Genesis 42:13

Posted on February 11, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 42:13 At illi: Duodecim, inquiunt, servi tui, fratres sumus, filii viri unius in terra Chanaan: minimus cum patre nostro est, alius non est super.

But they: “Twelve,” they say, “your servants, we are brothers, the sons of one man in the land of Chanaan; the youngest is with our father, another is no longer alive.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 At but CONJ
2 illi they NOM.PL.M.DEM
3 Duodecim twelve NUM.INDECL
4 inquiunt they say 3PL.PRES.ACT.IND
5 servi servants NOM.PL.M
6 tui your NOM.PL.M.POSS
7 fratres brothers NOM.PL.M
8 sumus we are 1PL.PRES.ACT.IND
9 filii sons NOM.PL.M
10 viri of a man GEN.SG.M
11 unius of one GEN.SG.M
12 in in PREP+ABL
13 terra land ABL.SG.F
14 Chanaan Canaan GEN.SG.F
15 minimus the youngest NOM.SG.M.SUPERL
16 cum with PREP+ABL
17 patre father ABL.SG.M
18 nostro our ABL.SG.M.POSS
19 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
20 alius another NOM.SG.M
21 non not ADV
22 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
23 super any more / still ADV

Syntax

Opening Contrast:
• At illi — “But they…”
— shifts to the brothers’ defense.

Enumerative Claim:
• Duodecim inquiunt — “Twelve, they say…”
— inquiunt acts as a parenthetical reporting verb.

Identity Declaration:
• servi tui, fratres sumus — “your servants, we are brothers.”
— two parallel nominatives emphasizing humility and kinship.

Genealogical Statement:
• filii viri unius in terra Chanaan
— “sons of one man in the land of Canaan.”

Status of Youngest Sibling:
• minimus cum patre nostro est
— “the youngest is with our father.”

Status of Missing Brother:
• alius non est super
— “another is no longer (alive / present).”
— idiomatically “is no more.”

Morphology

  1. At — Lemma: at; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces contrast; Translation: “but”; Notes: stronger than et.
  2. illi — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “they”; Notes: Joseph’s brothers.
  3. Duodecim — Lemma: duodecim; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: indeclinable; Function: predicate numeral; Translation: “twelve”; Notes: refers to number of brothers.
  4. inquiunt — Lemma: inquiō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative third person plural; Function: reporting verb; Translation: “they say”; Notes: often used parenthetically.
  5. servi — Lemma: servus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject complement; Translation: “servants”; Notes: expression of humility.
  6. tui — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: modifies servi; Translation: “your”; Notes: deferential.
  7. fratres — Lemma: frater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject complement; Translation: “brothers”; Notes: assertion of kinship.
  8. sumus — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative first person plural; Function: main verb; Translation: “we are”; Notes: identity marker.
  9. filii — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject complement; Translation: “sons”; Notes: emphasizes shared origin.
  10. viri — Lemma: vir; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: dependent genitive; Translation: “of a man”; Notes: refers to Jacob.
  11. unius — Lemma: unus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: modifies viri; Translation: “of one”; Notes: stresses single parentage.
  12. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: locative; Translation: “in”; Notes: geographic setting.
  13. terra — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of in; Translation: “land”; Notes: location.
  14. Chanaan — Lemma: Chanaan; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: specifying the land; Translation: “of Canaan”; Notes: biblical homeland.
  15. minimus — Lemma: minimus; Part of Speech: adjective (superlative); Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “the youngest”; Notes: refers to Benjamin.
  16. cum — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: accompaniment; Translation: “with”; Notes: physical association.
  17. patre — Lemma: pater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of cum; Translation: “father”; Notes: Jacob.
  18. nostro — Lemma: noster; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: modifies patre; Translation: “our”; Notes: family relation.
  19. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative third person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “is”; Notes: expresses location.
  20. alius — Lemma: alius; Part of Speech: pronoun/adjective; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “another”; Notes: refers to Joseph (believed dead).
  21. non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: negation; Translation: “not”; Notes: negates est.
  22. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative third person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “is”; Notes: predicate existence.
  23. super — Lemma: super; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: idiomatic modifier meaning “any more”; Translation: “any longer / still”; Notes: euphemism for presumed death.

 

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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