Genesis 43:3

Posted on February 12, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 43:3 Respondit Iudas: Denuntiavit nobis vir ille sub attestatione iurisiurandi, dicens: Non videbitis faciem meam, nisi fratrem vestrum minimum adduxeritis vobiscum.

Judas replied: “That man warned us under the attestation of an oath, saying: ‘You shall not see my face unless you bring your youngest brother with you.’

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Respondit replied 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 Iudas Judah NOM.SG.M (PROPER)
3 Denuntiavit warned 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
4 nobis to us DAT.PL
5 vir man NOM.SG.M
6 ille that NOM.SG.M
7 sub under PREP+ABL
8 attestatione attestation ABL.SG.F
9 iurisiurandi of an oath GEN.SG.N
10 dicens saying NOM.SG.M.PRES.ACT.PTCP
11 Non not ADV
12 videbitis you will see 2PL.FUT.ACT.IND
13 faciem face ACC.SG.F
14 meam my ACC.SG.F
15 nisi unless CONJ
16 fratrem brother ACC.SG.M
17 vestrum your ACC.SG.M
18 minimum youngest ACC.SG.M
19 adduxeritis you will have brought 2PL.FUT.PERF.ACT.IND
20 vobiscum with you PREP+ABL (CUM + VOBIS)

Syntax

Main Reporting Clause:
• Respondit Iudas — introduces Judah’s reply.

Object Clause:
• Denuntiavit nobis vir ille — “That man warned us.”

Prepositional Phrase:
• sub attestatione iurisiurandi — specifies the solemnity: “under the attestation of an oath.”

Participle of Indirect Quotation:
• dicens — introduces the content of the warning.

Quoted Prohibition:
• Non videbitis faciem meam — “You shall not see my face.”

Conditional Exception:
• nisi fratrem vestrum minimum adduxeritis vobiscum — future perfect expressing required prior condition.

Morphology

  1. Respondit — Lemma: respondeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “replied”; Notes: Introduces direct speech.
  2. Iudas — Lemma: Iudas; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “Judah”; Notes: One of Jacob’s sons.
  3. Denuntiavit — Lemma: denuntio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: verb of indirect statement; Translation: “warned”; Notes: Formal or legal warning.
  4. nobis — Lemma: nos; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative plural; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to us”; Notes: Recipients of the warning.
  5. vir — Lemma: vir; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of “denuntiavit”; Translation: “man”; Notes: Refers to Joseph.
  6. ille — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: determiner; Translation: “that”; Notes: Distancing reference.
  7. sub — Lemma: sub; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: + ablative; Function: expresses agency or condition; Translation: “under”; Notes: Formal setting.
  8. attestatione — Lemma: attestatio; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of “sub”; Translation: “attestation”; Notes: Legal terminology.
  9. iurisiurandi — Lemma: ius iurandum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter; Function: modifies “attestatione”; Translation: “of an oath”; Notes: Compound genitive form.
  10. dicens — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular masculine present active participle; Function: introduces quotation; Translation: “saying”; Notes: Present participle gives immediacy.
  11. Non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: negation; Translation: “not”; Notes: Strong prohibition.
  12. videbitis — Lemma: video; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative 2nd plural; Function: main verb of quoted warning; Translation: “you will see”; Notes: Future denotes certainty.
  13. faciem — Lemma: facies; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object; Translation: “face”; Notes: Metonymy for presence.
  14. meam — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: modifies “faciem”; Translation: “my”; Notes: Direct personal reference.
  15. nisi — Lemma: nisi; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: conditional-exceptive; Function: introduces exception; Translation: “unless”; Notes: Marks sole condition.
  16. fratrem — Lemma: frater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of “adduxeritis”; Translation: “brother”; Notes: Refers to Benjamin.
  17. vestrum — Lemma: vester; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: modifies “fratrem”; Translation: “your”; Notes: Plural pronoun for the brothers.
  18. minimum — Lemma: minimus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: modifier; Translation: “youngest”; Notes: Identifies Benjamin.
  19. adduxeritis — Lemma: adduco; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future perfect active indicative 2nd plural; Function: verb of conditional clause; Translation: “you will have brought”; Notes: Required prior action.
  20. vobiscum — Lemma: cum + vobis; Part of Speech: prepositional form; Form: with ablative; Function: accompaniment; Translation: “with you”; Notes: Essential condition for permission.

 

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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