Genesis 42:30

Posted on February 11, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 42:30 Locutus est nobis dominus terræ dure, et putavit nos exploratores esse provinciæ.

“The lord of the land spoke harshly to us, and he thought that we were spies of the province.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Locutus having spoken PERF.DEP.PTCP.NOM.SG.M
2 est is / has 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND (AUX)
3 nobis to us DAT.PL
4 dominus lord NOM.SG.M
5 terræ of the land GEN.SG.F
6 dure harshly ADV
7 et and CONJ
8 putavit he thought 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
9 nos us ACC.PL
10 exploratores explorers / spies ACC.PL.M
11 esse to be PRES.ACT.INF
12 provinciæ of the province GEN.SG.F

Syntax

Main Clause 1: Locutus est nobis dominus terrae — “the lord of the land spoke to us.”
• Locutus est forms perfect deponent (“has spoken”).
• nobis = indirect object.
• dominus terrae = subject + genitive of possession.

Modifier: dure — adverb modifying the verbal idea (“harshly”).

Main Clause 2: putavit nos exploratores esse provinciae — indirect statement.
• putavit introduces the accusative + infinitive construction.
• nos = subject of infinitive.
• exploratores esse = infinitive phrase “to be explorers.”
• provinciae = genitive modifying “exploratores.”

Morphology

  1. Locutus — Lemma: loquor; Part of Speech: deponent participle; Form: perfect deponent participle nominative singular masculine; Function: predicate with “est”; Translation: “having spoken”; Notes: Deponent verb with active meaning.
  2. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative 3rd singular; Function: auxiliary forming perfect; Translation: “is / has”; Notes: Required for perfect deponent construction.
  3. nobis — Lemma: nos; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative plural; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to us”; Notes: Receivers of the speech.
  4. dominus — Lemma: dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “lord”; Notes: Refers to the ruler of the land.
  5. terræ — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: possessive genitive; Translation: “of the land”; Notes: Specifies dominion or jurisdiction.
  6. dure — Lemma: durus; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: adverbial form; Function: modifies verbal idea; Translation: “harshly”; Notes: Describes tone of speech.
  7. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Neutral connector.
  8. putavit — Lemma: puto; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: main verb introducing indirect statement; Translation: “he thought”; Notes: Cognitive verb.
  9. nos — Lemma: nos; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative plural; Function: subject of infinitive; Translation: “us”; Notes: Standard accusative + infinitive construction.
  10. exploratores — Lemma: explorator; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: predicate accusative; Translation: “explorers”; Notes: Term for scouts or spies.
  11. esse — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active infinitive; Function: infinitive complement; Translation: “to be”; Notes: Required by indirect discourse.
  12. provinciæ — Lemma: provincia; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: genitive of possession or relation; Translation: “of the province”; Notes: Specifies the region supposedly being explored.

 

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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