Genesis 42:7

Posted on February 11, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 42:7 et agnovisset eos, quasi ad alienos durius loquebatur, interrogans eos: Unde venistis? Qui responderunt: De terra Chanaan, ut emamus victui necessaria.

and he recognized them, yet he spoke more harshly to them as though to strangers, questioning them: “From where have you come?” They answered: “From the land of Chanaan, to buy what is necessary for food.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 et and CONJ
2 agnovisset he had recognized 3SG.PLUPERF.ACT.SUBJ
3 eos them ACC.PL.M
4 quasi as though CONJ
5 ad to PREP+ACC
6 alienos strangers ACC.PL.M
7 durius more harshly COMP.ADV
8 loquebatur he was speaking 3SG.IMPF.DEP.IND
9 interrogans asking NOM.SG.M.PRES.ACT.PTCP
10 eos them ACC.PL.M
11 Unde from where ADV.INTRR
12 venistis have you come 2PL.PERF.ACT.IND
13 Qui who NOM.PL.M.REL
14 responderunt they answered 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
15 De from PREP+ABL
16 terra land ABL.SG.F
17 Chanaan Canaan GEN.SG.F
18 ut to CONJ (PURPOSE)
19 emamus we may buy 1PL.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
20 victui for food DAT.SG.M
21 necessaria the things necessary ACC.PL.N

Syntax

Temporal/Causal Clause:
• et agnovisset eos — “and he had recognized them”
— pluperfect subjunctive with implied cum (temporal/causal background).

Comparative/Simulative Expression:
• quasi ad alienos durius loquebatur — “he was speaking more harshly to them as though to strangers.”
— quasi indicates pretended attitude.
— durius comparative adverb modifying loquebatur.
— loquebatur deponent verb.

Supplementary Participle:
• interrogans eos — “asking them.”
— describes Joseph’s manner of speaking.

Direct Question:
• Unde venistis? — “From where have you come?”
— venistis perfect — completed action.

Relative Clause of Reply:
• Qui responderunt — “who answered.”

Reply + Purpose Clause:
• De terra Chanaan, ut emamus victui necessaria
— “From the land of Canaan, to buy what is necessary for food.”
— ut emamus = purpose.
— victui necessaria = idiom “things necessary for sustenance.”

Morphology

  1. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Function: connects clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: narrative continuation.
  2. agnovisset — Lemma: agnosco; Part of Speech: verb; Form: pluperfect active subjunctive third person singular; Function: verb of temporal/causal clause; Translation: “he had recognized”; Notes: describes prior action behind his harsh tone.
  3. eos — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: direct object; Translation: “them”; Notes: Joseph’s brothers.
  4. quasi — Lemma: quasi; Part of Speech: conjunction; Function: introduces comparison; Translation: “as though”; Notes: simulative construction.
  5. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: indicates direction toward persons; Translation: “to”; Notes: used figuratively here.
  6. alienos — Lemma: alienus; Part of Speech: adjective/noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object of ad; Translation: “strangers”; Notes: stressed contrast.
  7. durius — Lemma: durus; Part of Speech: adverb (comparative); Form: comparative; Function: modifies loquebatur; Translation: “more harshly”; Notes: degree comparison.
  8. loquebatur — Lemma: loquor; Part of Speech: verb (deponent); Form: imperfect passive in form, active in meaning, indicative third person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “he was speaking”; Notes: deponent.
  9. interrogans — Lemma: interrogo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular masculine present active participle; Function: supplementary participle; Translation: “asking”; Notes: describes simultaneous action.
  10. eos — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object of participle; Translation: “them”; Notes: repeated for emphasis.
  11. Unde — Lemma: unde; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: introduces direct question; Translation: “from where”; Notes: interrogative.
  12. venistis — Lemma: venio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative second person plural; Function: main verb of question; Translation: “have you come”; Notes: completed arrival.
  13. Qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: introduces relative clause; Translation: “who”; Notes: subject of subordinate clause.
  14. responderunt — Lemma: respondeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative third person plural; Function: main verb; Translation: “they answered”; Notes: reply to Joseph.
  15. De — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: source; Translation: “from”; Notes: geographical origin.
  16. terra — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of de; Translation: “land”; Notes: location.
  17. Chanaan — Lemma: Chanaan; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: genitive of place; Translation: “of Canaan”; Notes: region of origin.
  18. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces purpose clause; Translation: “to”; Notes: governs subjunctive.
  19. emamus — Lemma: emo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active subjunctive first person plural; Function: purpose verb; Translation: “we may buy”; Notes: intended action.
  20. victui — Lemma: victus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: dative of purpose; Translation: “for food”; Notes: sustenance.
  21. necessaria — Lemma: necessarius; Part of Speech: adjective used substantively; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: direct object; Translation: “the things necessary”; Notes: refers to grain provisions.

 

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.