Genesis 43:30

Posted on February 12, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 43:30 Festinavitque quia commota fuerant viscera eius super fratre suo, et erumpebant lacrymæ: et introiens cubiculum flevit.

And he hastened, for his inward feelings had been stirred over his brother, and tears were bursting forth; and going into his chamber, he wept.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Festinavitque and he hastened 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 quia because CONJ
3 commota having been stirred NOM.PL.N.PPP
4 fuerant had been 3PL.PLUPERF.ACT.IND
5 viscera inward parts / emotions NOM.PL.N
6 eius his GEN.SG.M
7 super over / concerning PREP+ABL
8 fratre brother ABL.SG.M
9 suo his ABL.SG.M.POSS
10 et and CONJ
11 erumpebant were bursting forth 3PL.IMPFT.ACT.IND
12 lacrymæ tears NOM.PL.F
13 et and CONJ
14 introiens entering NOM.SG.M.PRES.ACT.PTCP
15 cubiculum chamber ACC.SG.N
16 flevit he wept 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND

Syntax

Main clause: Festinavitque — Joseph’s sudden emotional withdrawal.
Causal clause: quia commota fuerant viscera eius super fratre suo — “because his inward feelings had been stirred over his brother.”
— viscera as subject; commota fuerant as pluperfect passive; super fratre suo expresses cause/concern.
Coordinate clause: et erumpebant lacrymæ — tears were already breaking forth.
Participial clause: introiens cubiculum — attendant circumstance.
Main verb: flevit — culmination of Joseph’s emotional reaction.

Morphology

  1. Festinavitque — Lemma: festino; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd singular + enclitic -que; Function: main verb; Translation: “and he hastened”; Notes: urgency due to emotion.
  2. quia — Lemma: quia; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: subordinating; Function: introduces causal clause; Translation: “because”; Notes: common causal marker.
  3. commota — Lemma: commoveo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative plural neuter perfect passive participle; Function: predicate with fuerant; Translation: “having been stirred”; Notes: emotional agitation.
  4. fuerant — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: pluperfect active indicative 3rd plural; Function: auxiliary; Translation: “had been”; Notes: state prior to main action.
  5. viscera — Lemma: viscera; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural neuter; Function: subject; Translation: “inward parts / emotions”; Notes: idiomatic for deep feelings.
  6. eius — Lemma: is/ea/id; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessive; Translation: “his”; Notes: refers to Joseph.
  7. super — Lemma: super; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: with ablative; Function: expresses concern; Translation: “over / concerning”; Notes: emotional cause.
  8. fratre — Lemma: frater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of super; Translation: “brother”; Notes: refers to Benjamin.
  9. suo — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: modifies fratre; Translation: “his”; Notes: reflexive to Joseph.
  10. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links new action; Translation: “and”; Notes: sequential.
  11. erumpebant — Lemma: erumpo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperfect active indicative 3rd plural; Function: main verb; Translation: “were bursting forth”; Notes: vivid, ongoing emotion.
  12. lacrymæ — Lemma: lacrima/lacryma; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural feminine; Function: subject of erumpebant; Translation: “tears”; Notes: older spelling.
  13. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: introduces final clause; Translation: “and”; Notes: narrative link.
  14. introiens — Lemma: introeo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular masculine present active; Function: circumstantial; Translation: “entering”; Notes: describes Joseph’s movement.
  15. cubiculum — Lemma: cubiculum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of participle; Translation: “chamber”; Notes: private space for weeping.
  16. flevit — Lemma: fleo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “he wept”; Notes: emotional climax.

 

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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