Genesis 50:15

Posted on February 19, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 50:15 Quo mortuo, timentes fratres eius, et mutuo colloquentes: Ne forte memor sit iniuriæ quam passus est, et reddat nobis omne malum quod fecimus,

When he was dead, his brothers, fearing and speaking among themselves, said: “Lest perhaps he remember the injury which he suffered, and repay us all the evil that we did,”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Quo when he ABL.SG.M (ABLATIVE ABSOLUTE “with him…”)
2 mortuo having died PPP.ABL.SG.M
3 timentes fearing PRES.ACT.PTCP.NOM.PL.M
4 fratres brothers N.MASC.NOM.PL
5 eius his PRON.GEN.SG.M
6 et and CONJ.COORD
7 mutuo mutually ADV
8 colloquentes speaking together PRES.ACT.PTCP.NOM.PL.M
9 Ne lest CONJ.SUBORD
10 forte perhaps ADV
11 memor mindful ADJ.NOM.SG.M
12 sit he may be V.3SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
13 iniuriæ of the injury N.FEM.GEN.SG
14 quam which REL.PRON.ACC.SG.F
15 passus he suffered PPP.NOM.SG.M (DEPONENT)
16 est he did V.3SG.PRES.ACT.IND (AUX for DEPONENT)
17 et and CONJ.COORD
18 reddat he may repay V.3SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
19 nobis to us PRON.DAT.PL
20 omne all ADJ.ACC.SG.N
21 malum evil N.NEUT.ACC.SG
22 quod which REL.PRON.ACC.SG.N
23 fecimus we did V.1PL.PERF.ACT.IND

Syntax

Ablative absolute: Quo mortuo —
Literally “with him having died,” meaning “when he died.”
Refers to Jacob.

Main participial description: timentes fratres eius, et mutuo colloquentes —
timentes and colloquentes describe the brothers’ emotional and verbal reaction.
fratres eius = subject (“his brothers”).

Subjunctive fear clause: Ne forte memor sit iniuriæ… —
Ne… forte introduces a clause of fearful anticipation: “lest perhaps he remember…”
memor sit = predicate adjective + subjunctive verb.

Relative clause: quam passus est —
Describes the “iniuriam” Joseph suffered from his brothers.

Second fear clause continuation: et reddat nobis omne malum quod fecimus —
reddat in the subjunctive continues the feared outcome.
quod fecimus specifies the wrongdoing committed by the brothers.

Morphology

  1. Quo — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: ablative absolute; Translation: when he; Notes: refers to Jacob.
  2. mortuo — Lemma: morior; Part of Speech: participle; Form: perfect passive participle ablative singular masculine; Function: ablative absolute; Translation: having died; Notes: from deponent verb.
  3. timentes — Lemma: timeo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: present active participle nominative plural masculine; Function: modifies fratres; Translation: fearing; Notes: describes emotional response.
  4. fratres — Lemma: frater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject; Translation: brothers; Notes: Joseph’s brothers.
  5. eius — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive singular; Function: possessive; Translation: his; Notes: modifies fratres.
  6. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariant; Function: coordination; Translation: and; Notes: joins participles.
  7. mutuo — Lemma: mutuo; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariant; Function: modifies colloquentes; Translation: mutually; Notes: reciprocal speech.
  8. colloquentes — Lemma: colloquor; Part of Speech: participle; Form: present active participle nominative plural masculine; Function: modifies fratres; Translation: speaking together; Notes: deponent verb with active sense.
  9. Ne — Lemma: ne; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariant; Function: introduces fear clause; Translation: lest; Notes: standard marker.
  10. forte — Lemma: forte; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariant; Function: softens ne; Translation: perhaps; Notes: adds nuance.
  11. memor — Lemma: memor; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: predicate adjective; Translation: mindful; Notes: regularly takes genitive.
  12. sit — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd singular present subjunctive; Function: verb of fear clause; Translation: he may be; Notes: subjunctive required by ne.
  13. iniuriæ — Lemma: iniuria; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: genitive with memor; Translation: of the injury; Notes: Joseph’s suffering.
  14. quam — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of passus est; Translation: which; Notes: refers to iniuriam.
  15. passus — Lemma: patior; Part of Speech: participle; Form: perfect participle nominative singular masculine; Function: predicate with est; Translation: he suffered; Notes: deponent verb.
  16. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd singular present indicative; Function: auxiliary in deponent perfect; Translation: (he) did; Notes: completes verbal idea.
  17. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariant; Function: links second fear clause; Translation: and; Notes: coordination.
  18. reddat — Lemma: reddo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd singular present active subjunctive; Function: verb of feared consequence; Translation: he may repay; Notes: subjunctive continues ne… clause.
  19. nobis — Lemma: nos; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative plural; Function: indirect object; Translation: to us; Notes: recipients of retribution.
  20. omne — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: modifies malum; Translation: all; Notes: totality.
  21. malum — Lemma: malum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object; Translation: evil; Notes: wrongdoing done to Joseph.
  22. quod — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: refers to malum; Translation: which; Notes: introduces relative clause.
  23. fecimus — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 1st plural perfect active indicative; Function: verb of relative clause; Translation: we did; Notes: confession of guilt.

 

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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