Genesis 44:7

Posted on February 13, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 44:7 Qui responderunt: Quare sic loquitur dominus noster, ut servi tui tantum flagitii commiserint?

They answered: “Why does our lord speak thus, that your servants should have committed so great a crime?

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Qui who NOM.PL.M
2 responderunt they answered 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
3 Quare why ADV
4 sic thus ADV
5 loquitur he speaks 3SG.PRES.DEP.IND
6 dominus lord NOM.SG.M
7 noster our NOM.SG.M
8 ut that CONJ
9 servi servants NOM.PL.M
10 tui your NOM.PL.M
11 tantum so great ACC.SG.N
12 flagitii of crime GEN.SG.N
13 commiserint they should have committed 3PL.PERF.ACT.SUBJ

Syntax

Main Clause: Qui responderunt — “who answered,” subject implied as Joseph’s brothers.
Direct Question: Quare sic loquitur dominus noster — interrogative adverb Quare + deponent verb loquitur + subject phrase dominus noster.
Subordinate Clause: ut servi tui tantum flagitii commiserint — purpose/result clause expressing incredulity at the accusation.
Object of ut-clause: tantum flagitii — “so great a crime.”
Verb of ut-clause: commiserint — perfect subjunctive marking hypothetical accusation.

Morphology

  1. Qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject of responderunt; Translation: “who”; Notes: refers to Joseph’s brothers.
  2. responderunt — Lemma: respondeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative third plural; Function: main verb; Translation: “they answered”; Notes: introduces their reply.
  3. Quare — Lemma: quare; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: interrogative; Function: introduces direct question; Translation: “why”; Notes: rhetorical force.
  4. sic — Lemma: sic; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: adverbial; Function: modifies loquitur; Translation: “thus”; Notes: manner of speaking.
  5. loquitur — Lemma: loquor; Part of Speech: verb (deponent); Form: present indicative third singular; Function: verb of direct question; Translation: “he speaks”; Notes: deponent with active meaning.
  6. dominus — Lemma: dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of loquitur; Translation: “lord”; Notes: refers to Joseph, not YHWH → translate as “lord.”
  7. noster — Lemma: noster; Part of Speech: pronoun/adjective; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: modifies dominus; Translation: “our”; Notes: expresses subordination.
  8. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: subordinating; Function: introduces clause of result/purpose; Translation: “that”; Notes: expresses incredulity.
  9. servi — Lemma: servus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject of commiserint; Translation: “servants”; Notes: expresses humility before authority.
  10. tui — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: pronoun/adjective; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: modifies servi; Translation: “your”; Notes: refers to Joseph.
  11. tantum — Lemma: tantus; Part of Speech: adjective/pronoun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: internal object; Translation: “so great”; Notes: expresses degree.
  12. flagitii — Lemma: flagitium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter; Function: genitive complement; Translation: “of crime”; Notes: indicates moral wrongdoing.
  13. commiserint — Lemma: committo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active subjunctive third plural; Function: verb of ut-clause; Translation: “they should have committed”; Notes: subjunctive expresses rhetorical doubt.

 

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.
This entry was posted in Genesis. Bookmark the permalink.

Comments are closed.