Genesis 44:2

Posted on February 13, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 44:2 Scyphum autem meum argenteum, et pretium quod dedit tritici, pone in ore sacci iunioris. factumque est ita.

But my silver goblet, and the price which he gave for the grain, place in the mouth of the sack of the youngest.” And it was done so.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Scyphum goblet ACC.SG.M
2 autem however CONJ
3 meum my ACC.SG.M
4 argenteum, silver ACC.SG.M
5 et and CONJ
6 pretium price ACC.SG.N
7 quod which ACC.SG.N
8 dedit he gave 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
9 tritici, of grain GEN.SG.N
10 pone place 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP
11 in in PREP+ABL
12 ore mouth ABL.SG.N
13 sacci of the sack GEN.SG.M
14 iunioris. of the youngest GEN.SG.M
15 factumque and done NOM.SG.N + CONJ
16 est it was 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
17 ita. thus ADV

Syntax

Main Imperative Command: pone (verb) + Scyphum meum argenteum (direct object 1) + et pretium quod dedit tritici (direct object 2)
Relative Clause: quod dedit tritici — modifying pretium, stating what price was given
Prepositional Phrase: in ore sacci iunioris — specifies placement location
Independent Narrative Statement: factumque est ita — “and it was done so,” summarizing execution of command

Morphology

  1. Scyphum — Lemma: scyphus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of “pone”; Translation: “goblet”; Notes: Joseph’s personal silver goblet.
  2. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating conjunction; Function: adds narrative emphasis; Translation: “however”; Notes: mild connective without contrastive force.
  3. meum — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: adjective/pronominal; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: modifies “Scyphum”; Translation: “my”; Notes: indicates Joseph’s ownership.
  4. argenteum, — Lemma: argenteus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: describes the goblet; Translation: “silver”; Notes: material adjective.
  5. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating conjunction; Function: joins coordinated objects; Translation: “and”; Notes: links second object phrase.
  6. pretium — Lemma: pretium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object; Translation: “price”; Notes: refers to payment previously made.
  7. quod — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: introduces relative clause modifying “pretium”; Translation: “which”; Notes: neuter agrees with pretium.
  8. dedit — Lemma: do; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative third singular; Function: verb of the relative clause; Translation: “he gave”; Notes: refers to the brothers’ payment.
  9. tritici, — Lemma: triticum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter; Function: genitive of price; Translation: “of grain”; Notes: specifies what the price paid was for.
  10. pone — Lemma: pono; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperative second singular present active; Function: main command; Translation: “place”; Notes: directed to the steward.
  11. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces location phrase; Translation: “in”; Notes: spatial placement meaning.
  12. ore — Lemma: os; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: object of preposition; Translation: “mouth”; Notes: refers to sack opening.
  13. sacci — Lemma: saccus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: genitive complement; Translation: “of the sack”; Notes: specifies which mouth.
  14. iunioris. — Lemma: iunior; Part of Speech: adjective (comparative); Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: modifies “sacci”; Translation: “of the youngest”; Notes: identifies Benjamin.
  15. factumque — Lemma: factum + que; Part of Speech: noun + enclitic conjunction; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: subject of “est”; Translation: “and (the thing) done”; Notes: neuter nominative functioning as a substantive.
  16. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative third singular; Function: copula; Translation: “it was”; Notes: completes periphrastic expression.
  17. ita. — Lemma: ita; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: adverbial; Function: modifies predicate; Translation: “thus”; Notes: confirms obedience to command.

 

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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