Genesis 37:26

Posted on February 6, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 37:26 Dixit ergo Iudas fratribus suis: Quid nobis prodest si occiderimus fratrem nostrum, et celaverimus sanguinem ipsius?

Then Judas said to his brothers: “What does it profit us if we kill our brother and conceal his blood?

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Dixit said V.3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 ergo therefore / then CONJ.ADV
3 Iudas Judah NOUN.NOM.SG.M (proper)
4 fratribus to (his) brothers NOUN.DAT.PL.M
5 suis his ADJ.POSS.DAT.PL.M
6 Quid what PRON.INTER.NOM/ACC.SG.N
7 nobis to us PRON.PERS.DAT.PL
8 prodest profits / benefits V.3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
9 si if CONJ.SUBORD
10 occiderimus we kill V.1PL.FUTPERF.ACT.IND
11 fratrem brother NOUN.ACC.SG.M
12 nostrum our ADJ.POSS.ACC.SG.M
13 et and CONJ
14 celaverimus we conceal V.1PL.FUTPERF.ACT.IND
15 sanguinem blood NOUN.ACC.SG.M
16 ipsius his PRON.POSS.GEN.SG.M

Syntax

Main clause: Dixit ergo Iudas fratribus suis — the main narrative action introducing direct speech. The verb Dixit (perfect) expresses completed speech action, with Iudas as subject and fratribus suis as indirect object (“to his brothers”).

Interrogative clause: Quid nobis prodest si occiderimus fratrem nostrum et celaverimus sanguinem ipsius — indirect question introduced by Quid (“what”) as subject of prodest (“does it profit”). The two subordinate clauses joined by et form a conditional sequence dependent on si (“if”). Both verbs occiderimus and celaverimus are future perfect, expressing hypothetical future actions preceding the implied consequence of profitlessness.

Morphology

  1. Dixit — Lemma: dīcō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular perfect indicative active; Function: main verb of narration; Translation: “said”; Notes: Perfect tense denotes completed action introducing direct discourse.
  2. ergo — Lemma: ergō; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: inferential particle; Translation: “therefore / then”; Notes: Connects Judah’s reasoning to previous events.
  3. Iudas — Lemma: Iūdas; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of Dixit; Translation: “Judah”; Notes: One of Jacob’s sons, speaker and initiator of pragmatic reasoning.
  4. fratribus — Lemma: frāter; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative plural masculine; Function: indirect object of Dixit; Translation: “to (his) brothers”; Notes: Recipient of speech.
  5. suis — Lemma: suus, -a, -um; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: dative plural masculine; Function: modifies fratribus; Translation: “his”; Notes: Reflexive adjective referring back to Judah as subject.
  6. Quid — Lemma: quis, quid; Part of Speech: interrogative pronoun; Form: nominative/accusative singular neuter; Function: subject of prodest; Translation: “what”; Notes: Introduces the rhetorical question implying futility.
  7. nobis — Lemma: nōs; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: dative plural; Function: dative of advantage (“for us”); Translation: “to us / for us”; Notes: Marks the beneficiaries of hypothetical profit.
  8. prodest — Lemma: prōsum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular present indicative active; Function: main verb of interrogative clause; Translation: “it profits / it benefits”; Notes: Compound of pro + sum; impersonal use meaning “what good is it to us.”
  9. si — Lemma: sī; Part of Speech: subordinating conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces conditional clause; Translation: “if”; Notes: Marks hypothetical situation whose outcome is doubted.
  10. occiderimus — Lemma: occīdō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 1st person plural future perfect indicative active; Function: verb in first conditional clause; Translation: “we kill / have killed”; Notes: Future perfect expresses a completed future act preceding another (profit consideration).
  11. fratrem — Lemma: frāter; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of occiderimus; Translation: “brother”; Notes: Refers to Joseph, the intended victim.
  12. nostrum — Lemma: noster, -tra, -trum; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: modifies fratrem; Translation: “our”; Notes: Emphasizes familial relationship—heightens guilt implied in the question.
  13. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: coordinating conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: connects two conditional verbs (occiderimus and celaverimus); Translation: “and”; Notes: Simple coordination linking parallel hypothetical actions.
  14. celaverimus — Lemma: celō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 1st person plural future perfect indicative active; Function: verb of second conditional clause; Translation: “we conceal / hide”; Notes: Future perfect parallels occiderimus, indicating sequence of concealment after killing.
  15. sanguinem — Lemma: sanguis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of celaverimus; Translation: “blood”; Notes: Figurative for guilt or evidence of the crime.
  16. ipsius — Lemma: ipse, ipsa, ipsum; Part of Speech: intensive pronoun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessive genitive modifying sanguinem; Translation: “his (very own)”; Notes: Adds emphasis to the gravity of the act by stressing the victim’s identity.

 

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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