Genesis 42:33

Posted on February 11, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 42:33 Qui ait nobis: Sic probabo quod pacifici sitis: Fratrem vestrum unum dimittite apud me, et cibaria domibus vestris necessaria sumite, et abite,

He said to us: ‘Thus shall I test that you are peaceful: leave one of your brothers with me, and take the food necessary for your houses, and go,

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Qui who NOM.SG.M (REL.PRON)
2 ait said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
3 nobis to us DAT.PL
4 Sic thus ADV
5 probabo I shall test 1SG.FUT.ACT.IND
6 quod that CONJ
7 pacifici peaceful NOM.PL.M
8 sitis you are 2PL.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
9 Fratrem brother ACC.SG.M
10 vestrum your ACC.SG.M
11 unum one ACC.SG.M
12 dimittite leave 2PL.PRES.ACT.IMPER
13 apud with PREP+ACC
14 me me ACC.SG
15 et and CONJ
16 cibaria food ACC.PL.N
17 domibus for your houses DAT.PL.F
18 vestris your DAT.PL.F
19 necessaria necessary ACC.PL.N
20 sumite take 2PL.PRES.ACT.IMPER
21 et and CONJ
22 abite depart 2PL.PRES.ACT.IMPER

Syntax

Relative Clause: Qui ait nobis — identifies the speaker (the lord of the land).
Quoted Command: Sic probabo quod pacifici sitis — “Thus I shall test that you are peaceful.”
• quod pacifici sitis = object clause dependent on probabo.
Imperative Chain:
• Fratrem vestrum unum dimittite apud me — first instruction.
• cibaria domibus vestris necessaria sumite — second instruction.
• et abite — concluding command, “and go.”
Dative Phrase: domibus vestris — expresses for whom the food is intended.

Morphology

  1. Qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of “ait”; Translation: “who”; Notes: Refers to the lord of the land.
  2. ait — Lemma: aio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: main verb of relative clause; Translation: “said”; Notes: Perfect used as historical perfect.
  3. nobis — Lemma: nos; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative plural; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to us”; Notes: Recipients of speech.
  4. Sic — Lemma: sic; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies “probabo”; Translation: “thus”; Notes: Indicates manner.
  5. probabo — Lemma: probo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative 1st singular; Function: main verb of quoted speech; Translation: “I shall test”; Notes: Expresses forthcoming action.
  6. quod — Lemma: quod; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces object clause; Translation: “that”; Notes: Not relative here.
  7. pacifici — Lemma: pacificus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: predicate adjective; Translation: “peaceful”; Notes: Refers to “you.”
  8. sitis — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active subjunctive 2nd plural; Function: verb of object clause; Translation: “you are”; Notes: Subjunctive in object clause after verb of testing.
  9. Fratrem — Lemma: frater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of “dimittite”; Translation: “brother”; Notes: One among the twelve.
  10. vestrum — Lemma: vester; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: modifies “fratrem”; Translation: “your”; Notes: Belonging to the group.
  11. unum — Lemma: unus; Part of Speech: numeral adjective; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: modifies “fratrem vestrum”; Translation: “one”; Notes: Specifies the particular brother.
  12. dimittite — Lemma: dimitto; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active imperative 2nd plural; Function: command; Translation: “leave”; Notes: First imperative in sequence.
  13. apud — Lemma: apud; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses proximity/placement; Translation: “with”; Notes: Often used for “in the presence of.”
  14. me — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular; Function: object of preposition; Translation: “me”; Notes: Refers to the ruler.
  15. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links imperatives; Translation: “and”; Notes: Neutral connector.
  16. cibaria — Lemma: cibaria; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: direct object of “sumite”; Translation: “food”; Notes: Provision for the journey/home.
  17. domibus — Lemma: domus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative plural feminine; Function: indirect object; Translation: “for the houses”; Notes: Dative of advantage.
  18. vestris — Lemma: vester; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: dative plural feminine; Function: modifies “domibus”; Translation: “your”; Notes: Shows ownership.
  19. necessaria — Lemma: necessarius; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: modifies “cibaria”; Translation: “necessary”; Notes: Essential provisions.
  20. sumite — Lemma: sumo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active imperative 2nd plural; Function: command; Translation: “take”; Notes: Second imperative.
  21. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links final command; Translation: “and”; Notes: Connects last instruction.
  22. abite — Lemma: abeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active imperative 2nd plural; Function: final command; Translation: “depart”; Notes: Concludes instruction set.

 

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.
This entry was posted in Genesis. Bookmark the permalink.

Comments are closed.