Genesis 43:4

Posted on February 12, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 43:4 Si ergo vis eum mittere nobiscum, pergemus pariter, et ememus tibi necessaria:

If therefore you are willing to send him with us, we will go together and we will buy the things you need;

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Si if CONJ
2 ergo therefore ADV
3 vis you wish 2SG.PRES.ACT.IND
4 eum him ACC.SG.M
5 mittere to send PRES.ACT.INF
6 nobiscum with us PREP+ABL (CUM + NOBIS)
7 pergemus we shall go 1PL.FUT.ACT.IND
8 pariter together ADV
9 et and CONJ
10 ememus we shall buy 1PL.FUT.ACT.IND
11 tibi for you DAT.SG
12 necessaria the things needed ACC.PL.N

Syntax

Conditional Protasis:
• Si ergo vis eum mittere nobiscum — “If therefore you are willing to send him with us.”
– vis governs the infinitive mittere.
– nobiscum expresses accompaniment.

Apodosis:
• pergemus pariter — future action contingent on the condition.
• et ememus tibi necessaria — coordinated future, expressing promised benefit.

Morphology

  1. Si — Lemma: si; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: conditional; Function: introduces protasis; Translation: “if”; Notes: Opens future more vivid condition.
  2. ergo — Lemma: ergo; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: inferential marker; Translation: “therefore”; Notes: Links to prior reasoning.
  3. vis — Lemma: volo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative 2nd singular; Function: main verb of protasis; Translation: “you wish”; Notes: Governs infinitive.
  4. eum — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of “mittere”; Translation: “him”; Notes: Refers to Benjamin.
  5. mittere — Lemma: mitto; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active infinitive; Function: complement of “vis”; Translation: “to send”; Notes: Standard infinitive construction.
  6. nobiscum — Lemma: cum + nobis; Part of Speech: prepositional compound; Form: with ablative; Function: accompaniment; Translation: “with us”; Notes: Enclitic cum.
  7. pergemus — Lemma: pergo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative 1st plural; Function: verb of apodosis; Translation: “we shall go”; Notes: Future more vivid.
  8. pariter — Lemma: pariter; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies “pergemus”; Translation: “together”; Notes: Unity emphasized.
  9. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links verbs; Translation: “and”; Notes: Simple connector.
  10. ememus — Lemma: emo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative 1st plural; Function: second verb of apodosis; Translation: “we shall buy”; Notes: Commercial promise.
  11. tibi — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular; Function: indirect object; Translation: “for you”; Notes: Benefactive function.
  12. necessaria — Lemma: necessarius; Part of Speech: adjective used substantively; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: direct object; Translation: “the things needed”; Notes: Supplies required for survival.

 

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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