Genesis 43:31

Posted on February 12, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 43:31 Rursumque lota facie egressus, continuit se, et ait: Ponite panes.

And again, having washed his face, he went out, restrained himself, and said: “Set out the loaves.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Rursumque and again ADV + ENCLITIC
2 lota having washed ABL.SG.F.PPP
3 facie face ABL.SG.F
4 egressus having gone out NOM.SG.M.PPP.DEP
5 continuit he restrained 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
6 se himself ACC.SG.M.REFL
7 et and CONJ
8 ait he said 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
9 Ponite set / place 2PL.PRES.ACT.IMP
10 panes loaves ACC.PL.M

Syntax

Ablative absolute: lota facie — “after washing his face,” marks preparation and emotional recovery.
Main participial action: egressus — Joseph emerges from his chamber.
Main clause: continuit se — middle-like reflexive meaning “he restrained himself,” implying emotional control.
Direct speech: Ponite panes — imperative command initiating the meal.

Morphology

  1. Rursumque — Lemma: rursum + -que; Part of Speech: adverb with enclitic; Form: indeclinable; Function: expresses repetition; Translation: “and again”; Notes: continues emotional sequence.
  2. lota — Lemma: lavo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: ablative singular feminine perfect passive participle; Function: part of ablative absolute; Translation: “having washed”; Notes: action completed before main verb.
  3. facie — Lemma: facies; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of ablative absolute; Translation: “(his) face”; Notes: face washed to conceal weeping.
  4. egressus — Lemma: egredior; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular masculine perfect participle (deponent); Function: describes Joseph’s emergence; Translation: “having gone out”; Notes: deponent with active meaning.
  5. continuit — Lemma: contineo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “he restrained”; Notes: emotional self-control.
  6. se — Lemma: se; Part of Speech: reflexive pronoun; Form: accusative singular; Function: object of continuit; Translation: “himself”; Notes: refers to Joseph.
  7. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links to following speech; Translation: “and”; Notes: narrative continuation.
  8. ait — Lemma: aio; Part of Speech: defective verb; Form: present active indicative 3rd singular; Function: introduces direct command; Translation: “he said”; Notes: quotation marker.
  9. Ponite — Lemma: pono; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active imperative 2nd plural; Function: command; Translation: “set / place”; Notes: directs servants or stewards.
  10. panes — Lemma: panis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: direct object of Ponite; Translation: “loaves”; Notes: refers to the meal.

 

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.