Genesis 44:33

Posted on February 13, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 44:33 Manebo itaque servus tuus pro puero in ministerio domini mei, et puer ascendat cum fratribus suis.

I shall remain therefore, your servant, in place of the boy in the service of my lord, and the boy may go up with his brothers.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Manebo I shall remain 1SG.FUT.ACT.IND
2 itaque therefore ADV
3 servus servant NOM.SG.M
4 tuus your NOM.SG.M.POSS
5 pro instead of PREP+ABL
6 puero the boy ABL.SG.M
7 in in PREP+ABL
8 ministerio service ABL.SG.N
9 domini of my lord GEN.SG.M
10 mei my GEN.SG.M.POSS
11 et and CONJ
12 puer the boy NOM.SG.M
13 ascendat may go up 3SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
14 cum with PREP+ABL
15 fratribus brothers ABL.PL.M
16 suis his ABL.PL.M.REFL.POSS

Syntax

Main clause: Manebo itaque servus tuus pro puero — “Therefore, I shall remain your servant instead of the boy.”
• Subject: Manebo (implied “I”).
• Predicate nominative: servus tuus.
• Prepositional phrase: pro puero expresses substitution.

Locative phrase: in ministerio domini mei — “in the service of my lord.”
• Indicates sphere of servitude.

Second clause: et puer ascendat cum fratribus suis — “and the boy may go up with his brothers.”
• Verb: ascendat (volitive subjunctive).
• Subject: puer.
• Accompaniment: cum fratribus suis.

Morphology

  1. Manebo — Lemma: maneo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative 1st singular; Function: main verb of Judah’s self-offering; Translation: “I shall remain”; Notes: expresses resolve to take Benjamin’s place.
  2. itaque — Lemma: itaque; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: inferential connector; Translation: “therefore”; Notes: sums up Judah’s argument.
  3. servus — Lemma: servus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: predicate nominative; Translation: “servant”; Notes: title of humility before Joseph.
  4. tuus — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: modifies servus; Translation: “your”; Notes: indicates submission.
  5. pro — Lemma: pro; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses substitution; Translation: “instead of”; Notes: used in sacrificial, legal, and substitution contexts.
  6. puero — Lemma: puer; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of pro; Translation: “the boy”; Notes: refers to Benjamin.
  7. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces domain of service; Translation: “in”; Notes: indicates location/state.
  8. ministerio — Lemma: ministerium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: complement of in; Translation: “service”; Notes: technical term for duty or servitude.
  9. domini — Lemma: dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessive modifying ministerio; Translation: “of my lord”; Notes: refers to Joseph as Judah’s superior.
  10. mei — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective/pronoun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: modifies domini; Translation: “my”; Notes: marks Judah’s subordination.
  11. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: joins clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: simple narrative connector.
  12. puer — Lemma: puer; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of ascendat; Translation: “the boy”; Notes: Benjamin distinguished from Judah.
  13. ascendat — Lemma: ascendo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active subjunctive 3rd singular; Function: jussive/volitive; Translation: “may go up”; Notes: expresses Judah’s plea.
  14. cum — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses accompaniment; Translation: “with”; Notes: associates Benjamin with his brothers.
  15. fratribus — Lemma: frater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: object of cum; Translation: “brothers”; Notes: the collective group returning to Jacob.
  16. suis — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: reflexive possessive adjective; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: modifies fratribus; Translation: “his”; Notes: reflexive, referring back to puer as subject.

 

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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