Genesis 42:19

Posted on February 11, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 42:19 Si pacifici estis, frater vester unus ligetur in carcere: vos autem abite, et ferte frumenta quæ emistis, in domos vestras,

If you are peaceful men, let one of your brothers be bound in the prison; but you—go, and bring the grain which you have bought into your houses,

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Si if CONJ
2 pacifici peaceful NOM.PL.M
3 estis you are 2PL.PRES.ACT.IND
4 frater brother NOM.SG.M
5 vester your NOM.SG.M.POSS
6 unus one NOM.SG.M
7 ligetur let him be bound 3SG.PRES.PASS.SUBJ
8 in in PREP+ABL
9 carcere prison ABL.SG.M
10 vos you NOM.PL.M
11 autem however ADV
12 abite go 2PL.PRES.ACT.IMP
13 et and CONJ
14 ferte bring 2PL.PRES.ACT.IMP
15 frumenta grain ACC.PL.N
16 quæ which ACC.PL.N.REL
17 emistis you bought 2PL.PERF.ACT.IND
18 in into PREP+ACC
19 domos houses ACC.PL.F
20 vestras your ACC.PL.F.POSS

Syntax

Conditional Clause:
• Si pacifici estis — “If you are peaceful men.”
— pacifici predicate adjective.
— estis = indicative, marking a real condition.

Main Jussive Command:
• frater vester unus ligetur — “let one of your brothers be bound.”
— ligetur = passive jussive subjunctive.
— entire phrase = apodosis of condition.

Contrastive Instruction:
• vos autem abite — “but you—go.”
— autem contrasts the one detainee with the others.

Second Imperative:
• ferte frumenta quæ emistis — “bring the grain which you have bought.”
— quæ emistis = relative clause modifying frumenta.

Destination Phrase:
• in domos vestras — “into your houses.”
— accusative after in indicates motion toward.

Morphology

  1. Si — Lemma: si; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces condition; Translation: “if”; Notes: simple conditional marker.
  2. pacifici — Lemma: pacificus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: predicate adjective; Translation: “peaceful”; Notes: character description.
  3. estis — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative second person plural; Function: verb of condition; Translation: “you are”; Notes: real condition.
  4. frater — Lemma: frater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “brother”; Notes: refers to one held as hostage.
  5. vester — Lemma: vester; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: modifies frater; Translation: “your”; Notes: emphasizes group relation.
  6. unus — Lemma: unus; Part of Speech: numeral/adjective; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: restricts the subject; Translation: “one”; Notes: sets the hostage count.
  7. ligetur — Lemma: ligō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present passive subjunctive third person singular; Function: jussive verb; Translation: “let him be bound”; Notes: expresses command with passive voice.
  8. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative (static); Function: locative; Translation: “in”; Notes: indicates location of detention.
  9. carcere — Lemma: carcer; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: complement of in; Translation: “prison”; Notes: place of bondage.
  10. vos — Lemma: vos; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative plural; Function: subject of abite; Translation: “you”; Notes: refers to the remaining brothers.
  11. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: adverb/conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: contrast; Translation: “however”; Notes: distinguishes treatment of group vs. one.
  12. abite — Lemma: abeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active imperative second person plural; Function: command; Translation: “go”; Notes: directs immediate departure.
  13. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: connects commands; Translation: “and”; Notes: simple coordination.
  14. ferte — Lemma: fero; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active imperative second person plural; Function: command; Translation: “bring”; Notes: instruction for provision.
  15. frumenta — Lemma: frumentum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: direct object; Translation: “grain”; Notes: purchased grain.
  16. quæ — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: object of emistis; Translation: “which”; Notes: introduces modifying clause.
  17. emistis — Lemma: emo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative second person plural; Function: verb of relative clause; Translation: “you bought”; Notes: completed purchase action.
  18. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative (motion); Function: indicates direction; Translation: “into”; Notes: expresses movement toward homes.
  19. domos — Lemma: domus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: object of in; Translation: “houses”; Notes: target destination.
  20. vestras — Lemma: vester; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: modifies domos; Translation: “your”; Notes: stresses intended beneficiaries.

 

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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