Genesis 37:17

Posted on February 6, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 37:17 Dixitque ei vir: Recesserunt de loco isto: audivi autem eos dicentes: Eamus in Dothain. Perrexit ergo Ioseph post fratres suos, et invenit eos in Dothain.

And the man said to him: “They have departed from this place; for I heard them saying, ‘Let us go to Dothan.’” Therefore Joseph went after his brothers and found them in Dothan.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Dixitque and said V.3SG.PERF.ACT.IND + ENCLITIC -QUE
2 ei to him PRON.PERS.DAT.SG.M
3 vir man NOUN.NOM.SG.M
4 Recesserunt they have departed V.3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
5 de from PREP+ABL
6 loco place NOUN.ABL.SG.M
7 isto this PRON.DEM.ABL.SG.M
8 audivi I heard V.1SG.PERF.ACT.IND
9 autem however / indeed CONJ.ADV
10 eos them PRON.PERS.ACC.PL.M
11 dicentes saying PART.PRES.ACT.ACC.PL.M
12 Eamus let us go V.1PL.PRES.SUBJ.ACT
13 in into / to PREP+ACC
14 Dothain Dothan NOUN.ACC.SG.F (proper)
15 Perrexit went on V.3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
16 ergo therefore ADV
17 Ioseph Joseph NOUN.NOM.SG.M (proper)
18 post after PREP+ACC
19 fratres brothers NOUN.ACC.PL.M
20 suos his ADJ.POSS.ACC.PL.M
21 et and CONJ
22 invenit found V.3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
23 eos them PRON.PERS.ACC.PL.M
24 in in PREP+ABL
25 Dothain Dothan NOUN.ABL.SG.F (proper)

Morphology

  1. Dixitque — Lemma: dīcō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular perfect indicative active + enclitic -que; Function: main verb connecting the new clause to the prior statement; Translation: “and (he) said”; Notes: Enclitic joins to preceding narrative action, linking to earlier dialogue with Joseph.
  2. ei — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: indirect object of dixit; Translation: “to him”; Notes: Refers to Joseph, the person addressed by the man.
  3. vir — Lemma: vir; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of dixit; Translation: “the man”; Notes: Subject of speech act; maintains narrative from previous verse.
  4. Recesserunt — Lemma: recēdō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person plural perfect indicative active; Function: main verb of reported speech; Translation: “they have departed”; Notes: Perfect aspect denotes completed departure prior to the conversation.
  5. de — Lemma: dē; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces the source of movement; Translation: “from”; Notes: Common with verbs of separation.
  6. loco — Lemma: locus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of de; Translation: “(the) place”; Notes: Indicates the place left behind.
  7. isto — Lemma: iste, ista, istud; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: modifies loco; Translation: “this”; Notes: Deictic near the speaker; refers to the location of the encounter.
  8. audivi — Lemma: audiō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 1st person singular perfect indicative active; Function: introduces the indirect statement; Translation: “I heard”; Notes: Perfect tense describing prior auditory perception.
  9. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: adverbial conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: transitional particle; Translation: “however / indeed”; Notes: Stylistic connective frequently used in Latin narrative to resume discourse.
  10. eos — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: subject accusative of the indirect statement introduced by audivi; Translation: “them”; Notes: Refers to Joseph’s brothers, logical subject of dicentes.
  11. dicentes — Lemma: dīcō; Part of Speech: participle; Form: accusative plural masculine present active; Function: participle in indirect discourse depending on audivi; Translation: “saying”; Notes: Introduces their direct reported words, “Eamus in Dothain.”
  12. Eamus — Lemma: eō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 1st person plural present subjunctive active; Function: hortatory subjunctive within indirect quotation; Translation: “let us go”; Notes: Expresses a suggestion or proposal by Joseph’s brothers.
  13. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses direction toward a place; Translation: “into / to”; Notes: Motion preposition introducing destination Dothain.
  14. Dothain — Lemma: Dothain; Part of Speech: proper noun (place); Form: accusative singular (indeclinable); Function: object of in; Translation: “Dothan”; Notes: Geographic reference—location north of Shechem where Joseph’s brothers graze their flocks.
  15. Perrexit — Lemma: pergo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular perfect indicative active; Function: main verb of narrative continuation; Translation: “he went on / proceeded”; Notes: Marks Joseph’s obedient journey following the report.
  16. ergo — Lemma: ergō; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: inferential particle; Translation: “therefore”; Notes: Indicates logical result: Joseph acted based on the man’s information.
  17. Ioseph — Lemma: Ioseph; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of perrexit and invenit; Translation: “Joseph”; Notes: Main actor; proper name remains indeclinable in the Vulgate.
  18. post — Lemma: post; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces prepositional phrase expressing pursuit; Translation: “after”; Notes: Indicates spatial and narrative sequence—Joseph following his brothers.
  19. fratres — Lemma: frāter; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object of post; Translation: “brothers”; Notes: Identifies those pursued by Joseph.
  20. suos — Lemma: suus, -a, -um; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: modifies fratres; Translation: “his”; Notes: Reflexive possession referring to the subject Ioseph.
  21. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: coordinating conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: connects sequential actions; Translation: “and”; Notes: Simple narrative linkage.
  22. invenit — Lemma: inveniō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular perfect indicative active; Function: main verb of the final clause; Translation: “he found”; Notes: Perfect tense expresses the completed result of Joseph’s pursuit.
  23. eos — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: direct object of invenit; Translation: “them”; Notes: Refers to Joseph’s brothers, the found persons.
  24. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses location; Translation: “in”; Notes: Static preposition marking final resting place of the action.
  25. Dothain — Lemma: Dothain; Part of Speech: proper noun (place); Form: ablative singular (indeclinable); Function: object of in; Translation: “Dothan”; Notes: Repeated place name for narrative closure—where Joseph at last reaches his 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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