Genesis 44:24

Posted on February 13, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 44:24 Cum ergo ascendissemus ad famulum tuum patrem nostrum, narravimus ei omnia quæ locutus est dominus meus.

So when we had gone up to your servant our father, we told him all that my lord had spoken.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Cum when TEMP.CONJ
2 ergo therefore ADV
3 ascendissemus we had gone up 1PL.PLUPERF.ACT.SUBJ
4 ad to PREP+ACC
5 famulum servant ACC.SG.M
6 tuum your ACC.SG.M.ADJ
7 patrem father ACC.SG.M
8 nostrum our ACC.SG.M.ADJ
9 narravimus we told 1PL.PERF.ACT.IND
10 ei to him DAT.SG.M
11 omnia all things ACC.PL.N
12 quæ which NOM.PL.N.REL
13 locutus spoken NOM.SG.M.PTCP.PERF.DEP
14 est has 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
15 dominus lord NOM.SG.M
16 meus my NOM.SG.M.ADJ

Syntax

Temporal clause: Cum ergo ascendissemus ad famulum tuum patrem nostrum — “When therefore we had gone up to your servant our father.” Subordinate verb: ascendissemus. Prepositional phrase ad famulum tuum patrem nostrum expresses destination (Jacob).
Main clause: narravimus ei omnia quæ locutus est dominus meus — “we told him all that my lord had spoken.” Direct object: omnia quæ …. Relative clause quæ locutus est dominus meus modifies omnia. Subject of relative clause: dominus meus (Joseph). Verb: locutus est (deponent perfect).

Morphology

  1. Cum — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: temporal; Function: introduces a temporal subordinate clause; Translation: “when”; Notes: governs subjunctive in narrative sequence.
  2. ergo — Lemma: ergo; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: adds logical transition; Translation: “therefore”; Notes: often placed second in the clause.
  3. ascendissemus — Lemma: ascendo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: pluperfect active subjunctive 1st plural; Function: verb of the temporal clause; Translation: “we had gone up”; Notes: subjunctive triggered by temporal cum in historical narration.
  4. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces direction toward a person; Translation: “to”; Notes: standard marker of movement toward.
  5. famulum — Lemma: famulus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of ad; Translation: “servant”; Notes: Jacob is called “your servant” in humble speech to Joseph.
  6. tuum — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: modifies famulum; Translation: “your”; Notes: expresses Judah’s deference.
  7. patrem — Lemma: pater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: in apposition to famulum; Translation: “father”; Notes: identifies the servant as their father Jacob.
  8. nostrum — Lemma: noster; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: modifies patrem; Translation: “our”; Notes: shows filial relation of the brothers.
  9. narravimus — Lemma: narro; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 1st plural; Function: main verb; Translation: “we told”; Notes: perfect describes completed reporting.
  10. ei — Lemma: is (dat.); Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: indirect object of narravimus; Translation: “to him”; Notes: refers to Jacob.
  11. omnia — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective used substantively; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: direct object of narravimus; Translation: “all things”; Notes: includes the entire message from Joseph.
  12. quæ — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative plural neuter; Function: introduces relative clause modifying omnia; Translation: “which”; Notes: links to Joseph’s words.
  13. locutus — Lemma: loquor; Part of Speech: deponent verb (participle); Form: nominative singular masculine perfect participle; Function: part of perfect periphrastic locutus est; Translation: “spoken”; Notes: deponent participle with active meaning.
  14. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present indicative 3rd singular; Function: auxiliary completing locutus est; Translation: “has”; Notes: forms perfect of deponent verb.
  15. dominus — Lemma: dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of locutus est; Translation: “lord”; Notes: refers to Joseph, therefore translated “lord,” not “LORD.”
  16. meus — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: modifies dominus; Translation: “my”; Notes: expresses Judah’s respectful address.

 

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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