Genesis 44:23

Posted on February 13, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 44:23 Et dixisti servis tuis: Nisi venerit frater vester minimus vobiscum, non videbitis amplius faciem meam.

And you said to your servants: ‘Unless your youngest brother comes with you, you will no longer see my face.’

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Et and CONJ
2 dixisti you said 2SG.PERF.ACT.IND
3 servis to the servants DAT.PL.M
4 tuis your DAT.PL.M.ADJ
5 Nisi unless COND.CONJ
6 venerit comes / has come 3SG.FUT.PERF.ACT.IND
7 frater brother NOM.SG.M
8 vester your NOM.SG.M.ADJ
9 minimus youngest NOM.SG.M.ADJ
10 vobiscum with you ABL.PL.2ND+COMIT
11 non not NEG.ADV
12 videbitis you will see 2PL.FUT.ACT.IND
13 amplius any more / any longer ADV.COMP
14 faciem face ACC.SG.F
15 meam my ACC.SG.F.ADJ

Syntax

Main reporting clause: Et dixisti servis tuis — “And you said to your servants.” Subject is implied 2nd person (“you”), verb dixisti, indirect object servis tuis (“to your servants”).
Protasis (condition with nisi): Nisi venerit frater vester minimus vobiscum — “Unless your youngest brother comes with you.” Subject frater vester minimus, verb venerit (future perfect in a future condition), complement vobiscum (ablative of accompaniment).
Apodosis (consequence): non videbitis amplius faciem meam — “you will no longer see my face.” Verb videbitis with negation non and adverb amplius (“any longer”), direct object faciem meam (“my face” = audience in my presence).

Morphology

  1. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating, indeclinable; Function: links this sentence to the previous part of Judah’s speech; Translation: “and”; Notes: simple narrative connector continuing the report.
  2. dixisti — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 2nd person singular; Function: main verb of the reporting clause addressed to Joseph; Translation: “you said”; Notes: perfect tense marking a completed speech act given earlier.
  3. servis — Lemma: servus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative plural masculine; Function: indirect object of dixisti; Translation: “to the servants”; Notes: refers to Joseph’s servants as the recipients of the order.
  4. tuis — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: dative plural masculine; Function: modifies servis; Translation: “your”; Notes: marks the servants as belonging to Joseph and underscores his authority.
  5. Nisi — Lemma: nisi; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: conditional (“if not / unless”); Function: introduces the protasis (negative condition); Translation: “unless”; Notes: sets an exclusive condition that must be fulfilled.
  6. venerit — Lemma: venio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future perfect active indicative 3rd person singular; Function: verb of the protasis introduced by Nisi; Translation: “comes / has come”; Notes: Latin future conditions regularly use the future perfect in the protasis to express a completed future action.
  7. frater — Lemma: frater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of venerit; Translation: “brother”; Notes: refers to Benjamin, the key figure in Joseph’s demand.
  8. vester — Lemma: vester; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: modifies frater; Translation: “your”; Notes: plural possessive, addressed to all the brothers together.
  9. minimus — Lemma: minimus (from parvus); Part of Speech: adjective (superlative); Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: descriptive adjective modifying frater; Translation: “youngest”; Notes: identifies Benjamin specifically as the youngest brother.
  10. vobiscum — Lemma: vos + cum; Part of Speech: pronoun with enclitic; Form: ablative plural with enclitic -cum; Function: ablative of accompaniment; Translation: “with you”; Notes: enclitic cum joins to personal pronouns (mecum, tecum, vobiscum) indicating companionship.
  11. non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: negative, indeclinable; Function: negates the verb videbitis; Translation: “not”; Notes: turns the future statement into a firm prohibition or denial.
  12. videbitis — Lemma: video; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative 2nd person plural; Function: main verb of the apodosis (consequence); Translation: “you will see”; Notes: future tense expressing the certain result if the condition is not met.
  13. amplius — Lemma: amplius (adv. from amplus); Part of Speech: adverb (comparative form); Form: indeclinable; Function: adverb modifying videbitis; Translation: “any more / any longer”; Notes: adds a sense of finality and cessation (“no longer”).
  14. faciem — Lemma: facies; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object of videbitis; Translation: “face”; Notes: idiomatically, “see my face” = “have an audience with me, come before me.”
  15. meam — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: modifies faciem; Translation: “my”; Notes: refers to Joseph’s face, i.e., his presence and favor as ruler.

 

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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