Genesis 45:28

Posted on February 14, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 45:28 et ait: Sufficit mihi si adhuc Ioseph filius meus vivit: vadam, :et videbo illum antequam moriar.

and he said: “It is enough for me if Joseph my son is still alive; I will go, and I will see him before I die.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 et and CONJ
2 ait he said 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
3 Sufficit it is enough 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
4 mihi to me DAT.SG.1P.PRON
5 si if CONJ
6 adhuc still ADV
7 Ioseph Joseph NOM.SG.M.PROP
8 filius son NOM.SG.M
9 meus my NOM.SG.M
10 vivit lives 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
11 vadam I will go 1SG.FUT.ACT.IND
12 et and CONJ
13 videbo I will see 1SG.FUT.ACT.IND
14 illum him ACC.SG.M.DEM
15 antequam before CONJ
16 moriar I die 1SG.PRES.DEP.SUBJ

Syntax

Introductory clause:
• et ait — narrative connector + speech verb introducing direct discourse.
Subject implied: Jacob.

First statement (declarative):
• Sufficit mihi — impersonal construction: “it is enough for me.”
Dative of advantage: mihi.

Conditional clause:
• si adhuc Ioseph filius meus vivit
— Condition introduced by si.
— Subject: Ioseph filius meus (Joseph my son).
— Verb: vivit.
Meaning: the survival of Joseph is the sufficient reason.

Future intentions (coordinated):
• vadam — “I will go.”
• et videbo illum — “and I will see him.”
Object: illum.

Temporal subordinate clause:
• antequam moriar — “before I die.”
Subjunctive moriar used with antequam to denote anticipated action.

Morphology

  1. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links narrative actions; Translation: “and”; Notes: common narrative connector.
  2. ait — Lemma: aio; Part of Speech: defective verb; Form: present active indicative 3rd singular; Function: introduces direct speech; Translation: “he said”; Notes: frequent in reported dialogue.
  3. Sufficit — Lemma: sufficio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative 3rd singular; Function: impersonal main verb; Translation: “it is enough”; Notes: no explicit subject in Latin.
  4. mihi — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular; Function: dative of advantage; Translation: “to me”; Notes: indicates for whom the sufficiency holds.
  5. si — Lemma: si; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: conditional marker; Function: introduces condition; Translation: “if”; Notes: standard conditional clause.
  6. adhuc — Lemma: adhuc; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: temporal modifier; Translation: “still”; Notes: emphasizes continued life.
  7. Ioseph — Lemma: Ioseph; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of vivit; Translation: “Joseph”; Notes: Jacob’s son.
  8. filius — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: apposition to Ioseph; Translation: “son”; Notes: clarifies relationship.
  9. meus — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: modifies filius; Translation: “my”; Notes: first-person possession.
  10. vivit — Lemma: vivo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative 3rd singular; Function: main verb of condition; Translation: “lives”; Notes: declarative present.
  11. vadam — Lemma: vado; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative 1st singular; Function: first future action; Translation: “I will go”; Notes: expresses intent.
  12. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links future verbs; Translation: “and”; Notes: simple connector.
  13. videbo — Lemma: video; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative 1st singular; Function: second future action; Translation: “I will see”; Notes: anticipates encounter.
  14. illum — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of videbo; Translation: “him”; Notes: refers to Joseph.
  15. antequam — Lemma: antequam; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: subordinating; Function: introduces temporal clause; Translation: “before”; Notes: regularly takes subjunctive.
  16. moriar — Lemma: morior; Part of Speech: deponent verb; Form: present subjunctive 1st singular; Function: verb in temporal clause; Translation: “I die”; Notes: deponent form, subjunctive by rule of antequam.

 

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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