Genesis 44:32

Posted on February 13, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 44:32 Ego proprie servus tuus sim qui in meam hunc recepi fidem, et spopondi dicens: Nisi reduxero eum, peccati reus ero in patrem meum omni tempore.

I myself shall be your servant, who took this one into my charge, and pledged myself saying: If I do not bring him back, I shall be guilty of sin to my father for all time.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Ego I NOM.SG.M.PRON
2 proprie indeed / truly ADV
3 servus servant NOM.SG.M
4 tuus your NOM.SG.M.POSS
5 sim may I be 1SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
6 qui who NOM.SG.M.REL.PRON
7 in into PREP+ACC
8 meam my ACC.SG.F.POSS
9 hunc this one ACC.SG.M.DEM
10 recepi I received 1SG.PERF.ACT.IND
11 fidem trust / charge ACC.SG.F
12 et and CONJ
13 spopondi I pledged 1SG.PERF.ACT.IND
14 dicens saying NOM.SG.M.PRES.ACT.PTCP
15 Nisi unless COND.CONJ
16 reduxero I bring back 1SG.FUT.PERF.ACT.IND
17 eum him ACC.SG.M.PRON
18 peccati of sin GEN.SG.N
19 reus guilty NOM.SG.M
20 ero I shall be 1SG.FUT.ACT.IND
21 in to / toward PREP+ACC
22 patrem father ACC.SG.M
23 meum my ACC.SG.M.POSS
24 omni every ABL.SG.F.ADJ
25 tempore time ABL.SG.N

Syntax

Main clause: Ego proprie servus tuus sim — “I myself shall be your servant indeed.”
• Subject: Ego.
• Predicate nominative: servus tuus.
• Verb: sim (subjunctive of humble petition).

Relative clause modifying ‘servus tuus’: qui in meam hunc recepi fidem — “who took this one into my charge.”
• Verb: recepi.
• Object: hunc.
• Prepositional phrase: in meam fidem.

Participial clause: et spopondi dicens — “and I pledged myself saying.”

Quoted conditional clause: Nisi reduxero eum — “Unless I bring him back.”

Main clause of pledge: peccati reus ero in patrem meum omni tempore — “I shall be guilty of sin to my father forever.”
• Predicate nominative: reus.
• Complement: peccati.
• Destination: in patrem meum.
• Temporal phrase: omni tempore.

Morphology

  1. Ego — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative singular; Function: subject; Translation: “I”; Notes: emphatic placement.
  2. proprie — Lemma: proprie; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: modal modifier; Translation: “indeed / truly”; Notes: intensifies Judah’s self-offering.
  3. servus — Lemma: servus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: predicate nominative; Translation: “servant”; Notes: self-lowering before Joseph.
  4. tuus — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: modifies servus; Translation: “your”; Notes: indicates subordination.
  5. sim — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active subjunctive 1st singular; Function: expresses petition; Translation: “may I be”; Notes: polite, deferential mood.
  6. qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: introduces relative clause; Translation: “who”; Notes: refers to Judah.
  7. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative here; Function: expresses figurative motion into responsibility; Translation: “into”; Notes: idiomatically “into my charge.”
  8. meam — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: modifies fidem; Translation: “my”; Notes: Judah took Benjamin into his care.
  9. hunc — Lemma: hic; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of recepi; Translation: “this one”; Notes: Benjamin.
  10. recepi — Lemma: recipio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 1st singular; Function: main verb of relative clause; Translation: “I received / took”; Notes: legal/contractual sense of custody.
  11. fidem — Lemma: fides; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of in (accusative of motion figuratively); Translation: “trust / charge”; Notes: technical term for entrusted responsibility.
  12. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: joins clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: simple connective.
  13. spopondi — Lemma: spondeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 1st singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “I pledged”; Notes: formal vow of responsibility.
  14. dicens — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular masculine present active participle; Function: introduces indirect speech; Translation: “saying”; Notes: simultaneous action with vow.
  15. Nisi — Lemma: nisi; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: conditional; Function: introduces negative condition; Translation: “unless”; Notes: strict requirement.
  16. reduxero — Lemma: reduco; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future perfect active indicative 1st singular; Function: verb of conditional clause; Translation: “I bring back”; Notes: future perfect used for solemn pledges.
  17. eum — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of reduxero; Translation: “him”; Notes: Benjamin.
  18. peccati — Lemma: peccatum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter; Function: genitive of charge with reus; Translation: “of sin”; Notes: expresses legal/moral guilt.
  19. reus — Lemma: reus; Part of Speech: noun/adjective; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: predicate nominative; Translation: “guilty”; Notes: judicial terminology.
  20. ero — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative 1st singular; Function: forms conclusion of vow; Translation: “I shall be”; Notes: expresses enduring liability.
  21. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses relation “toward” in the sense of accountability; Translation: “to”; Notes: idiomatic in legal contexts.
  22. patrem — Lemma: pater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of in; Translation: “father”; Notes: refers to Jacob.
  23. meum — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: modifies patrem; Translation: “my”; Notes: filial relationship.
  24. omni — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: modifies tempore; Translation: “every”; Notes: indicates duration.
  25. tempore — Lemma: tempus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: ablative of time; Translation: “time”; Notes: means “forever / continually.”

 

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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