Genesis 43:9

Posted on February 12, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 43:9 Ego suscipio puerum: de manu mea require illum. nisi reduxero, et reddidero eum tibi, ero peccati reus in te omni tempore.

I myself take responsibility for the boy; from my hand require him. Unless I bring him back and restore him to you, I shall be guilty of sin against you for all time.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Ego I NOM.SG
2 suscipio I take up / assume 1SG.PRES.ACT.IND
3 puerum the boy ACC.SG.M
4 de from PREP+ABL
5 manu hand ABL.SG.F
6 mea my ABL.SG.F.POSS
7 require require 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP
8 illum him ACC.SG.M
9 nisi unless CONJ
10 reduxero I bring back 1SG.FUT.PERF.ACT.IND
11 et and CONJ
12 reddidero I restore 1SG.FUT.PERF.ACT.IND
13 eum him ACC.SG.M
14 tibi to you DAT.SG
15 ero I shall be 1SG.FUT.ACT.IND
16 peccati of sin GEN.SG.N
17 reus guilty NOM.SG.M
18 in in / against PREP+ABL
19 te you ABL.SG
20 omni every ABL.SG.F
21 tempore time ABL.SG.N

Syntax

Main clause: Ego suscipio puerum — Subject Ego + Verb suscipio + Object puerum.
Request clause: de manu mea require illum — imperative directed to the hearer; de manu mea as ablative of source.
Conditional clause: nisi reduxero et reddidero eum tibi — future-perfect conditions dependent on following consequence.
Resulting main clause: ero peccati reus in te omni tempore — predicate nominal construction expressing Judah’s pledge of lifelong liability.
Phrase: in te omni tempore — adverbial phrase indicating duration and responsibility.

Morphology

  1. Ego — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative singular; Function: subject; Translation: “I”; Notes: emphatic personal pronoun.
  2. suscipio — Lemma: suscipio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative 1st singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “I take up / assume”; Notes: expresses assumption of responsibility.
  3. puerum — Lemma: puer; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object; Translation: “the boy”; Notes: refers to Benjamin.
  4. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces ablative of source; Translation: “from”; Notes: common in accountability language.
  5. manu — Lemma: manus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of preposition; Translation: “hand”; Notes: idiom for responsibility.
  6. mea — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: modifies manu; Translation: “my”; Notes: reflexive possession.
  7. require — Lemma: requiro; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperative present active 2nd singular; Function: command; Translation: “require”; Notes: legal tone: “hold me accountable.”
  8. illum — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of require; Translation: “him”; Notes: refers to Benjamin.
  9. nisi — Lemma: nisi; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: conditional; Function: introduces exception clause; Translation: “unless”; Notes: governs future-perfect verbs.
  10. reduxero — Lemma: reduco; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future perfect active indicative 1st singular; Function: verb of conditional clause; Translation: “I bring back”; Notes: emphasizes completed future action.
  11. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links verbs; Translation: “and”; Notes: cumulative.
  12. reddidero — Lemma: reddo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future perfect active indicative 1st singular; Function: coordinate verb of condition; Translation: “I restore”; Notes: conveys full restitution.
  13. eum — Lemma: is/ea/id; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of reddidero; Translation: “him”; Notes: direct object.
  14. tibi — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to you”; Notes: addressed to Jacob.
  15. ero — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative 1st singular; Function: main verb of result clause; Translation: “I shall be”; Notes: predicts future standing.
  16. peccati — Lemma: peccatum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter; Function: genitive of charge; Translation: “of sin”; Notes: legal formula.
  17. reus — Lemma: reus; Part of Speech: noun/adjective; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: predicate nominative; Translation: “guilty”; Notes: completes verb ero.
  18. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces phrase; Translation: “in / against”; Notes: expresses relational direction.
  19. te — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: ablative singular; Function: object of preposition; Translation: “you”; Notes: Jacob as aggrieved party.
  20. omni — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: modifies tempore; Translation: “every”; Notes: expresses total duration.
  21. tempore — Lemma: tempus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: object of in; Translation: “time”; Notes: ablative of time/extent.

 

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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