Genesis 43:10

Posted on February 12, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 43:10 Si non intercessisset dilatio, iam vice alter venissemus.

If the delay had not intervened, by now we would have come a second time.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Si if CONJ
2 non not ADV
3 intercessisset had intervened 3SG.PLUPERF.ACT.SUBJ
4 dilatio delay NOM.SG.F
5 iam already / by now ADV
6 vice time / occasion ABL.SG.F
7 alter second / another NOM.SG.M
8 venissemus we would have come 1PL.PLUPERF.ACT.SUBJ

Syntax

Conditional clause: Si non intercessisset dilatio — Protasis with pluperfect subjunctive expressing an unreal past condition.
Main clause (apodosis): iam vice alter venissemus — “by now we would have come a second time,” using pluperfect subjunctive for contrary-to-fact past result.
Phrase: vice alter — ablative of time/occasion with predicate adjective alter, functioning adverbially (“a second time”).
Adverb: iam — emphasizes lateness of situation.

Morphology

  1. Si — Lemma: si; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: conditional; Function: introduces protasis; Translation: “if”; Notes: standard marker for conditional statements.
  2. non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: negative; Function: negates verb; Translation: “not”; Notes: modifies intercessisset.
  3. intercessisset — Lemma: intercedo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: pluperfect active subjunctive 3rd singular; Function: main verb of protasis; Translation: “had intervened”; Notes: used for unreal past condition.
  4. dilatio — Lemma: dilatio; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject of intercessisset; Translation: “delay”; Notes: personified as actor intervening.
  5. iam — Lemma: iam; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: adverbial; Function: modifies entire apodosis; Translation: “by now / already”; Notes: emphasizes temporal completion.
  6. vice — Lemma: vicis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: ablative of occasion; Translation: “time / occasion”; Notes: forms idiom “vice alter.”
  7. alter — Lemma: alter; Part of Speech: adjective/pronominal adjective; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: modifies implied subject; Translation: “second”; Notes: with vice gives sense “a second time.”
  8. venissemus — Lemma: venio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: pluperfect active subjunctive 1st plural; Function: main verb of apodosis; Translation: “we would have come”; Notes: expresses unreal past consequence.

 

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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