Genesis 43:21

Posted on February 12, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 43:21 quibus emptis, cum venissemus ad diversorium, aperuimus saccos nostros, et invenimus pecuniam in ore saccorum: quam nunc eodem pondere reportavimus.

when these had been bought, when we came to the lodging-place, we opened our sacks, and we found the money at the mouth of the sacks, which now with the same weight we have brought back.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 quibus which ABL.PL.N.REL
2 emptis having been bought ABL.PL.N.PPP
3 cum when CONJ
4 venissemus we had come 1PL.PLUPERF.ACT.SUBJ
5 ad to PREP+ACC
6 diversorium lodging-place ACC.SG.N
7 aperuimus we opened 1PL.PERF.ACT.IND
8 saccos sacks ACC.PL.M
9 nostros our ACC.PL.M
10 et and CONJ
11 invenimus we found 1PL.PERF.ACT.IND
12 pecuniam money ACC.SG.F
13 in in PREP+ABL
14 ore mouth ABL.SG.N
15 saccorum of the sacks GEN.PL.M
16 quam which ACC.SG.F.REL
17 nunc now ADV
18 eodem the same ABL.SG.N.DEM
19 pondere weight ABL.SG.N
20 reportavimus we have brought back 1PL.PERF.ACT.IND

Syntax

Ablative absolute: quibus emptis — “when these had been bought,” sets the background circumstance.
Temporal cum-clause: cum venissemus ad diversorium — pluperfect subjunctive shows prior completed arrival.
Main clauses:
• aperuimus saccos nostros — action of inspection.
• et invenimus pecuniam — discovery described.
Prepositional phrase: in ore saccorum — indicates location of the money.
Relative clause: quam nunc eodem pondere reportavimus — explains restitution with identical weight.

Morphology

  1. quibus — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: ablative plural neuter; Function: pronoun in ablative absolute; Translation: “which”; Notes: refers to provisions they purchased.
  2. emptis — Lemma: emo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: ablative plural neuter perfect passive participle; Function: participle in ablative absolute; Translation: “having been bought”; Notes: passive sense.
  3. cum — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: introduces temporal clause; Function: subordinator; Translation: “when”; Notes: narrative cum + subjunctive.
  4. venissemus — Lemma: venio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: pluperfect active subjunctive 1st plural; Function: verb of temporal clause; Translation: “we had come”; Notes: action prior to opening sacks.
  5. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: direction; Translation: “to”; Notes: motion toward place.
  6. diversorium — Lemma: diversorium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of ad; Translation: “lodging-place”; Notes: roadside lodging.
  7. aperuimus — Lemma: aperio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 1st plural; Function: main verb; Translation: “we opened”; Notes: first inspection action.
  8. saccos — Lemma: saccus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: direct object; Translation: “sacks”; Notes: grain-sacks.
  9. nostros — Lemma: noster; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: modifies saccos; Translation: “our”; Notes: possessive.
  10. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links actions; Translation: “and”; Notes: narrative sequence.
  11. invenimus — Lemma: invenio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 1st plural; Function: main verb; Translation: “we found”; Notes: key discovery.
  12. pecuniam — Lemma: pecunia; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object; Translation: “money”; Notes: the payment mysteriously returned.
  13. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: location; Translation: “in”; Notes: static placement.
  14. ore — Lemma: os; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: object of in; Translation: “mouth”; Notes: literal opening of sacks.
  15. saccorum — Lemma: saccus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: possessive; Translation: “of the sacks”; Notes: indicates whose mouth.
  16. quam — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of reportavimus; Translation: “which”; Notes: refers to pecuniam.
  17. nunc — Lemma: nunc; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: adverbial; Function: temporal marker; Translation: “now”; Notes: contrasts past and present.
  18. eodem — Lemma: idem; Part of Speech: demonstrative adjective; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: modifies pondere; Translation: “the same”; Notes: sameness of weight.
  19. pondere — Lemma: pondus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: ablative of manner; Translation: “weight”; Notes: precision of restitution.
  20. reportavimus — Lemma: reporto; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 1st plural; Function: main verb of relative clause; Translation: “we have brought back”; Notes: emphasizes honesty.

 

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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