Genesis 43:8

Posted on February 12, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 43:8 Iudas quoque dixit patri suo: Mitte puerum mecum, ut proficiscamur, et possimus vivere: ne moriamur nos et parvuli nostri.

Judas also said to his father: “Send the boy with me, so that we may depart and we may live, lest we die; we and our little ones.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Iudas Judah NOM.SG.M
2 quoque also ADV
3 dixit said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
4 patri to his father DAT.SG.M
5 suo his DAT.SG.M.POSS
6 Mitte send 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP
7 puerum boy ACC.SG.M
8 mecum with me PREP+ABL
9 ut so that CONJ
10 proficiscamur we may depart 1PL.PRES.SUBJ.DEP
11 et and CONJ
12 possimus we may be able 1PL.PRES.SUBJ.ACT
13 vivere to live PRES.ACT.INF
14 ne lest CONJ
15 moriamur we may die 1PL.PRES.SUBJ.DEP
16 nos we NOM.PL.M
17 et and CONJ
18 parvuli little ones NOM.PL.M
19 nostri of ours GEN.PL.M.POSS

Syntax

Main clause: Iudas (Subject) + dixit (Verb) + patri suo (Indirect Object).
Imperative clause: Mitte puerum mecum — command directed to the father.
Purpose clause 1: ut proficiscamur — “so that we may depart.”
Purpose clause 2: et possimus vivere — coordinated with first purpose clause.
Negative clause: ne moriamur — “lest we die.”
Additional Subjects: nos et parvuli nostri — coordinated plural subjects of death.

Morphology

  1. Iudas — Lemma: Iudas; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “Judah”; Notes: personal name.
  2. quoque — Lemma: quoque; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: adverbial; Function: modifies entire clause; Translation: “also”; Notes: adds emphasis of inclusion.
  3. dixit — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “said”; Notes: perfect indicates completed speech.
  4. patri — Lemma: pater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to (his) father”; Notes: governed by verb of speaking.
  5. suo — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: modifies patri; Translation: “his”; Notes: reflexive to subject Iudas.
  6. Mitte — Lemma: mitto; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperative present active 2nd singular; Function: command; Translation: “send”; Notes: direct address to Jacob.
  7. puerum — Lemma: puer; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of Mitte; Translation: “boy”; Notes: refers to Benjamin.
  8. mecum — Lemma: cum + me; Part of Speech: prepositional phrase; Form: ablative singular; Function: complement of motion/association; Translation: “with me”; Notes: enclitic -cum form.
  9. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: subordinating; Function: introduces purpose clause; Translation: “so that”; Notes: requires subjunctive verb.
  10. proficiscamur — Lemma: proficiscor; Part of Speech: deponent verb; Form: present subjunctive 1st plural; Function: verb of purpose; Translation: “we may depart”; Notes: deponent but active meaning.
  11. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: adds a second purpose.
  12. possimus — Lemma: possum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present subjunctive 1st plural; Function: verb of dependent clause; Translation: “we may be able”; Notes: governs infinitive.
  13. vivere — Lemma: vivo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active infinitive; Function: complementary infinitive; Translation: “to live”; Notes: expresses result/goal.
  14. ne — Lemma: ne; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: negative purpose; Function: introduces clause of prevention; Translation: “lest”; Notes: always takes subjunctive.
  15. moriamur — Lemma: morior; Part of Speech: deponent verb; Form: present subjunctive 1st plural; Function: verb of negative clause; Translation: “we may die”; Notes: deponent with active meaning.
  16. nos — Lemma: nos; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative plural; Function: subject of moriamur; Translation: “we”; Notes: emphatic placement.
  17. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links subjects; Translation: “and”; Notes: connects nos and parvuli nostri.
  18. parvuli — Lemma: parvulus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: coordinated subject; Translation: “little ones”; Notes: affectionate term for the children.
  19. nostri — Lemma: noster; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: modifies parvuli; Translation: “of ours”; Notes: shows familial relation.

 

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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