Genesis 44:8

Posted on February 13, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 44:8 Pecuniam, quam invenimus in summitate saccorum, reportavimus ad te de terra Chanaan: et quo modo consequens est ut furati simus de domo domini tui aurum vel argentum?

The money which we found at the top of our sacks we brought back to you from the land of Chanaan, and how is it consistent that we should have stolen from the house of your lord either gold or silver?

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Pecuniam money ACC.SG.F
2 quam which ACC.SG.F
3 invenimus we found 1PL.PERF.ACT.IND
4 in in PREP+ABL
5 summitate top ABL.SG.F
6 saccorum of sacks GEN.PL.M
7 reportavimus we brought back 1PL.PERF.ACT.IND
8 ad to PREP+ACC
9 te you ACC.SG
10 de from PREP+ABL
11 terra land ABL.SG.F
12 Chanaan Chanaan ABL.SG.F
13 et and CONJ
14 quo how ADV
15 modo way ABL.SG.M
16 consequens consistent NOM.SG.N.PTCP.PRES.ACT
17 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
18 ut that CONJ
19 furati having stolen NOM.PL.M.PTCP.PERF.ACT
20 simus we should have 1PL.PERF.ACT.SUBJ
21 de from PREP+ABL
22 domo house ABL.SG.F
23 domini of the lord GEN.SG.M
24 tui your GEN.SG.M
25 aurum gold ACC.SG.N
26 vel or CONJ
27 argentum silver ACC.SG.N

Syntax

Main Clause: Pecuniam quam invenimus … reportavimus — object + relative clause + main verb.
Prepositional Phrases: in summitate saccorum, ad te, de terra Chanaan.
Interrogative Clause: quo modo consequens est — expresses incredulity.
ut-clause: ut furati simus — subjunctive expressing a hypothetical accusation.
Object of accusation: aurum vel argentum.
Source phrase: de domo domini tui — specifying where theft is alleged.

Morphology

  1. Pecuniam — Lemma: pecunia; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object; Translation: “money”; Notes: refers to returned payment.
  2. quam — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: introduces relative clause; Translation: “which”; Notes: refers to pecuniam.
  3. invenimus — Lemma: invenio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative first plural; Function: verb of relative clause; Translation: “we found”; Notes: recounts earlier discovery.
  4. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: takes ablative; Function: introduces location; Translation: “in”; Notes: spatial sense.
  5. summitate — Lemma: summitas; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of preposition; Translation: “top”; Notes: specific placement.
  6. saccorum — Lemma: saccus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: genitive of possession; Translation: “of sacks”; Notes: refers to brothers’ sacks.
  7. reportavimus — Lemma: reporto; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative first plural; Function: main verb; Translation: “we brought back”; Notes: emphasizes honesty.
  8. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: direction; Translation: “to”; Notes: motion toward.
  9. te — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular; Function: object of ad; Translation: “you”; Notes: refers to steward.
  10. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: source; Translation: “from”; Notes: expresses origin.
  11. terra — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of de; Translation: “land”; Notes: geographical reference.
  12. Chanaan — Lemma: Chanaan; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: ablative singular; Function: specifies land; Translation: “Chanaan”; Notes: standard spelling in Vulgate.
  13. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: narrative continuation.
  14. quo — Lemma: quo; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: interrogative; Function: introduces rhetorical question; Translation: “how”; Notes: interrogative adverb.
  15. modo — Lemma: modus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: ablative of manner; Translation: “way”; Notes: taken with quo.
  16. consequens — Lemma: consequens; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular neuter present participle; Function: predicate with est; Translation: “consistent”; Notes: expresses logical coherence.
  17. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative third singular; Function: copula; Translation: “is”; Notes: links predicate.
  18. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: subordinating; Function: introduces subjunctive clause; Translation: “that”; Notes: expresses rhetorical impossibility.
  19. furati — Lemma: furor; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative plural masculine perfect active participle; Function: part of periphrastic; Translation: “having stolen”; Notes: deponent morphology.
  20. simus — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active subjunctive first plural; Function: verb of ut-clause; Translation: “we should have”; Notes: expresses doubt.
  21. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: source; Translation: “from”; Notes: introduces alleged location.
  22. domo — Lemma: domus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of de; Translation: “house”; Notes: Joseph’s residence.
  23. domini — Lemma: dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possession; Translation: “of the lord”; Notes: refers to Joseph → translate as “lord,” not “LORD.”
  24. tui — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: pronoun/adjective; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: modifies domini; Translation: “your”; Notes: possession.
  25. aurum — Lemma: aurum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of furati simus; Translation: “gold”; Notes: valuable item.
  26. vel — Lemma: vel; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: disjunctive; Function: links alternatives; Translation: “or”; Notes: mild choice.
  27. argentum — Lemma: argentum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: second object; Translation: “silver”; Notes: paired with gold.

 

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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