Genesis 43:5

Posted on February 12, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 43:5 sin autem non vis, non ibimus: vir enim, ut sæpe diximus, denunciavit nobis, dicens: Non videbitis faciem meam absque fratre vestro minimo.

but if you are not willing, we will not go; for the man, as we have often said, warned us, saying: ‘You shall not see my face without your youngest brother.’”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 sin but if CONJ
2 autem however ADV
3 non not ADV
4 vis you wish 2SG.PRES.ACT.IND
5 non not ADV
6 ibimus we will go 1PL.FUT.ACT.IND
7 vir man NOM.SG.M
8 enim for ADV
9 ut as CONJ
10 sæpe often ADV
11 diximus we have said 1PL.PERF.ACT.IND
12 denunciavit warned 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
13 nobis to us DAT.PL
14 dicens saying NOM.SG.M.PRES.ACT.PTCP
15 Non not ADV
16 videbitis you will see 2PL.FUT.ACT.IND
17 faciem face ACC.SG.F
18 meam my ACC.SG.F
19 absque without PREP+ABL
20 fratre brother ABL.SG.M
21 vestro your ABL.SG.M
22 minimo youngest ABL.SG.M

Syntax

Conditional Protasis:
• sin autem non vis — “but if however you are not willing.”
– sin = “but if,” used in contrast to the previous condition.
– vis governs an implied infinitive (sc. “mittere”).

Apodosis:
• non ibimus — clear refusal based on the father’s unwillingness.

Explanatory Clause:
• vir enim … denunciavit nobis — justification for their refusal to travel.

Parenthetical Reminder:
• ut sæpe diximus — rhetorical reinforcement.

Participle introducing the quotation:
• dicens — introduces the explicit warning.

Quoted Prohibition:
• Non videbitis faciem meam — standard idiom for “you shall not have audience with me.”

Prepositional Condition:
• absque fratre vestro minimo — requirement for seeing Joseph again.

Morphology

  1. sin — Lemma: sin; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: conditional-adversative; Function: introduces contrasting condition; Translation: “but if”; Notes: Rare and emphatic.
  2. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: adds nuance to contrast; Translation: “however”; Notes: Postpositive.
  3. non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: negates verb; Translation: “not”; Notes: Simple negation.
  4. vis — Lemma: volo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative 2nd singular; Function: main verb of protasis; Translation: “you wish”; Notes: Governs an implied infinitive.
  5. non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: negates “ibimus”; Translation: “not”; Notes: Repeated for emphasis.
  6. ibimus — Lemma: eo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative 1st plural; Function: verb of apodosis; Translation: “we will go”; Notes: Indicates certainty.
  7. vir — Lemma: vir; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “man”; Notes: Refers to Joseph.
  8. enim — Lemma: enim; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: postpositive; Function: introduces justification; Translation: “for”; Notes: Logical connective.
  9. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: comparative; Function: introduces comparison; Translation: “as”; Notes: Compares with prior statements.
  10. sæpe — Lemma: saepe; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies “diximus”; Translation: “often”; Notes: Repetition stressed.
  11. diximus — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 1st plural; Function: parenthetical reminder; Translation: “we have said”; Notes: Refers to repeated explanations.
  12. denunciavit — Lemma: denuntio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: introduces content of warning; Translation: “warned”; Notes: Strong, legal nuance.
  13. nobis — Lemma: nos; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative plural; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to us”; Notes: Recipients of the warning.
  14. dicens — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular masculine present active participle; Function: introduces quoted speech; Translation: “saying”; Notes: Participial transition.
  15. Non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: negation; Translation: “not”; Notes: Begins prohibition.
  16. videbitis — Lemma: video; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative 2nd plural; Function: main verb of quote; Translation: “you will see”; Notes: Certainty of refusal.
  17. faciem — Lemma: facies; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object; Translation: “face”; Notes: Means “presence.”
  18. meam — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: modifies “faciem”; Translation: “my”; Notes: First-person speaker = Joseph.
  19. absque — Lemma: absque; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: + ablative; Function: expresses exclusion; Translation: “without”; Notes: Stronger than “sine.”
  20. fratre — Lemma: frater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of “absque”; Translation: “brother”; Notes: Benjamin.
  21. vestro — Lemma: vester; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: modifies “fratre”; Translation: “your”; Notes: Plural possessors.
  22. minimo — Lemma: minimus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: modifies “fratre”; Translation: “youngest”; Notes: Identifies Benjamin specifically.

 

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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