Genesis 43:24

Posted on February 12, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 43:24 Et introductis domum, attulit aquam, et laverunt pedes suos, deditque pabulum asinis eorum.

And when they had been brought into the house, he brought water, and they washed their feet, and he gave fodder to their donkeys.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Et and CONJ
2 introductis having been brought in ABL.PL.M.PPP
3 domum into the house ACC.SG.F
4 attulit he brought 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
5 aquam water ACC.SG.F
6 et and CONJ
7 laverunt they washed 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
8 pedes feet ACC.PL.M
9 suos their ACC.PL.M
10 deditque and he gave 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
11 pabulum fodder ACC.SG.N
12 asinis to the donkeys DAT.PL.M
13 eorum their GEN.PL

Syntax

Ablative absolute: introductis domum — describes the circumstance (“when they had been brought into the house”).
Main action 1: attulit aquam — the steward provides water.
Main action 2: et laverunt pedes suos — the men wash their feet; reflexive suos refers to the subject “they.”
Main action 3: deditque pabulum asinis eorum — he gives fodder to their donkeys.
Connector: et … -que coordinate the sequence of actions.

Morphology

  1. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links narrative actions; Translation: “and”; Notes: standard narrative connector.
  2. introductis — Lemma: introduco; Part of Speech: participle; Form: ablative plural masculine perfect passive participle; Function: ablative absolute; Translation: “having been brought in”; Notes: refers to Joseph’s brothers.
  3. domum — Lemma: domus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: accusative of motion toward; Translation: “into the house”; Notes: complements introductis.
  4. attulit — Lemma: affero; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “he brought”; Notes: steward’s action.
  5. aquam — Lemma: aqua; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object; Translation: “water”; Notes: for washing ritual.
  6. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links verbs; Translation: “and”; Notes: continues list of actions.
  7. laverunt — Lemma: lavo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd plural; Function: main verb; Translation: “they washed”; Notes: reflexive action by the brothers.
  8. pedes — Lemma: pes; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: direct object; Translation: “feet”; Notes: common hospitality act.
  9. suos — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: modifies pedes; Translation: “their”; Notes: reflexive, referring to subject.
  10. deditque — Lemma: do + -que; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd singular with enclitic -que; Function: introduces next action; Translation: “and he gave”; Notes: -que joins closely to previous action.
  11. pabulum — Lemma: pabulum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object; Translation: “fodder”; Notes: fodder for animals.
  12. asinis — Lemma: asinus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative plural masculine; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to the donkeys”; Notes: receiving the fodder.
  13. eorum — Lemma: is/ea/id; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive plural; Function: possessive modifying asinis; Translation: “their”; Notes: refers to the brothers’ animals.

 

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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