Genesis 45:24

Posted on February 14, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 45:24 Dimisit ergo fratres suos, et proficiscentibus ait: Ne irascamini in via.

So he dismissed his brothers, and as they were setting out he said: “Do not become angry on the way.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Dimisit he dismissed 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 ergo therefore ADV
3 fratres brothers ACC.PL.M
4 suos his ACC.PL.M.REFL
5 et and CONJ
6 proficiscentibus to those setting out DAT.PL.M.PRES.PTCP
7 ait he said 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
8 Ne do not NEG.PART
9 irascamini become angry 2PL.PRES.DEP.SUBJ
10 in on / in PREP+ABL
11 via the way ABL.SG.F

Syntax

Main clause:
• Dimisit ergo fratres suos — verb + object + possessive adjective.
— Subject (implied): Joseph
— Verb: Dimisit
— Direct object: fratres suos

Supplementary participial clause:
• et proficiscentibus ait — “and he said to them as they were setting out”
— Dative participle proficiscentibus = indirect object of ait

Subjunctive prohibition:
• Ne irascamini — negative exhortation addressed to the brothers
— Verb: irascamini (deponent)

Prepositional phrase:
• in via — “on the way” (ablative of location)

Morphology

  1. Dimisit — Lemma: dimitto; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “he dismissed”; Notes: marks narrative action completed.
  2. ergo — Lemma: ergo; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: inferential marker; Translation: “therefore”; Notes: links back to previous instructions.
  3. fratres — Lemma: frater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: direct object; Translation: “brothers”; Notes: refers to Joseph’s siblings.
  4. suos — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: reflexive possessive adjective; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: modifies fratres; Translation: “his”; Notes: refers back to Joseph as subject.
  5. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: joins clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: simple connector.
  6. proficiscentibus — Lemma: proficiscor; Part of Speech: participle (deponent); Form: dative plural masculine present active participle (deponent form); Function: indirect object receiving speech; Translation: “to those setting out”; Notes: contemporaneous action, referring to the brothers.
  7. ait — Lemma: aio; Part of Speech: defective verb; Form: present active indicative 3rd singular; Function: introduces direct speech; Translation: “he said”; Notes: common narrative verb.
  8. Ne — Lemma: ne; Part of Speech: negative particle; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces prohibition; Translation: “do not”; Notes: standard Latin negation for subjunctives.
  9. irascamini — Lemma: irascor; Part of Speech: deponent verb; Form: present subjunctive 2nd plural; Function: prohibition addressed to brothers; Translation: “become angry”; Notes: deponent form with active meaning.
  10. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses location; Translation: “on / in”; Notes: static sense here.
  11. via — Lemma: via; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of in; Translation: “way”; Notes: indicates the journey home.

 

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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