Genesis 44:26

Posted on February 13, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 44:26 Cui diximus: Ire non possumus: si frater noster minimus descenderit nobiscum, proficiscemur simul: alioquin illo absente, non audemus videre faciem viri.

To whom we said: ‘We cannot go; if our youngest brother goes down with us, we will set out together; otherwise, with him absent, we do not dare to see the face of the man.’

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Cui to whom DAT.SG.M/F/REL
2 diximus we said 1PL.PERF.ACT.IND
3 Ire to go PRES.ACT.INF
4 non not NEG.ADV
5 possumus we are able 1PL.PRES.ACT.IND
6 si if COND.CONJ
7 frater brother NOM.SG.M
8 noster our NOM.SG.M.ADJ
9 minimus youngest NOM.SG.M.ADJ
10 descenderit goes down 3SG.FUT.PERF.ACT.IND
11 nobiscum with us ABL.PL.1ST+COMIT
12 proficiscemur we will set out 1PL.FUT.DEP.IND
13 simul together ADV
14 alioquin otherwise ADV
15 illo with him ABL.SG.M.DEMONSTR
16 absente absent ABL.SG.M.PTCP.PRES.ACT
17 non not NEG.ADV
18 audemus we dare 1PL.PRES.ACT.IND
19 videre to see PRES.ACT.INF
20 faciem face ACC.SG.F
21 viri of the man GEN.SG.M

Syntax

Recipient clause: Cui diximus — “To whom we said.” Indirect object Cui, verb diximus.
Statement 1: Ire non possumus — “We cannot go.” Infinitive Ire with modal verb possumus.
Conditional clause: si frater noster minimus descenderit nobiscum — “if our youngest brother goes down with us.” Subject: frater noster minimus. Verb: descenderit (future perfect).
Main clause to condition: proficiscemur simul — “we will set out together.”
Contrast clause: alioquin illo absente — “otherwise, with him absent.” Ablative absolute.
Final statement: non audemus videre faciem viri — “we do not dare to see the face of the man.” Verb: audemus. Object: faciem viri.

Morphology

  1. Cui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: dative singular; Function: indirect object of diximus; Translation: “to whom”; Notes: refers to Jacob.
  2. diximus — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 1st plural; Function: main verb; Translation: “we said”; Notes: introduces direct reported speech.
  3. Ire — Lemma: eo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active infinitive; Function: complementary infinitive with possumus; Translation: “to go”; Notes: expresses the action they cannot perform.
  4. non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: negating; Function: negates possumus; Translation: “not”; Notes: expresses impossibility.
  5. possumus — Lemma: possum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative 1st plural; Function: main verb; Translation: “we are able”; Notes: modal verb with infinitive.
  6. si — Lemma: si; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: conditional; Function: introduces future condition; Translation: “if”; Notes: standard protasis marker.
  7. frater — Lemma: frater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of descenderit; Translation: “brother”; Notes: refers to Benjamin.
  8. noster — Lemma: noster; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: modifies frater; Translation: “our”; Notes: plural possessive of the brothers.
  9. minimus — Lemma: minimus; Part of Speech: adjective (superlative); Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: describes frater; Translation: “youngest”; Notes: identifies Benjamin.
  10. descenderit — Lemma: descendo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future perfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: verb of the conditional protasis; Translation: “goes down”; Notes: future perfect commonly used for future conditions.
  11. nobiscum — Lemma: nos + cum; Part of Speech: pronoun with enclitic; Form: ablative plural; Function: ablative of accompaniment; Translation: “with us”; Notes: enclitic -cum attaches to pronouns.
  12. proficiscemur — Lemma: proficiscor; Part of Speech: deponent verb; Form: future indicative 1st plural; Function: main verb of apodosis; Translation: “we will set out”; Notes: deponent form with active meaning.
  13. simul — Lemma: simul; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies proficiscemur; Translation: “together”; Notes: expresses unity of action.
  14. alioquin — Lemma: alioquin; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces alternative result; Translation: “otherwise”; Notes: signals contrast.
  15. illo — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: part of ablative absolute; Translation: “him”; Notes: refers to Benjamin.
  16. absente — Lemma: absens; Part of Speech: participle; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: participle in ablative absolute; Translation: “absent”; Notes: describes the condition blocking travel.
  17. non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: negating; Function: negates audemus; Translation: “not”; Notes: expresses fear-based refusal.
  18. audemus — Lemma: audeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative 1st plural; Function: main verb; Translation: “we dare”; Notes: expresses moral hesitation.
  19. videre — Lemma: video; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active infinitive; Function: complementary infinitive with audemus; Translation: “to see”; Notes: object of daring/not daring.
  20. faciem — Lemma: facies; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of videre; Translation: “face”; Notes: idiom for appearing before someone in authority.
  21. viri — Lemma: vir; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessor in the genitive (“the face of the man”); Translation: “of the man”; Notes: refers to Joseph.

 

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.