Genesis 43:33

Posted on February 12, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 43:33 sederunt coram eo, primogenitus iuxta primogenita sua, et minimus iuxta ætatem suam. Et mirabantur nimis,

they sat before him, the firstborn according to his birthright, and the youngest according to his age. And they were marveling greatly,

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 sederunt they sat 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
2 coram before PREP+ABL
3 eo him ABL.SG.M.PRON
4 primogenitus the firstborn NOM.SG.M
5 iuxta according to PREP+ACC
6 primogenita birthrights ACC.PL.N
7 sua their ACC.PL.N.POSS
8 et and CONJ
9 minimus the youngest NOM.SG.M
10 iuxta according to PREP+ACC
11 ætatem age ACC.SG.F
12 suam his ACC.SG.F.POSS
13 Et and CONJ
14 mirabantur they were marveling 3PL.IMPFT.DEP.IND
15 nimis greatly ADV

Syntax

Main clause: sederunt coram eo — “they sat before him,” describing their placement in Joseph’s presence.
Ordering descriptions:
• primogenitus iuxta primogenita sua — the eldest seated by birthrank.
• minimus iuxta ætatem suam — the youngest arranged according to his age.
Result clause: Et mirabantur nimis — the brothers were continually astonished.

Morphology

  1. sederunt — Lemma: sedeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd plural; Function: main narrative verb; Translation: “they sat”; Notes: perfective aspect emphasizes completed seating.
  2. coram — Lemma: coram; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: specifies location in relation to a person; Translation: “before”; Notes: often used in formal or judicial contexts.
  3. eo — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of coram; Translation: “him”; Notes: refers to Joseph.
  4. primogenitus — Lemma: primogenitus; Part of Speech: noun/adjective; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of its clause; Translation: “the firstborn”; Notes: indicates the eldest brother.
  5. iuxta (first occurrence) — Lemma: iuxta; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces standard of arrangement (“according to”); Translation: “according to”; Notes: expresses conformity to a rule, here birth order.
  6. primogenita — Lemma: primogenitum (used substantively in plural); Part of Speech: noun (substantive plural neuter); Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: object of iuxta; Translation: “birthrights / seniorities”; Notes: refers to ranked positions by birth.
  7. sua — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: modifies primogenita; Translation: “their”; Notes: reflexive, referring to the brothers.
  8. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: connects elder/younger clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: simple additive coordination.
  9. minimus — Lemma: minimus; Part of Speech: adjective used substantively; Form: nominative singular masculine superlative; Function: subject of second seating clause; Translation: “the youngest”; Notes: refers chiefly to Benjamin.
  10. iuxta (second occurrence) — Lemma: iuxta; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces the criterion for seating the youngest; Translation: “according to”; Notes: unlike the first iuxta (birthright), this one introduces a natural measure — age.
  11. ætatem — Lemma: ætas; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of iuxta; Translation: “age”; Notes: denotes life-stage or relative age among siblings.
  12. suam — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: modifies ætatem; Translation: “his”; Notes: reflexive, referring to the youngest brother.
  13. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: simple coordinating; Function: introduces new narrative development; Translation: “and”; Notes: marks transition to reaction.
  14. mirabantur — Lemma: miror; Part of Speech: deponent verb; Form: imperfect indicative 3rd plural; Function: describes ongoing emotional reaction; Translation: “they were marveling”; Notes: imperfective aspect shows continued amazement.
  15. nimis — Lemma: nimis; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: intensifier; Translation: “greatly”; Notes: heightens the force of the astonishment.

 

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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