Genesis 42:27

Posted on February 11, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 42:27 Apertoque unus sacco, ut daret iumento pabulum in diversorio, contemplatus pecuniam in ore sacculi,

And when one opened his sack to give fodder to his beast at the lodging place, he saw the money in the mouth of the small bag,

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Apertoque and having opened PERF.PASS.PTCP.ABL.SG.N + ENCLITIC -QUE
2 unus one NOM.SG.M
3 sacco sack ABL.SG.M
4 ut so that CONJ
5 daret he might give 3SG.IMPF.ACT.SUBJ
6 iumento to the beast DAT.SG.N
7 pabulum fodder ACC.SG.N
8 in in PREP+ABL
9 diversorio lodging place ABL.SG.N
10 contemplatus having seen PERF.DEP.PTCP.NOM.SG.M
11 pecuniam money ACC.SG.F
12 in in PREP+ABL
13 ore mouth ABL.SG.N
14 sacculi of the small bag GEN.SG.M

Syntax

Ablative Absolute: Apertoque sacco — sets circumstances (“and when the sack had been opened”).
Main Agent: unus — “one [of them]” acts as the subject through the participle contemplatus.
Purpose Clause: ut daret iumento pabulum — explains the reason for opening the sack.
• daret is imperfect subjunctive expressing intended action.
• iumento (indirect object) + pabulum (direct object).
Prepositional Phrase: in diversorio — location (“at the lodging place”).
Main Action: contemplatus pecuniam — he “saw the money.”
Additional Prepositional Phrase: in ore sacculi — specifies unexpected location of the money.

Morphology

  1. Apertoque — Lemma: aperio; Part of Speech: participle + enclitic; Form: perfect passive participle ablative singular neuter + -que; Function: ablative absolute; Translation: “and having been opened”; Notes: Refers to the sack, not the subject.
  2. unus — Lemma: unus; Part of Speech: numeral adjective; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: logical subject of participle; Translation: “one”; Notes: One brother acts individually.
  3. sacco — Lemma: saccus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: part of ablative absolute; Translation: “sack”; Notes: Linked syntactically with “aperto.”
  4. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: introduces purpose clause; Function: expresses intention; Translation: “so that”; Notes: Governs subjunctive.
  5. daret — Lemma: do; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperfect active subjunctive 3rd singular; Function: verb of purpose clause; Translation: “he might give”; Notes: Indicates planned action.
  6. iumento — Lemma: iumentum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative singular neuter; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to the beast”; Notes: Generic term for pack animal.
  7. pabulum — Lemma: pabulum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object of “daret”; Translation: “fodder”; Notes: Food for the animal.
  8. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses location; Translation: “in”; Notes: Physical setting.
  9. diversorio — Lemma: diversorium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: object of preposition; Translation: “lodging place”; Notes: Roadside rest-place.
  10. contemplatus — Lemma: contemplor; Part of Speech: deponent participle; Form: perfect deponent participle nominative singular masculine; Function: predicate to subject; Translation: “having seen”; Notes: Deponent: passive form, active meaning.
  11. pecuniam — Lemma: pecunia; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object; Translation: “money”; Notes: Reappearing theme of returned silver.
  12. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: indicates place; Translation: “in”; Notes: Spatial marker.
  13. ore — Lemma: os; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: object of preposition; Translation: “mouth”; Notes: Figurative for opening.
  14. sacculi — Lemma: sacculus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessive; Translation: “of the small bag”; Notes: Distinguishes from the larger “sackus.”

 

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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