Genesis 44:5

Posted on February 13, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 44:5 Scyphus, quem furati estis, ipse est in quo bibit dominus meus, et in quo augurari solet: pessimam rem fecistis.

The goblet which you have stolen, it is the one in which my lord drinks, and in which he is accustomed to practice divination; you have done a very wicked thing.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Scyphus goblet NOM.SG.M
2 quem which ACC.SG.M
3 furati having stolen NOM.PL.M.PTCP.PERF.ACT
4 estis you are 2PL.PRES.ACT.IND
5 ipse he himself NOM.SG.M
6 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
7 in in PREP+ABL
8 quo in which ABL.SG.M
9 bibit he drinks 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
10 dominus lord NOM.SG.M
11 meus my NOM.SG.M
12 et and CONJ
13 in in PREP+ABL
14 quo in which ABL.SG.M
15 augurari to divine PRES.ACT.INF
16 solet he is accustomed 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
17 pessimam very wicked ACC.SG.F
18 rem thing ACC.SG.F
19 fecistis you have done 2PL.PERF.ACT.IND

Syntax

Main Nominal Clause: Scyphus … ipse est — subject + copula identifying the goblet.
Relative Clause 1: quem furati estis — modifies Scyphus; perfect participle + auxiliary.
Prepositional Clause: in quo bibit dominus meus — locative description of use.
Coordinated Clause: et in quo augurari solet — second function of the goblet.
Final Accusatory Clause: pessimam rem fecistis — direct accusation expressing moral judgment.

Morphology

  1. Scyphus — Lemma: scyphus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “goblet”; Notes: Joseph’s silver goblet.
  2. quem — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: introduces relative clause; Translation: “which”; Notes: refers to the goblet.
  3. furati — Lemma: furor; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative plural masculine perfect active participle; Function: predicate in relative clause; Translation: “having stolen”; Notes: deponent morphology yields active meaning.
  4. estis — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative second plural; Function: auxiliary; Translation: “you are”; Notes: forms periphrastic perfect.
  5. ipse — Lemma: ipse; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: intensive pronoun; Translation: “he himself”; Notes: emphasizes identity of the goblet.
  6. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative third singular; Function: copula; Translation: “is”; Notes: links subject and predicate.
  7. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces location; Translation: “in”; Notes: spatial sense.
  8. quo — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of preposition; Translation: “in which”; Notes: refers to goblet.
  9. bibit — Lemma: bibo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative third singular; Function: verb of clause; Translation: “he drinks”; Notes: habitual action.
  10. dominus — Lemma: dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of bibit; Translation: “lord”; Notes: refers to Joseph.
  11. meus — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: modifies dominus; Translation: “my”; Notes: expresses possession.
  12. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: simple connective.
  13. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces second location clause; Translation: “in”; Notes: parallels first occurrence.
  14. quo — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of preposition; Translation: “in which”; Notes: repeated anaphorically.
  15. augurari — Lemma: auguror; Part of Speech: verb (deponent); Form: present active infinitive; Function: complement of solet; Translation: “to divine”; Notes: deponent with active meaning.
  16. solet — Lemma: soleo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative third singular; Function: expresses customary action; Translation: “he is accustomed”; Notes: governs infinitive.
  17. pessimam — Lemma: pessimus; Part of Speech: adjective (superlative); Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: modifies rem; Translation: “very wicked”; Notes: expresses moral severity.
  18. rem — Lemma: res; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of fecistis; Translation: “thing”; Notes: abstract moral object.
  19. fecistis — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative second plural; Function: main verb of accusation; Translation: “you have done”; Notes: direct charge of wrongdoing.

 

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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