Genesis 44:28

Posted on February 13, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 44:28 Egressus est unus, et dixistis: Bestia devoravit eum: et hucusque non comparet.

One went out, and you said: “A beast has devoured him”; and until now he does not appear.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Egressus gone out NOM.SG.M.PTCP.PERF.ACT
2 est has 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
3 unus one NOM.SG.M.NUM
4 et and CONJ
5 dixistis you said 2PL.PERF.ACT.IND
6 Bestia a beast NOM.SG.F
7 devoravit devoured 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
8 eum him ACC.SG.M.PRON
9 et and CONJ
10 hucusque until now ADV
11 non not NEG.ADV
12 comparet appears 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND

Syntax

Clause 1: Egressus est unus — “One has gone out.”
• Subject: unus.
• Verb: egressus est (perfect deponent form).

Clause 2: et dixistis — “and you said.”
• Verb: dixistis.
• Introduces a quotation.

Quoted clause: Bestia devoravit eum — “A beast has devoured him.”
• Subject: Bestia.
• Verb: devoravit.
• Object: eum.

Clause 3: et hucusque non comparet — “and until now he does not appear.”
• Adverb hucusque modifies comparet.
• Negation: non.
• Verb: comparet.

Morphology

  1. Egressus — Lemma: egredior; Part of Speech: participle (deponent); Form: nominative singular masculine perfect participle; Function: forms perfect periphrastic with est; Translation: “gone out”; Notes: deponent participle with active meaning.
  2. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present indicative 3rd singular; Function: auxiliary with perfect participle; Translation: “has”; Notes: completes periphrastic perfect.
  3. unus — Lemma: unus; Part of Speech: numeral adjective; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of egressus est; Translation: “one”; Notes: refers to Joseph.
  4. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: connects clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: simple narrative connector.
  5. dixistis — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 2nd plural; Function: introduces reported speech; Translation: “you said”; Notes: summarizing the brothers’ claim.
  6. Bestia — Lemma: bestia; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject of devoravit; Translation: “a beast”; Notes: reference to their fabricated story.
  7. devoravit — Lemma: devoro; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: main verb of quoted clause; Translation: “devoured”; Notes: expresses completed action.
  8. eum — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of devoravit; Translation: “him”; Notes: refers to Joseph.
  9. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: joins the final clause; Translation: “and”; Notes: adds continuation.
  10. hucusque — Lemma: hucusque; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies comparet; Translation: “until now”; Notes: expresses ongoing absence.
  11. non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: negating; Function: negates comparet; Translation: “not”; Notes: denies present appearance.
  12. comparet — Lemma: compareo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative 3rd singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “appears”; Notes: indicates Joseph has not been seen since.

 

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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