Genesis 42:38

Posted on February 11, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 42:38 At ille: Non descendet, inquit, filius meus vobiscum: frater eius mortuus est, et ipse solus remansit: si quid ei adversi acciderit in terra ad quam pergitis, deducetis canos meos cum dolore ad inferos.

But he said: “My son shall not go down with you; his brother is dead, and he alone remains. If any harm should befall him in the land to which you are going, you will bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the underworld.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 At but CONJ
2 ille he NOM.SG.M
3 Non not ADV
4 descendet will go down 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND
5 inquit said 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
6 filius son NOM.SG.M
7 meus my NOM.SG.M
8 vobiscum with you PREP+ABL (CUM+VOBIS)
9 frater brother NOM.SG.M
10 eius his GEN.SG.M
11 mortuus dead NOM.SG.M.PTCP.PERF
12 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
13 et and CONJ
14 ipse he himself NOM.SG.M
15 solus alone NOM.SG.M
16 remansit remains 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
17 si if CONJ
18 quid anything ACC.SG.N
19 ei to him DAT.SG.M
20 adversi harmful GEN.SG.N
21 acciderit should befall 3SG.FUT.PERF.ACT.IND
22 in in PREP+ABL
23 terra land ABL.SG.F
24 ad to PREP+ACC
25 quam which ACC.SG.F (REL.PRON)
26 pergitis you are going 2PL.PRES.ACT.IND
27 deducetis you will bring down 2PL.FUT.ACT.IND
28 canos gray hairs ACC.PL.M
29 meos my ACC.PL.M
30 cum with PREP+ABL
31 dolore grief ABL.SG.M
32 ad to PREP+ACC
33 inferos the underworld ACC.PL.M

Syntax

Main Speech Introduction: At ille … inquit — introduces Jacob’s refusal.
Primary Refusal Clause: Non descendet filius meus vobiscum — “My son shall not go down with you.”
Explanatory Clauses:
• frater eius mortuus est — factual justification.
• et ipse solus remansit — Benjamin as remaining heir.
Conditional Sentence:
• si quid ei adversi acciderit — future more vivid, “if any harm should befall him.”
Apodosis:
• deducetis canos meos cum dolore ad inferos — idiom for bringing a parent to sorrowful death.

Morphology

  1. At — Lemma: at; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: introduces contrast; Translation: “but”; Notes: Used for strong opposition.
  2. ille — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “he”; Notes: Refers to Jacob.
  3. Non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: negation; Translation: “not”; Notes: Strong refusal.
  4. descendet — Lemma: descendo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative 3rd singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “will go down”; Notes: Refers to journey to Egypt.
  5. inquit — Lemma: inquam; Part of Speech: defective verb; Form: present active indicative 3rd singular; Function: parenthetic quotative; Translation: “said”; Notes: Common in direct discourse.
  6. filius — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “son”; Notes: Benjamin.
  7. meus — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: modifies “filius”; Translation: “my”; Notes: Emphasis.
  8. vobiscum — Lemma: cum + vobis; Part of Speech: prepositional compound; Form: with ablative; Function: expresses accompaniment; Translation: “with you”; Notes: Enclitic cum.
  9. frater — Lemma: frater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “brother”; Notes: Joseph.
  10. eius — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: modifier expressing possession; Translation: “his”; Notes: Possessor = Benjamin.
  11. mortuus — Lemma: morior; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular masculine perfect passive participle; Function: predicate adjective; Translation: “dead”; Notes: Stated as fact.
  12. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative 3rd singular; Function: copula; Translation: “is”; Notes: Neutral statement.
  13. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: linking; Function: coordinates clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Smooth progression.
  14. ipse — Lemma: ipse; Part of Speech: intensive pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: emphasizes subject; Translation: “he himself”; Notes: Sole remaining son.
  15. solus — Lemma: solus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: predicate adjective; Translation: “alone”; Notes: Indicates exclusivity.
  16. remansit — Lemma: remaneo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “remained”; Notes: Perfective completion.
  17. si — Lemma: si; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: conditional; Function: protasis; Translation: “if”; Notes: Sets condition.
  18. quid — Lemma: quis; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object; Translation: “anything”; Notes: Indefinite.
  19. ei — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to him”; Notes: Refers to Benjamin.
  20. adversi — Lemma: adversus; Part of Speech: adjective used substantively; Form: genitive singular neuter; Function: modifies implied “something”; Translation: “of harm”; Notes: Negative nuance.
  21. acciderit — Lemma: accido; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future perfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: verb of conditional clause; Translation: “should befall”; Notes: Future more vivid.
  22. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: + ablative; Function: indicates place; Translation: “in”; Notes: Locative.
  23. terra — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of preposition; Translation: “land”; Notes: Destination region.
  24. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: + accusative; Function: direction; Translation: “to”; Notes: Destination.
  25. quam — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of “pergitis”; Translation: “which”; Notes: Refers to “land.”
  26. pergitis — Lemma: pergo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative 2nd plural; Function: verb of relative clause; Translation: “you are going”; Notes: Active motion.
  27. deducetis — Lemma: deduco; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative 2nd plural; Function: apodosis verb; Translation: “you will bring down”; Notes: Metaphorical for causing sorrow.
  28. canos — Lemma: canus; Part of Speech: adjective (substantive); Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object; Translation: “gray hairs”; Notes: Metonymy for old age.
  29. meos — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: modifies “canos”; Translation: “my”; Notes: Intensifies lament.
  30. cum — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: + ablative; Function: accompaniment; Translation: “with”; Notes: Expresses manner.
  31. dolore — Lemma: dolor; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of preposition; Translation: “grief”; Notes: Sorrow of a father.
  32. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: + accusative; Function: direction; Translation: “to”; Notes: Toward destination.
  33. inferos — Lemma: inferi; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object of preposition; Translation: “the underworld”; Notes: Vulgate rendering of Sheol.

 

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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