Genesis 43:18

Posted on February 12, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 43:18 Ibique exterriti, dixerunt mutuo: Propter pecuniam, quam retulimus prius in saccis nostris, introducti sumus: ut devolvat in nos calumniam, et violenter subiiciat servituti et nos, et asinos nostros.

And there, terrified, they said to one another: “It is because of the money which we brought back before in our sacks that we have been brought in, so that he may roll a false charge upon us, and violently subject to servitude both us and our donkeys.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Ibique and there ADV
2 exterriti terrified NOM.PL.M.PPP
3 dixerunt they said 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
4 mutuo to one another ADV
5 Propter because of PREP+ACC
6 pecuniam money ACC.SG.F
7 quam which ACC.SG.F.REL
8 retulimus we brought back 1PL.PERF.ACT.IND
9 prius before ADV
10 in in PREP+ABL
11 saccis sacks ABL.PL.M
12 nostris our ABL.PL.M.POSS
13 introducti brought in NOM.PL.M.PPP
14 sumus we have been 1PL.PRES.ACT.IND
15 ut so that CONJ
16 devolvat he may roll (a charge) 3SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
17 in upon PREP+ACC
18 nos us ACC.PL
19 calumniam false accusation ACC.SG.F
20 et and CONJ
21 violenter violently ADV
22 subiiciat he may subject 3SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
23 servituti to servitude DAT.SG.F
24 et and CONJ
25 nos us ACC.PL
26 et and CONJ
27 asinos donkeys ACC.PL.M
28 nostros our ACC.PL.M.POSS

Syntax

Setting clause: Ibique exterriti — adverb + participle expressing emotional state.
Main clause: dixerunt mutuo — Subject understood (viri), verb dixerunt, adverb mutuo.
Content clause: Propter pecuniam … introducti sumus — causal prepositional phrase explains fear.
Relative clause: quam retulimus prius in saccis nostris — modifies pecuniam.
Purpose clause: ut devolvat … et subiiciat — subjunctives indicating feared intention.
Double objects: nos and asinos nostros depend on subiiciat.
Dative complement: servituti — what they fear being subjected to.

Morphology

  1. Ibique — Lemma: ibi + -que; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: enclitic combination; Function: sets scene; Translation: “and there”; Notes: adds narrative connection.
  2. exterriti — Lemma: exterreo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative plural masculine perfect passive participle; Function: predicate modifier; Translation: “terrified”; Notes: describes emotional condition.
  3. dixerunt — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd plural; Function: main verb; Translation: “they said”; Notes: introduces speech.
  4. mutuo — Lemma: mutuo; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: adverbial; Function: reciprocal action; Translation: “to one another”; Notes: expresses mutual conversation.
  5. Propter — Lemma: propter; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: causal expression; Translation: “because of”; Notes: strong causal sense.
  6. pecuniam — Lemma: pecunia; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of Propter; Translation: “money”; Notes: refers to returned payment.
  7. quam — Lemma: qui/quae/quod; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of retulimus; Translation: “which”; Notes: agrees with pecuniam.
  8. retulimus — Lemma: refero; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 1st plural; Function: verb of relative clause; Translation: “we brought back”; Notes: completed past action.
  9. prius — Lemma: prior; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: comparative adverb; Function: temporal marker; Translation: “before”; Notes: marks earlier trip.
  10. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: locative; Translation: “in”; Notes: static location.
  11. saccis — Lemma: saccus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: object of in; Translation: “sacks”; Notes: containers for grain.
  12. nostris — Lemma: noster; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: modifies saccis; Translation: “our”; Notes: second-person plural ownership.
  13. introducti — Lemma: introduco; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative plural masculine perfect passive participle; Function: predicate; Translation: “brought in”; Notes: periphrastic with sumus.
  14. sumus — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative 1st plural; Function: auxiliary with introducti; Translation: “we have been”; Notes: passive construction.
  15. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: purpose clause; Function: introduces feared purpose; Translation: “so that”; Notes: governs subjunctive.
  16. devolvat — Lemma: devolvo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active subjunctive 3rd singular; Function: verb of purpose; Translation: “he may roll upon us”; Notes: metaphor of accusation.
  17. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: target of action; Translation: “upon”; Notes: hostile direction.
  18. nos — Lemma: nos; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative plural; Function: object; Translation: “us”; Notes: first object of fear.
  19. calumniam — Lemma: calumnia; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object of devolvat; Translation: “false accusation”; Notes: legal charge.
  20. et — coordinating conjunction.
  21. violenter — Lemma: violenter; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: adverbial; Function: modifies subiiciat; Translation: “violently”; Notes: implies force.
  22. subiiciat — Lemma: subiicio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active subjunctive 3rd singular; Function: second verb of purpose; Translation: “he may subject”; Notes: feared oppression.
  23. servituti — Lemma: servitus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative singular feminine; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to servitude”; Notes: condition feared.
  24. et — coordinating conjunction.
  25. nos — Lemma: nos; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative plural; Function: object of subiiciat; Translation: “us”; Notes: repeated for emphasis.
  26. et — coordinating conjunction.
  27. asinos — Lemma: asinus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: second object; Translation: “donkeys”; Notes: essential possessions.
  28. nostros — Lemma: noster; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: modifies asinos; Translation: “our”; Notes: possession emphasized.

 

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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