Genesis 44:14

Posted on February 13, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 44:14 Primusque Iudas cum fratribus ingressus est ad Ioseph (necdum enim de loco abierat) omnesque ante eum pariter in terram corruerunt.

And Judas was the first to enter with his brothers to Joseph (for he had not yet departed from the place), and they all together fell to the ground before him.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Primusque and first NOM.SG.M.ADJ + ENCLITIC
2 Iudas Judah NOM.SG.M
3 cum with PREP+ABL
4 fratribus brothers ABL.PL.M
5 ingressus having entered NOM.SG.M.PPP.DEP
6 est was 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
7 ad to PREP+ACC
8 Ioseph Joseph ACC.SG.M
9 necdum not yet ADV
10 enim for CONJ
11 de from PREP+ABL
12 loco place ABL.SG.M
13 abierat he had departed 3SG.PLUPERF.ACT.IND
14 omnesque and all NOM.PL.M + ENCLITIC
15 ante before PREP+ACC
16 eum him ACC.SG.M.PRON
17 pariter together ADV
18 in onto PREP+ACC
19 terram ground ACC.SG.F
20 corruerunt they fell 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND

Syntax

Main clause:
• Primusque Iudas … ingressus est — Judah is the first to enter; ingressus est is a deponent perfect.
• cum fratribus — ablative of accompaniment, “with his brothers.”
• ad Ioseph — goal of motion, “to Joseph.”

Parenthetical clause:
• necdum enim de loco abierat — explanatory, “for he had not yet departed from the place.”
Subject = Joseph (implicit).

Second main clause:
• omnesque … corruerunt — “and they all fell.”
• pariter — “together,” modifying the action.
• ante eum in terram — indicates direction and reverence; falling prostrate before Joseph.

Morphology

  1. Primusque — Lemma: primus; Part of Speech: adjective + enclitic; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: predicate modifying Iudas; Translation: “and first”; Notes: -que connects to following action.
  2. Iudas — Lemma: Iudas; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of ingressus est; Translation: “Judah”; Notes: one of Jacob’s sons.
  3. cum — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: accompaniment; Translation: “with”; Notes: introduces those entering with him.
  4. fratribus — Lemma: frater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: object of cum; Translation: “brothers”; Notes: refers to the other sons of Jacob.
  5. ingressus — Lemma: ingredior; Part of Speech: participle (deponent); Form: nominative singular masculine perfect participle; Function: part of periphrastic perfect (ingressus est); Translation: “having entered”; Notes: deponent with active meaning.
  6. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative 3rd singular; Function: auxiliary; Translation: “was”; Notes: forms the perfect tense with deponent participle.
  7. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: indicates motion toward; Translation: “to”; Notes: standard marker of direction.
  8. Ioseph — Lemma: Ioseph; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of ad; Translation: “Joseph”; Notes: target of the approach.
  9. necdum — Lemma: necdum; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: temporal negation; Translation: “not yet”; Notes: introduces timing restriction.
  10. enim — Lemma: enim; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: post-positive; Function: supplies explanation; Translation: “for”; Notes: cannot stand first in a clause.
  11. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: indicates separation; Translation: “from”; Notes: commonly used for physical departure.
  12. loco — Lemma: locus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of de; Translation: “place”; Notes: the chamber or room where Joseph had been.
  13. abierat — Lemma: abeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: pluperfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: main verb in parenthetical clause; Translation: “he had departed”; Notes: indicates an action not yet completed.
  14. omnesque — Lemma: omnis + -que; Part of Speech: adjective/pronoun + enclitic; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject of corruerunt; Translation: “and all”; Notes: refers to all the brothers collectively.
  15. ante — Lemma: ante; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: spatial relation; Translation: “before”; Notes: indicates subordination before a superior.
  16. eum — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of ante; Translation: “him”; Notes: refers to Joseph.
  17. pariter — Lemma: pariter; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies corruerunt; Translation: “together”; Notes: expresses unanimity of action.
  18. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: motion onto; Translation: “onto / to”; Notes: expresses direction of the fall.
  19. terram — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of in; Translation: “ground”; Notes: indicates prostration.
  20. corruerunt — Lemma: corruo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd plural; Function: main verb of second clause; Translation: “they fell”; Notes: dramatic gesture of honor or supplication.

 

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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