Genesis 42:1

Posted on February 11, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 42:1 Audiens autem Iacob quod alimenta venderentur in Ægypto, dixit filiis suis: Quare negligitis?

But when Jacob heard that food was being sold in Egypt, he said to his sons: “Why are you neglecting yourselves?

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Audiens hearing NOM.SG.M.PRES.ACT.PTCP
2 autem however ADV
3 Iacob Jacob NOM.SG.M
4 quod that CONJ
5 alimenta food NOM/ACC.PL.N
6 venderentur were being sold 3PL.IMPF.PASS.SUBJ
7 in in PREP+ABL
8 Ægypto Egypt ABL.SG.F
9 dixit he said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
10 filiis to his sons DAT.PL.M
11 suis his DAT.PL.M.REFL.ADJ
12 Quare why ADV
13 negligitis are you neglecting 2PL.PRES.ACT.IND

Syntax

Participial Frame:
• Audiens autem Iacob — “But Jacob, hearing…”
— Audiens modifies the subject.
— autem marks narrative transition.

Object Clause:
• quod alimenta venderentur in Ægypto — “that food was being sold in Egypt.”
— quod introduces indirect statement.
— alimenta = subject of passive verb.
— venderentur = imperfect passive subjunctive (reported information).
— in Ægypto = location.

Main Clause:
• dixit filiis suis — “he said to his sons.”
— filiis suis = indirect object (reflexive “his”).

Direct Question:
• Quare negligitis? — “Why are you neglecting yourselves?”
— rhetorical rebuke.

Morphology

  1. Audiens — Lemma: audio; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular masculine present active participle; Function: circumstantial modifier; Translation: “hearing”; Notes: introduces a temporal circumstance.
  2. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: marks contrast or transition; Translation: “however”; Notes: narrative connective.
  3. Iacob — Lemma: Iacob; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “Jacob”; Notes: patriarchal figure.
  4. quod — Lemma: quod; Part of Speech: subordinating conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces indirect statement; Translation: “that”; Notes: common in Vulgate syntax.
  5. alimenta — Lemma: alimentum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative/accusative plural neuter; Function: subject of passive verb; Translation: “food”; Notes: refers to grain supplies.
  6. venderentur — Lemma: vendo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperfect passive subjunctive third person plural; Function: verb of indirect statement; Translation: “were being sold”; Notes: subjunctive due to reported speech.
  7. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: indicates location; Translation: “in”; Notes: spatial reference.
  8. Ægypto — Lemma: Ægyptus; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of in; Translation: “Egypt”; Notes: Vulgate orthography preserved.
  9. dixit — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative third person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “he said”; Notes: introduces direct address.
  10. filiis — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative plural masculine; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to (his) sons”; Notes: relational dative.
  11. suis — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: dative plural masculine; Function: modifies filiis; Translation: “his”; Notes: reflexive, refers to Jacob.
  12. Quare — Lemma: quare; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: introduces direct question; Translation: “why”; Notes: expresses rebuke.
  13. negligitis — Lemma: negligo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative second person plural; Function: direct question verb; Translation: “are you neglecting?”; Notes: conveys admonition.

 

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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