Genesis 44:11

Posted on February 13, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 44:11 Itaque festinato deponentes in terram saccos, aperuerunt singuli.

Therefore, hastily lowering their sacks to the ground, they each opened them.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Itaque therefore CONJ
2 festinato hastily ABL.SG.N.PTCP.PERF.PASS
3 deponentes lowering NOM.PL.M.PTCP.PRES.ACT
4 in into PREP+ACC
5 terram ground ACC.SG.F
6 saccos sacks ACC.PL.M
7 aperuerunt they opened 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
8 singuli each NOM.PL.M

Syntax

Connecting Particle: Itaque — marks consequence.
Ablative Absolute: festinato deponentes in terram saccos — describes manner and action preceding the main verb.
Main Clause: aperuerunt singuli — subject (implicit: brothers) + perfect verb + distributive modifier singuli (“each of them”).

Morphology

  1. Itaque — Lemma: itaque; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: introduces result; Translation: “therefore”; Notes: connects to preceding judgment.
  2. festinato — Lemma: festino; Part of Speech: participle; Form: ablative singular neuter perfect passive participle; Function: ablative absolute; Translation: “hastily”; Notes: neuter used adverbially.
  3. deponentes — Lemma: depono; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative plural masculine present active participle; Function: participle modifying implied subject; Translation: “lowering”; Notes: simultaneous with main action.
  4. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces motion toward; Translation: “into”; Notes: expresses direction.
  5. terram — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of in; Translation: “ground”; Notes: physical location.
  6. saccos — Lemma: saccus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object of deponentes; Translation: “sacks”; Notes: brothers’ grain sacks.
  7. aperuerunt — Lemma: aperio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative third plural; Function: main verb; Translation: “they opened”; Notes: indicates decisive action.
  8. singuli — Lemma: singuli; Part of Speech: adjective (distributive); Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: modifies implied subject; Translation: “each”; Notes: expresses distribution among group members.

 

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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