Genesis 44:22

Posted on February 13, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 44:22 Suggessimus domino meo: Non potest puer relinquere patrem suum: si enim illum dimiserit, morietur.

We told my lord: ‘The boy is not able to leave his father, for if he leaves him, he will die.’

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Suggessimus we told / we declared 1PL.PERF.ACT.IND
2 domino to the lord DAT.SG.M
3 meo my DAT.SG.M.ADJ
4 Non not NEG.ADV
5 potest is able 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
6 puer boy NOM.SG.M
7 relinquere to leave PRES.ACT.INF
8 patrem father ACC.SG.M
9 suum his own ACC.SG.M.ADJ
10 si if COND.CONJ
11 enim for CONJ.POSTP
12 illum him ACC.SG.M.DEMONSTR
13 dimiserit he leaves / sends away 3SG.FUT.PERF.ACT.IND
14 morietur he will die 3SG.FUT.DEP.IND

Syntax

Reporting clause: Suggessimus domino meo — “We told my lord”. Suggessimus is the main verb; domino meo is the indirect object (human “lord,” i.e., Joseph).

Reported assertion: Non potest puer relinquere patrem suum — “The boy is not able to leave his father.” Subject puer, verb potest with complementary infinitive relinquere, object patrem suum (reflexive to the boy).

Conditional sentence: Protasis si enim illum dimiserit — “for if he leaves him,” with dimiserit in a future-perfect sense; apodosis morietur — “he will die.” The condition underscores the lethal consequence of separation.

Morphology

  1. Suggessimus — Lemma: suggero; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 1st person plural; Function: main verb of the reporting clause; Translation: “we told / we declared”; Notes: perfect tense refers to a completed statement Judah and his brothers made previously to Joseph.
  2. domino — Lemma: dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: indirect object of Suggessimus; Translation: “to the lord”; Notes: human lord (Joseph), so rendered “lord,” not “LORD.”
  3. meo — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: modifies domino; Translation: “my”; Notes: expresses Judah’s humble deference to Joseph as his superior.
  4. Non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: negates the verb potest; Translation: “not”; Notes: creates a strong denial of possibility (“cannot”).
  5. potest — Lemma: possum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative 3rd person singular; Function: main verb governing the infinitive relinquere; Translation: “is able”; Notes: here, with non, indicates moral or practical impossibility.
  6. puer — Lemma: puer; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of potest; Translation: “boy”; Notes: refers to Benjamin as the “boy” central to Judah’s plea.
  7. relinquere — Lemma: relinquo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active infinitive; Function: complementary infinitive with potest; Translation: “to leave”; Notes: indicates the specific action that is declared impossible.
  8. patrem — Lemma: pater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of relinquere; Translation: “father”; Notes: refers to Jacob as the one who cannot be abandoned by the boy.
  9. suum — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: reflexive possessive adjective; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: modifies patrem; Translation: “his own”; Notes: reflexive to the subject puer, emphasizing the personal bond (“his own father”).
  10. si — Lemma: si; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: conditional particle; Function: introduces the protasis of the conditional clause; Translation: “if”; Notes: sets the hypothetical condition upon which the consequence depends.
  11. enim — Lemma: enim; Part of Speech: conjunction / particle; Form: post-positive, indeclinable; Function: explanatory particle strengthening the conditional statement; Translation: “for”; Notes: cannot stand first in its clause, but gives a rationale (“for indeed”).
  12. illum — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of dimiserit; Translation: “him”; Notes: refers again to the boy; demonstrative adds emphasis and clarity.
  13. dimiserit — Lemma: dimitto; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future perfect active indicative 3rd person singular used in a future-more-vivid condition; Function: verb of the protasis introduced by si; Translation: “he leaves / sends away”; Notes: future perfect underscores the certainty and completed nature of the act in relation to the result.
  14. morietur — Lemma: morior; Part of Speech: deponent verb; Form: future indicative 3rd person singular; Function: verb of the apodosis (result clause); Translation: “he will die”; Notes: deponent form with active meaning; expresses the inevitable fatal consequence in Judah’s argument.

 

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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