Genesis 44:17

Posted on February 13, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 44:17 Respondit Ioseph: Absit a me ut sic agam: qui furatus est scyphum, ipse sit servus meus: vos autem abite liberi ad patrem vestrum.

Joseph replied: “Far be it from me to act in this way; the one who has stolen the goblet, he shall be my servant. But you—go free to your father.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Respondit he replied 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 Ioseph Joseph NOM.SG.M
3 Absit far be it 3SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
4 a from PREP+ABL
5 me me ABL.SG.1ST.PRON
6 ut that CONJ.PURPOSE/RESULT
7 sic thus / in this way ADV
8 agam I act 1SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
9 qui he who NOM.SG.M.REL
10 furatus having stolen NOM.SG.M.PPP.DEP
11 est has 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
12 scyphum goblet ACC.SG.M
13 ipse he himself NOM.SG.M.DEMONSTR
14 sit shall be 3SG.PRES.SUBJ.ACT
15 servus servant NOM.SG.M
16 meus my NOM.SG.M.ADJ
17 vos you NOM.PL.PRON
18 autem but CONJ
19 abite go away 2PL.PRES.ACT.IMP
20 liberi free NOM.PL.M.ADJ
21 ad to PREP+ACC
22 patrem father ACC.SG.M
23 vestrum your ACC.SG.M.ADJ

Syntax

Main Clause:
• Respondit Ioseph — Joseph replies; simple narrative formula.

Prohibition Formula:
• Absit a me ut sic agam — “Far be it from me that I should act in this way.”
– Absit = optative subjunctive expressing moral refusal.
– ut … agam = negative result/purpose construction.

Relative Clause of Characterization:
• qui furatus est scyphum — “he who has stolen the goblet.”
– Identifies the guilty party with legal precision.

Judicial Pronouncement:
• ipse sit servus meus — “he shall be my servant.”
– sit = subjunctive expressing decree.

Contrastive Command:
• vos autem abite liberi ad patrem vestrum
– Full acquittal of the brothers except the guilty one.
– liberi = predicate adjective.

Morphology

  1. Respondit — Lemma: respondeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “he replied”; Notes: perfect tense narrates completed speech act.
  2. Ioseph — Lemma: Ioseph; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of respondit; Translation: “Joseph”; Notes: Hebrew name retained in Latin.
  3. Absit — Lemma: absum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active subjunctive 3rd singular; Function: optative expressing repudiation; Translation: “far be it”; Notes: formula of strong moral refusal.
  4. a — Lemma: a/ab; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses separation; Translation: “from”; Notes: complements absit.
  5. me — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: ablative singular; Function: object of a; Translation: “me”; Notes: marks personal refusal.
  6. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: subordinating; Function: introduces purpose/result clause; Translation: “that”; Notes: dependent on absit.
  7. sic — Lemma: sic; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies agam; Translation: “thus / in this way”; Notes: refers to the proposed unjust action.
  8. agam — Lemma: ago; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active subjunctive 1st singular; Function: verb of ut-clause; Translation: “I act”; Notes: subjunctive required after ut of intent/result.
  9. qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of furtatus est; Translation: “he who”; Notes: identifies the guilty individual.
  10. furatus — Lemma: furor (from furor, dep.); Part of Speech: perfect participle (deponent); Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: part of perfect periphrastic; Translation: “having stolen”; Notes: moral/legal nuance of theft.
  11. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present indicative 3rd singular; Function: auxiliary; Translation: “has”; Notes: completes deponent perfect.
  12. scyphum — Lemma: scyphus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of furatus est; Translation: “goblet”; Notes: object at center of accusation.
  13. ipse — Lemma: ipse; Part of Speech: intensive pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: emphatic subject; Translation: “he himself”; Notes: stresses exclusivity of guilt.
  14. sit — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present subjunctive 3rd singular; Function: jussive/subjunctive decree; Translation: “shall be”; Notes: expresses judicial sentence.
  15. servus — Lemma: servus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: predicate nominative; Translation: “servant”; Notes: denotes imposed servitude.
  16. meus — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: modifies servus; Translation: “my”; Notes: expresses Joseph’s authority.
  17. vos — Lemma: vos; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative plural; Function: subject of abite; Translation: “you”; Notes: refers to the remaining brothers.
  18. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: post-positive; Function: contrastive marker; Translation: “but”; Notes: contrasts guilty vs. innocent.
  19. abite — Lemma: abeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active imperative 2nd plural; Function: command; Translation: “go away”; Notes: dismissal formula.
  20. liberi — Lemma: liber; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: predicate adjective with abite; Translation: “free”; Notes: absolves brothers from blame.
  21. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: indicates destination; Translation: “to”; Notes: points toward home.
  22. patrem — Lemma: pater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of ad; Translation: “father”; Notes: refers to Jacob.
  23. vestrum — Lemma: vester; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: modifies patrem; Translation: “your”; Notes: plural “your,” addressing all brothers.

 

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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