Genesis 37:21

Posted on February 6, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 37:21 Audiens autem hoc Ruben, nitebatur liberare eum de manibus eorum, et dicebat:

But when Ruben heard this, he tried to rescue him from their hands and said:

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Audiens hearing PART.PRES.ACT.NOM.SG.M
2 autem but / however CONJ.ADV
3 hoc this PRON.DEM.ACC.SG.N
4 Ruben Reuben NOUN.NOM.SG.M (proper)
5 nitebatur was striving / trying V.3SG.IMPF.DEP.IND
6 liberare to free V.INF.PRES.ACT
7 eum him PRON.PERS.ACC.SG.M
8 de from / out of PREP+ABL
9 manibus hands NOUN.ABL.PL.F
10 eorum of them / their PRON.PERS.GEN.PL.M
11 et and CONJ
12 dicebat he was saying V.3SG.IMPF.ACT.IND

Syntax

Participial Clause: Audiens autem hoc Ruben — the participle Audiens (present active, nominative masculine singular) introduces a circumstantial clause: “When Reuben heard this.” The participle is temporal and concurrent with the following main action.
Main Clause: nitebatur liberare eum de manibus eorum — finite verb nitebatur (imperfect deponent) expresses continuous effort; liberare (infinitive) complements it as the goal (“to free him”).
Conjunction: et dicebat — introduces subsequent speech with the imperfect indicative to denote ongoing or repeated speech acts.

Morphology

  1. Audiens — Lemma: audiō; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular masculine present active participle; Function: circumstantial participle modifying Ruben; Translation: “hearing”; Notes: Marks temporal or causal circumstance — “when Reuben heard.”
  2. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: adversative conjunction/adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: transitional particle; Translation: “but / however”; Notes: Common narrative connective introducing contrast or continuation.
  3. hoc — Lemma: hic, haec, hoc; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object of Audiens (verbal participle); Translation: “this”; Notes: Refers to the previous murderous proposal of the brothers.
  4. Ruben — Lemma: Ruben; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine (indeclinable in Latinized form); Function: subject of nitebatur and dicebat; Translation: “Reuben”; Notes: The eldest son of Jacob, taking initiative to save Joseph.
  5. nitebatur — Lemma: nītor; Part of Speech: deponent verb; Form: 3rd person singular imperfect indicative deponent; Function: main verb describing Reuben’s attempt; Translation: “he was striving / trying”; Notes: Deponent verb with active meaning; imperfect indicates continuous effort in the past.
  6. liberare — Lemma: līberō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present infinitive active; Function: complementary infinitive to nitebatur; Translation: “to free / to rescue”; Notes: Expresses the goal or purpose of Reuben’s striving.
  7. eum — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of liberare; Translation: “him”; Notes: Refers to Joseph as the intended object of rescue.
  8. de — Lemma: dē; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses source or separation; Translation: “from / out of”; Notes: Used with ablative to indicate deliverance from danger.
  9. manibus — Lemma: manus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural feminine (4th declension); Function: object of de; Translation: “hands”; Notes: Figurative for “power” or “control.”
  10. eorum — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: possessive genitive modifying manibus; Translation: “of them / their”; Notes: Refers to the brothers collectively as possessors of the danger.
  11. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: coordinating conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: connects clauses sequentially; Translation: “and”; Notes: Links the action of attempting rescue with his subsequent speech.
  12. dicebat — Lemma: dīcō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular imperfect indicative active; Function: introduces direct or indirect speech; Translation: “he was saying”; Notes: Imperfect aspect shows repeated or continuous urging — Reuben’s persistent attempt to dissuade them.

 

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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