Genesis 42:10

Posted on February 11, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 42:10 Qui dixerunt: Non est ita, domine, sed servi tui venerunt ut emerent cibos.

But they said: “It is not so, lord; but your servants have come to buy food.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Qui who NOM.PL.M.REL
2 dixerunt they said 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
3 Non not ADV
4 est it is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
5 ita so / thus ADV
6 domine lord VOC.SG.M
7 sed but CONJ
8 servi servants NOM.PL.M
9 tui your NOM.PL.M.POSS
10 venerunt they have come 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
11 ut to / in order that CONJ
12 emerent they might buy 3PL.IMPF.ACT.SUBJ
13 cibos food ACC.PL.M

Syntax

Relative Clause as Subject Frame:
• Qui dixerunt — “Who said…”
— Qui refers to Joseph’s brothers.
— dixerunt introduces their reply.

Direct Speech Begins:
• Non est ita, domine — “It is not so, lord.”
— domine is vocative, addressing Joseph.

Contrastive Statement:
• sed servi tui venerunt — “but your servants have come…”
— servi tui as emphatic self-designation of humility.

Purpose Clause:
• ut emerent cibos — “to buy food.”
— emerent subjunctive expresses intended purpose.

Morphology

  1. Qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject of the clause; Translation: “who”; Notes: refers to Joseph’s brothers.
  2. dixerunt — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative third person plural; Function: main verb of speaking; Translation: “they said”; Notes: marks completed speech.
  3. Non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: negates verb; Translation: “not”; Notes: basic negation.
  4. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative third person singular; Function: main verb of clause; Translation: “is”; Notes: copular use.
  5. ita — Lemma: ita; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: adverbial predicate; Translation: “so / thus”; Notes: denies Joseph’s accusation.
  6. domine — Lemma: dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: vocative singular masculine; Function: address to Joseph; Translation: “lord”; Notes: polite title, not referring to YHWH.
  7. sed — Lemma: sed; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces contrast; Translation: “but”; Notes: counters accusation.
  8. servi — Lemma: servus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject of venerunt; Translation: “servants”; Notes: humble self-designation.
  9. tui — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: modifies servi; Translation: “your”; Notes: emphasizes subservience.
  10. venerunt — Lemma: venio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative third person plural; Function: main verb; Translation: “they have come”; Notes: completed arrival.
  11. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces purpose clause; Translation: “to / in order that”; Notes: standard final usage.
  12. emerent — Lemma: emo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperfect active subjunctive third person plural; Function: verb of purpose clause; Translation: “they might buy”; Notes: imperfect subjunctive expresses intended action.
  13. cibos — Lemma: cibus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: direct object; Translation: “food”; Notes: object of buying.

 

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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