Genesis 43:6

Posted on February 12, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 43:6 Dixit eis Israel: In meam hoc fecistis miseriam, ut indicaretis ei et alium habere vos fratrem.

Israel said to them: “You have brought this misery upon me, by telling him that you also have another brother.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Dixit said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 eis to them DAT.PL
3 Israel Israel NOM.SG
4 In upon PREP+ACC
5 meam my ACC.SG.F
6 hoc this ACC.SG.N
7 fecistis you have done 2PL.PERF.ACT.IND
8 miseriam misery ACC.SG.F
9 ut so that CONJ
10 indicareitis you might reveal 2PL.IMP.SUBJ.ACT
11 ei to him DAT.SG
12 et and CONJ
13 alium another ACC.SG.M
14 habere to have PRES.ACT.INF
15 vos you NOM.PL
16 fratrem brother ACC.SG.M

Syntax

Main Clause:
• Dixit eis Israel — Subject = Israel, Verb = Dixit, Indirect Object = eis.

Accusative + Perfect Verb:
• In meam hoc fecistis miseriam — literally “This you have done into my misery,” expressing lamentation.

Final Clause (Purpose):
• ut indicaretis ei — “so that you might tell him.”
• et alium habere vos fratrem — indirect statement governed by indicareitis.

Morphology

  1. Dixit — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: main verb of narrative clause; Translation: “said”; Notes: Standard historical perfect.
  2. eis — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative plural; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to them”; Notes: Refers to the sons.
  3. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular; Function: subject; Translation: “Israel”; Notes: Jacob’s covenant name.
  4. In — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses hostile direction; Translation: “upon”; Notes: Emotional sense here.
  5. meam — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: modifies “miseriam”; Translation: “my”; Notes: Intensifies lament.
  6. hoc — Lemma: hic; Part of Speech: demonstrative; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of “fecistis”; Translation: “this”; Notes: Points to their action.
  7. fecistis — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 2nd plural; Function: main verb; Translation: “you have done”; Notes: Rebuke in perfect tense.
  8. miseriam — Lemma: miseria; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of “in”; Translation: “misery”; Notes: Emotive vocabulary.
  9. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: introduces purpose clause; Function: final clause marker; Translation: “so that”; Notes: Standard purpose usage.
  10. indicareitis — Lemma: indicare; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperfect active subjunctive 2nd plural; Function: verb of purpose clause; Translation: “you might reveal”; Notes: Subjunctive required by “ut.”
  11. ei — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to him”; Notes: Refers to Joseph.
  12. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links second infinitive clause; Translation: “and”; Notes: Simple connector.
  13. alium — Lemma: alius; Part of Speech: adjective/pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object within indirect statement; Translation: “another”; Notes: Refers to Benjamin.
  14. habere — Lemma: habeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active infinitive; Function: infinitive of indirect statement; Translation: “to have”; Notes: Complements “indicareitis.”
  15. vos — Lemma: vos; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative plural; Function: subject of infinitive; Translation: “you”; Notes: Explicit subject in indirect statement.
  16. fratrem — Lemma: frater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of “habere”; Translation: “brother”; Notes: Points to Benjamin.

 

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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