Genesis 44:4

Posted on February 13, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 44:4 Iamque urbem exierant, et processerant paululum: tunc Ioseph accersito dispensatore domus, Surge, inquit, et persequere viros: et apprehensis dicito: Quare reddidistis malum pro bono?

And now they had gone out of the city, and had gone forward a little: then Joseph, having summoned the steward of the house, said, “Rise, and pursue the men: and when you have overtaken them, say, Why have you returned evil for good?

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Iamque and now ADV+CONJ
2 urbem city ACC.SG.F
3 exierant, they had gone out 3PL.PLUP.ACT.IND
4 et and CONJ
5 processerant they had gone forward 3PL.PLUP.ACT.IND
6 paululum: a little ACC.SG.N
7 tunc then ADV
8 Ioseph Joseph NOM.SG.M
9 accersito having summoned ABL.SG.M.PTCP.PERF.PASS
10 dispensatore steward ABL.SG.M
11 domus of the house GEN.SG.F
12 Surge rise 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP
13 inquit he said 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
14 et and CONJ
15 persequere pursue 2SG.PRES.DEP.IMP
16 viros men ACC.PL.M
17 et and CONJ
18 apprehensis having overtaken ABL.PL.M.PTCP.PERF.PASS
19 dicito say 2SG.FUT.ACT.IMP
20 Quare why ADV
21 reddidistis you returned 2PL.PERF.ACT.IND
22 malum evil ACC.SG.N
23 pro for PREP+ABL
24 bono good ABL.SG.N

Syntax

Opening Narrative: Iamque urbem exierant — subject understood (Joseph’s brothers) + pluperfect verb.
Coordinated Action: et processerant paululum — second pluperfect expressing further movement.
Temporal Shift: tunc introduces the next major event.
Main Clause: Ioseph (subject) + ablative absolute accersito dispensatore domus + main verb inquit.
Imperatives: Surge and persequere viros — Joseph’s orders to the steward.
Further Instruction: apprehensis dicito — ablative absolute “when you have overtaken them,” followed by future imperative “say.”
Quoted Question: Quare reddidistis malum pro bono? — direct accusation framed as a rhetorical question.

Morphology

  1. Iamque — Lemma: iam + que; Part of Speech: adverb + enclitic conjunction; Form: compound connective; Function: links narrative continuity; Translation: “and now”; Notes: signals temporal development.
  2. urbem — Lemma: urbs; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of “exierant”; Translation: “city”; Notes: direct object of motion verb.
  3. exierant — Lemma: exeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: pluperfect active indicative third plural; Function: main verb; Translation: “they had gone out”; Notes: completed past action.
  4. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: joins two pluperfect verbs; Translation: “and”; Notes: simple connective.
  5. processerant — Lemma: procedo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: pluperfect active indicative third plural; Function: second action; Translation: “they had gone forward”; Notes: emphasizes sequence.
  6. paululum — Lemma: paululum; Part of Speech: noun/adverbial; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: internal object; Translation: “a little”; Notes: expresses a short distance.
  7. tunc — Lemma: tunc; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: temporal; Function: signals shift; Translation: “then”; Notes: narrative marker.
  8. Ioseph — Lemma: Ioseph; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “Joseph”; Notes: proper name.
  9. accersito — Lemma: accerso; Part of Speech: participle; Form: ablative singular masculine perfect passive participle; Function: part of ablative absolute; Translation: “having summoned”; Notes: expresses prior action.
  10. dispensatore — Lemma: dispensator; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of ablative absolute; Translation: “steward”; Notes: indicates person summoned.
  11. domus — Lemma: domus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: possession; Translation: “of the house”; Notes: explains who he served.
  12. Surge — Lemma: surgo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperative second singular present active; Function: command; Translation: “rise”; Notes: initiates orders.
  13. inquit — Lemma: inquam; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative third singular; Function: verb of speaking; Translation: “he said”; Notes: parenthetical narrative marker.
  14. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links imperatives; Translation: “and”; Notes: connective.
  15. persequere — Lemma: persequor; Part of Speech: verb (deponent); Form: imperative second singular present; Function: command; Translation: “pursue”; Notes: deponent with active meaning.
  16. viros — Lemma: vir; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: direct object; Translation: “men”; Notes: refers to Joseph’s brothers.
  17. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links instructions; Translation: “and”; Notes: simple connective.
  18. apprehensis — Lemma: apprehendo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: ablative plural masculine perfect passive participle; Function: ablative absolute; Translation: “having overtaken”; Notes: describes condition before speaking.
  19. dicito — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active imperative second singular; Function: strong command; Translation: “say”; Notes: future imperative conveys firmness.
  20. Quare — Lemma: quare; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: interrogative; Function: introduces question; Translation: “why”; Notes: rhetorical force.
  21. reddidistis — Lemma: reddo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative second plural; Function: verb of direct question; Translation: “you returned”; Notes: accusatory tone.
  22. malum — Lemma: malum; Part of Speech: noun/adjective substantivized; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object; Translation: “evil”; Notes: moral quality as substance.
  23. pro — Lemma: pro; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses exchange; Translation: “for”; Notes: implies injustice.
  24. bono — Lemma: bonum; Part of Speech: noun/adjective; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: object of preposition; Translation: “good”; Notes: contrasts with malum.

 

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.
This entry was posted in Genesis. Bookmark the permalink.

Comments are closed.