Genesis 44:3

Posted on February 13, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 44:3 Et orto mane, dimissi sunt cum asinis suis.

And when morning had arisen, they were sent away with their donkeys.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Et and CONJ
2 orto having arisen ABL.SG.N.PTCP.PERF.ACT
3 mane, morning ABL.SG.N
4 dimissi sent away NOM.PL.M.PTCP.PERF.PASS
5 sunt were 3PL.PRES.ACT.IND
6 cum with PREP+ABL
7 asinis donkeys ABL.PL.F
8 suis. their ABL.PL.F

Syntax

Temporal Ablative Absolute: orto mane — “when morning had arisen,” sets the temporal frame.
Main Clause: dimissi sunt — passive verb phrase “they were sent away.”
Prepositional Phrase: cum asinis suis — accompaniment, “with their donkeys.”

Morphology

  1. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating conjunction; Function: links narrative sequence; Translation: “and”; Notes: introduces a new, connected action.
  2. orto — Lemma: orior; Part of Speech: participle; Form: ablative singular neuter perfect active participle; Function: part of an ablative absolute; Translation: “having arisen”; Notes: describes the appearance of morning.
  3. mane, — Lemma: mane; Part of Speech: noun/adverbial noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: object of ablative absolute; Translation: “morning”; Notes: denotes the time of day.
  4. dimissi — Lemma: dimitto; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative plural masculine perfect passive participle; Function: predicate adjective with “sunt”; Translation: “sent away”; Notes: describes the state of the brothers.
  5. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative third plural; Function: auxiliary in passive periphrasis; Translation: “were”; Notes: forms perfect passive construction.
  6. cum — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces accompaniment; Translation: “with”; Notes: standard preposition expressing association.
  7. asinis — Lemma: asinus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural feminine; Function: object of “cum”; Translation: “donkeys”; Notes: refers to pack animals used for transport.
  8. suis. — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: pronoun/adjective; Form: ablative plural feminine; Function: modifies “asinis”; Translation: “their”; Notes: reflexive to the subject (Joseph’s brothers).

 

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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