Genesis 44:10

Posted on February 13, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 44:10 Qui dixit eis: Fiat iuxta vestram sententiam: apud quemcumque fuerit inventus, ipse sit servus meus, vos autem eritis innoxii.

He said to them: “Let it be according to your judgment; with whomever it shall be found, he shall be my servant, but you shall be innocent.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Qui who NOM.SG.M
2 dixit said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
3 eis to them DAT.PL.M
4 Fiat let it be done 3SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
5 iuxta according to PREP+ACC
6 vestram your ACC.SG.F
7 sententiam judgment ACC.SG.F
8 apud with PREP+ACC
9 quemcumque whoever ACC.SG.M
10 fuerit shall have been 3SG.FUT.PERF.ACT.IND
11 inventus found NOM.SG.M.PTCP.PERF.PASS
12 ipse he himself NOM.SG.M
13 sit shall be 3SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
14 servus servant NOM.SG.M
15 meus my NOM.SG.M
16 vos you NOM.PL
17 autem however CONJ
18 eritis you will be 2PL.FUT.ACT.IND
19 innoxii innocent NOM.PL.M

Syntax

Main Clause: Qui dixit eis — subject + verb + indirect object.
Jussive Subjunctive: Fiat iuxta vestram sententiam — “let it be according to your judgment.”
Conditional-like Phrase: apud quemcumque fuerit inventus — specifies the person with whom the item is found.
Main Resulting Command: ipse sit servus meus — assignment of penalty.
Contrastive Clause: vos autem eritis innoxii — exemption of the remaining brothers.

Morphology

  1. Qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “who”; Notes: refers to Joseph’s steward.
  2. dixit — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative third singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “said”; Notes: simple narrative perfect.
  3. eis — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative plural masculine; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to them”; Notes: refers to Joseph’s brothers.
  4. Fiat — Lemma: fio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active subjunctive third singular; Function: jussive command; Translation: “let it be done”; Notes: expresses formal assent.
  5. iuxta — Lemma: iuxta; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces standard of comparison; Translation: “according to”; Notes: used with judgments or norms.
  6. vestram — Lemma: vester; Part of Speech: pronoun/adjective; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: modifies sententiam; Translation: “your”; Notes: plural ownership.
  7. sententiam — Lemma: sententia; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of iuxta; Translation: “judgment”; Notes: refers to the brothers’ proposed penalty.
  8. apud — Lemma: apud; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: indicates possession or proximity; Translation: “with”; Notes: common in legal contexts.
  9. quemcumque — Lemma: quicumque; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of apud; Translation: “whoever”; Notes: stresses universality.
  10. fuerit — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future perfect active indicative third singular; Function: verb in conditional-like clause; Translation: “shall have been”; Notes: anticipates discovery.
  11. inventus — Lemma: invenio; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular masculine perfect passive participle; Function: predicate with fuerit; Translation: “found”; Notes: matches masculine antecedent.
  12. ipse — Lemma: ipse; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: emphatic pronoun; Translation: “he himself”; Notes: intensifies responsibility.
  13. sit — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active subjunctive third singular; Function: jussive; Translation: “shall be”; Notes: expresses imposed penalty.
  14. servus — Lemma: servus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: predicate nominative; Translation: “servant”; Notes: legal status assigned.
  15. meus — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: pronoun/adjective; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: modifies servus; Translation: “my”; Notes: Joseph speaking.
  16. vos — Lemma: vos; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative plural; Function: subject of eritis; Translation: “you”; Notes: refers to the other brothers.
  17. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: contrastive; Function: introduces contrast; Translation: “however”; Notes: marks exception.
  18. eritis — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative second plural; Function: main verb; Translation: “you will be”; Notes: future outcome.
  19. innoxii — Lemma: innoxius; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: predicate nominative; Translation: “innocent”; Notes: legal acquittal.

 

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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