxero — Lemma: reduco; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future perfect active indicative 1st singular; Function: verb of conditional clause; Translation: “I will have brought back”; Notes: Indicates completed future action.
  11. illum — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of “reduxero” and later “trade”; Translation: “him”; Notes: Refers to Benjamin.
  12. tibi — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to you”; Notes: Addressed to Jacob.
  13. trade — Lemma: trado; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active imperative 2nd singular; Function: command; Translation: “hand over”; Notes: Strong imperative.
  14. illum — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of “trade”; Translation: “him”; Notes: Repetition increases emphasis.
  15. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: + ablative; Function: indicates motion into; Translation: “into”; Notes: Idiom “in manu.”
  16. manu — Lemma: manus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of preposition; Translation: “hand”; Notes: Figurative for custody.
  17. mea — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: modifies “manu”; Translation: “my”; Notes: Expresses responsibility.
  18. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: links assurance; Translation: “and”; Notes: Smooth transition.
  19. ego — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative singular; Function: emphatic subject; Translation: “I”; Notes: Heightens Reuben’s pledge.
  20. eum — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of “restituam”; Translation: “him”; Notes: Refers to Benjamin.
  21. tibi — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to you”; Notes: Repeated for emphasis.
  22. restituam — Lemma: restituo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative 1st singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “I will restore”; Notes: Expresses solemn promise.

 

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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