Genesis 43:14

Posted on February 12, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 43:14 Deus autem meus omnipotens faciat vobis eum placabilem: et remittat vobiscum fratrem vestrum quem tenet, et hunc Beniamin: ego autem quasi orbatus absque liberis ero.

But may my God Almighty make him favorable to you, and may He send back with you your brother whom he holds, and this Benjamin; but I shall be as one bereaved, without children.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Deus God NOM.SG.M
2 autem however / but CONJ
3 meus my NOM.SG.M.POSS
4 omnipotens almighty NOM.SG.M
5 faciat may … make 3SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
6 vobis to you DAT.PL
7 eum him ACC.SG.M
8 placabilem favorable ACC.SG.M
9 et and CONJ
10 remittat may he send back 3SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
11 vobiscum with you PREP+ABL
12 fratrem brother ACC.SG.M
13 vestrum your ACC.SG.M.POSS
14 quem whom ACC.SG.M.REL
15 tenet he holds 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
16 et and CONJ
17 hunc this ACC.SG.M
18 Beniamin Benjamin ACC.SG.M
19 ego I NOM.SG
20 autem but CONJ
21 quasi as if ADV
22 orbatus bereaved NOM.SG.M.PPP
23 absque without PREP+ABL
24 liberis children ABL.PL.M
25 ero I shall be 1SG.FUT.ACT.IND

Syntax

Main optative clause: Deus … omnipotens faciat vobis eum placabilem — Subject Deus omnipotens + Subjunctive verb faciat + Double object eum placabilem.
Second optative: et remittat vobiscum fratrem vestrum — Subjunctive wish with vobiscum as ablative of accompaniment.
Relative clause: quem tenet — modifies fratrem vestrum.
Addition: et hunc Beniamin — coordinated direct object.
Self-description clause: ego autem quasi orbatus absque liberis ero — Predicate orbatus with future verb ero, and phrase absque liberis indicating deprivation.

Morphology

  1. Deus — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “God”; Notes: refers to the LORD.
  2. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: introduces contrasting nuance; Translation: “however / but”; Notes: postpositive.
  3. meus — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: modifies Deus; Translation: “my”; Notes: indicates personal trust.
  4. omnipotens — Lemma: omnipotens; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: epithet of divinity; Translation: “almighty”; Notes: divine title.
  5. faciat — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active subjunctive 3rd singular; Function: optative/jussive; Translation: “may he make”; Notes: expresses prayerful wish.
  6. vobis — Lemma: vos; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative plural; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to you”; Notes: second-person plural.
  7. eum — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of faciat; Translation: “him”; Notes: refers to Joseph.
  8. placabilem — Lemma: placabilis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: predicate complement of eum; Translation: “favorable”; Notes: softened demeanor.
  9. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links optatives; Translation: “and”; Notes: simple connector.
  10. remittat — Lemma: remitto; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active subjunctive 3rd singular; Function: jussive/optative; Translation: “may he send back”; Notes: divine action hoped for.
  11. vobiscum — Lemma: cum + vobis; Part of Speech: prepositional form; Form: ablative plural; Function: accompaniment; Translation: “with you”; Notes: enclitic -cum.
  12. fratrem — Lemma: frater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object; Translation: “brother”; Notes: Simeon, held in Egypt.
  13. vestrum — Lemma: vester; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: modifies fratrem; Translation: “your”; Notes: indicates group possession.
  14. quem — Lemma: qui/quae/quod; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of tenet; Translation: “whom”; Notes: agrees with fratrem.
  15. tenet — Lemma: teneo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative 3rd singular; Function: verb of relative clause; Translation: “he holds”; Notes: Joseph’s detainment.
  16. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links objects; Translation: “and”; Notes: connects items.
  17. hunc — Lemma: hic; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object; Translation: “this”; Notes: refers to Benjamin.
  18. Beniamin — Lemma: Beniamin; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: apposition to hunc; Translation: “Benjamin”; Notes: beloved youngest son.
  19. ego — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative singular; Function: subject; Translation: “I”; Notes: begins contrast.
  20. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: postpositive; Function: contrast; Translation: “but”; Notes: soft adversative.
  21. quasi — Lemma: quasi; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: adverbial; Function: comparative marker; Translation: “as though”; Notes: introduces figurative description.
  22. orbatus — Lemma: orbo; Part of Speech: perfect passive participle (used adjectivally); Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: predicate adjective; Translation: “bereaved”; Notes: expresses emotional state.
  23. absque — Lemma: absque; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses privation; Translation: “without”; Notes: conveys loss.
  24. liberis — Lemma: liber; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: object of absque; Translation: “children”; Notes: general plural of offspring.
  25. ero — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative 1st singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “I shall be”; Notes: expresses Jacob’s dread.

 

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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