Genesis 45:12

Posted on February 14, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 45:12 En oculi vestri, et oculi fratris mei Beniamin vident quod os meum loquatur ad vos.

Behold, your eyes, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin, see that my own mouth speaks to you.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 En behold INTERJ
2 oculi eyes NOM.PL.M
3 vestri your GEN.PL.M
4 et and CONJ
5 oculi eyes NOM.PL.M
6 fratris of (my) brother GEN.SG.M
7 mei my GEN.SG.M
8 Beniamin Benjamin NOM.SG.M
9 vident see 3PL.PRES.ACT.IND
10 quod that CONJ
11 os mouth NOM.SG.N
12 meum my NOM.SG.N
13 loquatur speaks 3SG.PRES.SUBJ.DEP
14 ad to PREP+ACC
15 vos you ACC.PL

Syntax

Main clause:
• En oculi vestri, et oculi fratris mei Beniamin vident — “Behold, your eyes, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin, see.”
— Interjection: En
— Subjects: oculi vestri, oculi fratris mei Beniamin
— Verb: vident

Object clause:
• quod os meum loquatur ad vos — “that my mouth speaks to you.”
— Conjunction: quod introducing a subordinate clause
— Subject: os meum
— Verb: loquatur (subjunctive because of indirect speech nuance)
— Prepositional phrase: ad vos

Morphology

  1. En — Lemma: en; Part of Speech: interjection; Form: invariable; Function: draws attention; Translation: “behold”; Notes: common in direct speech for emphasis.
  2. oculi — Lemma: oculus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “eyes”; Notes: plural subject of vident.
  3. vestri — Lemma: vester; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: possessive modifier; Translation: “your”; Notes: indicates the eyes belong to Joseph’s brothers.
  4. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links coordinated subjects; Translation: “and”; Notes: simple additive.
  5. oculi — Lemma: oculus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: parallel subject; Translation: “eyes”; Notes: second coordinated subject.
  6. fratris — Lemma: frater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: modifies oculi; Translation: “of (my) brother”; Notes: genitive of possession.
  7. mei — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: modifies fratris; Translation: “my”; Notes: agrees with fratris.
  8. Beniamin — Lemma: Beniamin; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: apposition to fratris mei; Translation: “Benjamin”; Notes: identifies the specific brother.
  9. vident — Lemma: video; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative 3rd plural; Function: main verb; Translation: “they see”; Notes: plural agreeing with coordinated subjects.
  10. quod — Lemma: quod; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces object clause; Translation: “that”; Notes: classical Latin often uses quod for indirect statements.
  11. os — Lemma: os, oris; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: subject of loquatur; Translation: “mouth”; Notes: literal emphasis: Joseph himself is speaking.
  12. meum — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: modifies os; Translation: “my”; Notes: personal emphasis.
  13. loquatur — Lemma: loquor; Part of Speech: deponent verb; Form: present subjunctive 3rd singular; Function: verb of object clause; Translation: “speaks”; Notes: subjunctive due to quod in indirect discourse.
  14. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: indicates direction; Translation: “to”; Notes: governs vos.
  15. vos — Lemma: vos; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative plural; Function: object of ad; Translation: “you”; Notes: addressed to Joseph’s brothers.

 

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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