Genesis 44:21

Posted on February 13, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 44:21 Dixistique servis tuis: Adducite eum ad me, et ponam oculos meos super illum.

And you said to your servants: ‘Bring him to me, and I will set my eyes upon him.’

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Dixistique and you said 2SG.PERF.ACT.IND + ENCLITIC
2 servis to the servants DAT.PL.M
3 tuis your DAT.PL.M.ADJ
4 Adducite bring 2PL.PRES.ACT.IMP
5 eum him ACC.SG.M.PRON
6 ad to PREP+ACC
7 me me ACC.SG.1ST.PRON
8 et and CONJ
9 ponam I will set / place 1SG.FUT.ACT.IND
10 oculos eyes ACC.PL.M
11 meos my ACC.PL.M.ADJ
12 super upon PREP+ACC
13 illum him ACC.SG.M.PRON

Syntax

Main clause:
• Dixistique servis tuis — “And you said to your servants.”
• Verb: Dixistique
• Indirect object: servis tuis (“to your servants”)

First imperative command:
• Adducite eum ad me — “Bring him to me.”
• Imperative: Adducite
• Direct object: eum
• Goal phrase: ad me

Second coordinated clause (future intention):
• et ponam oculos meos super illum
• Verb: ponam (“I will set”)
• Object: oculos meos
• Prepositional phrase: super illum (“upon him”)
• Meaning: expression of favor, protection, or personal attention.

Morphology

  1. Dixistique — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb with enclitic; Form: perfect active indicative 2nd singular + enclitic -que; Function: main verb meaning “and you said”; Translation: “and you said”; Notes: enclitic -que links this statement to the previous narrative.
  2. servis — Lemma: servus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative plural masculine; Function: indirect object of Dixistique; Translation: “to the servants”; Notes: refers to Joseph’s household staff.
  3. tuis — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: dative plural masculine; Function: modifies servis; Translation: “your”; Notes: clarifies ownership, showing subordination to Joseph.
  4. Adducite — Lemma: adduco; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active imperative 2nd person plural; Function: command given to the servants; Translation: “bring”; Notes: direct authoritative instruction.
  5. eum — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of Adducite; Translation: “him”; Notes: refers to Benjamin.
  6. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses motion toward; Translation: “to”; Notes: completes direction toward Joseph.
  7. me — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: accusative singular; Function: object of the preposition ad; Translation: “me”; Notes: emphasizes that Benjamin must be brought directly to Joseph.
  8. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links the command with Joseph’s following promise; Translation: “and”; Notes: connects imperative and future action.
  9. ponam — Lemma: pono; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative 1st singular; Function: main verb of the second clause; Translation: “I will set / place”; Notes: expresses Joseph’s intention to inspect or favor Benjamin.
  10. oculos — Lemma: oculus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: direct object of ponam; Translation: “eyes”; Notes: idiom meaning to show attention, favor, or scrutiny.
  11. meos — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: modifies oculos; Translation: “my”; Notes: emphasizes Joseph’s personal involvement.
  12. super — Lemma: super; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative here; Function: expresses motion or direction “upon”; Translation: “upon”; Notes: part of a fixed idiom “to set one’s eyes upon.”
  13. illum — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of super; Translation: “him”; Notes: again refers to Benjamin; emphatic demonstrative adds formality.

 

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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