Genesis 42:15

Posted on February 11, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 42:15 Iam nunc experimentum vestri capiam: per salutem Pharaonis non egrediemini hinc, donec veniat frater vester minimus.

Now therefore I will take a test of you: by the life of Pharao, you shall not go out from here until your youngest brother comes.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Iam now ADV
2 nunc now ADV
3 experimentum a test ACC.SG.N
4 vestri of you GEN.PL.M
5 capiam I will take 1SG.FUT.ACT.IND
6 per by PREP+ACC
7 salutem the life ACC.SG.F
8 Pharaonis of Pharaoh GEN.SG.M
9 non not ADV
10 egrediemini you will go out 2PL.FUT.DEP.IND
11 hinc from here ADV
12 donec until CONJ
13 veniat comes 3SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
14 frater brother NOM.SG.M
15 vester your NOM.SG.M.POSS
16 minimus youngest NOM.SG.M.SUPERL

Syntax

Opening Temporal/Intensifying Phrase:
• Iam nunc — “Now, at this moment,” intensifies immediacy.

Main Clause:
• experimentum vestri capiam — “I will take a test of you.”
— experimentum is the object.
— vestri = objective genitive (“a test of you”).
— capiam = future, expressing Joseph’s decisive action.

Oath Formula:
• per salutem Pharaonis — “by the life of Pharaoh.”
— strong Egyptian oath formula.
— accusative after per.

Negative Prohibition:
• non egrediemini hinc — “you shall not go out from here.”
— egrediemini is deponent future.

Temporal Clause:
• donec veniat frater vester minimus — “until your youngest brother comes.”
— veniat subjunctive after donec expressing anticipated event.
— frater vester minimus = nominative subject phrase.

Morphology

  1. Iam — Lemma: iam; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: temporal/intensifier; Translation: “now”; Notes: heightens rhetorical force.
  2. nunc — Lemma: nunc; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: temporal marker; Translation: “now”; Notes: emphatic doubling with iam.
  3. experimentum — Lemma: experimentum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object; Translation: “a test / proof”; Notes: test of honesty.
  4. vestri — Lemma: vos; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive plural; Function: objective genitive; Translation: “of you”; Notes: complements experimentum.
  5. capiam — Lemma: capio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative first person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “I will take”; Notes: decisive action by Joseph.
  6. per — Lemma: per; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces oath; Translation: “by”; Notes: ancient oath structure.
  7. salutem — Lemma: salus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of per; Translation: “life”; Notes: “life of Pharaoh.”
  8. Pharaonis — Lemma: Pharao; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: modifies salutem; Translation: “of Pharaoh”; Notes: part of the oath construction.
  9. non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: negates egrediemini; Translation: “not”; Notes: absolute prohibition.
  10. egrediemini — Lemma: egredior; Part of Speech: deponent verb; Form: future indicative second person plural; Function: main verb of prohibition; Translation: “you shall go out”; Notes: deponent with active meaning.
  11. hinc — Lemma: hinc; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: indicates place of departure; Translation: “from here”; Notes: refers to the Egyptian location.
  12. donec — Lemma: donec; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces temporal clause; Translation: “until”; Notes: often takes subjunctive for future action.
  13. veniat — Lemma: venio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active subjunctive third person singular; Function: verb of temporal clause; Translation: “he comes”; Notes: anticipatory/future action.
  14. frater — Lemma: frater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of veniat; Translation: “brother”; Notes: refers to Benjamin.
  15. vester — Lemma: vester; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: modifies frater; Translation: “your”; Notes: marks kinship.
  16. minimus — Lemma: minimus; Part of Speech: adjective (superlative); Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: attribute of frater; Translation: “youngest”; Notes: refers again to Benjamin.

 

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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