Genesis 37:10

Posted on February 6, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 37:10 Quod cum patri suo, et fratribus retulisset, increpavit eum pater suus, et dixit: Quid sibi vult hoc somnium quod vidisti? num ego et mater tua, et fratres tui adorabimus te super terram?

And when he had told this to his father and to his brothers, his father rebuked him and said: “What does this dream that you have seen mean? Shall I, and your mother, and your brothers worship you upon the ground?”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Quod which PRON.REL.ACC.SG.N
2 cum when CONJ.SUBORD
3 patri to father NOUN.DAT.SG.M
4 suo his own PRON.POSS.DAT.SG.M
5 et and CONJ
6 fratribus to brothers NOUN.DAT.PL.M
7 retulisset had reported V.3SG.PLUPERF.ACT.SUBJ
8 increpavit rebuked V.3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
9 eum him PRON.PERS.ACC.SG.M
10 pater father NOUN.NOM.SG.M
11 suus his own PRON.POSS.NOM.SG.M
12 et and CONJ
13 dixit said V.3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
14 Quid what PRON.INTERROG.NOM/ACC.SG.N
15 sibi to itself PRON.REFL.DAT.SG
16 vult does mean V.3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
17 hoc this PRON.DEM.NOM.SG.N
18 somnium dream NOUN.NOM.SG.N
19 quod which PRON.REL.ACC.SG.N
20 vidisti you saw V.2SG.PERF.ACT.IND
21 num surely not? ADV.INTERROG
22 ego I PRON.PERS.NOM.SG
23 et and CONJ
24 mater mother NOUN.NOM.SG.F
25 tua your PRON.POSS.NOM.SG.F
26 et and CONJ
27 fratres brothers NOUN.NOM.PL.M
28 tui your PRON.POSS.NOM.PL.M
29 adorabimus shall worship V.1PL.FUT.ACT.IND
30 te you PRON.PERS.ACC.SG
31 super upon PREP+ACC
32 terram earth / ground NOUN.ACC.SG.F

Syntax

Subordinate Clause: Quod cum patri suo et fratribus retulisset —
Introduced by cum (temporal), meaning “when.” The verb retulisset (pluperfect subjunctive) expresses an action completed before the main clause. Patri suo et fratribus are indirect objects of retulisset.

Main Clause 1: increpavit eum pater suus —
Subject pater suus performs the action of rebuke upon the direct object eum (Joseph).

Main Clause 2: et dixit — introduces direct speech containing two questions:
1. Quid sibi vult hoc somnium quod vidisti? — “What does this dream you have seen mean?”
2. num ego et mater tua et fratres tui adorabimus te super terram? — a rhetorical question expecting a negative answer (“Shall we truly bow down to you upon the ground?”).

The verb adorabimus governs te as its object, while super terram expresses location of the action.

Morphology

  1. Quod — Lemma: quī, quae, quod; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of retulisset; Translation: “which”; Notes: Refers to the dream mentioned in prior verse.
  2. cum — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: subordinating conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces temporal clause; Translation: “when”; Notes: Often takes subjunctive for prior completed actions.
  3. patri — Lemma: pater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: indirect object of retulisset; Translation: “to (his) father.”
  4. suo — Lemma: suus, -a, -um; Part of Speech: reflexive possessive adjective; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: modifies patri; Translation: “his own.”
  5. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: links indirect objects; Translation: “and.”
  6. fratribus — Lemma: frāter; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative plural masculine; Function: indirect object of retulisset; Translation: “to (his) brothers.”
  7. retulisset — Lemma: referō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular pluperfect subjunctive active; Function: verb of temporal clause; Translation: “had reported / told”; Notes: Perfective action preceding main verb.
  8. increpavit — Lemma: increpō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular perfect indicative active; Function: main verb; Translation: “rebuked”; Notes: Expresses verbal chastisement by Jacob.
  9. eum — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of increpavit; Translation: “him.”
  10. pater — Lemma: pater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of increpavit; Translation: “father.”
  11. suus — Lemma: suus, -a, -um; Part of Speech: reflexive possessive adjective; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: modifies pater; Translation: “his own.”
  12. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: joins verbs; Translation: “and.”
  13. dixit — Lemma: dīcō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular perfect indicative active; Function: main verb; Translation: “said.”
  14. Quid — Lemma: quis, quid; Part of Speech: interrogative pronoun; Form: nominative/accusative singular neuter; Function: subject or object of vult; Translation: “what.”
  15. sibi — Lemma: sē; Part of Speech: reflexive pronoun; Form: dative singular; Function: ethical dative; Translation: “to itself”; Notes: Used idiomatically with vult meaning “what does this mean to itself.”
  16. vult — Lemma: volō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular present indicative active; Function: main verb; Translation: “means / wills.”
  17. hoc — Lemma: hic, haec, hoc; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: subject of vult; Translation: “this.”
  18. somnium — Lemma: somnium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: appositive to hoc; Translation: “dream.”
  19. quod — Lemma: quī, quae, quod; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of vidisti; Translation: “which.”
  20. vidisti — Lemma: videō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 2nd person singular perfect indicative active; Function: verb of relative clause; Translation: “you saw.”
  21. num — Lemma: num; Part of Speech: interrogative adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces rhetorical question expecting negative answer; Translation: “surely not?”
  22. ego — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: nominative singular; Function: subject of adorabimus; Translation: “I.”
  23. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: joins coordinated subjects; Translation: “and.”
  24. mater — Lemma: māter; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: coordinated subject; Translation: “mother.”
  25. tua — Lemma: tuus, -a, -um; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: modifies mater; Translation: “your.”
  26. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: continues series; Translation: “and.”
  27. fratres — Lemma: frāter; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “brothers.”
  28. tui — Lemma: tuus, -a, -um; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: modifies fratres; Translation: “your.”
  29. adorabimus — Lemma: adōrō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 1st person plural future indicative active; Function: main verb in rhetorical question; Translation: “shall we worship”; Notes: Expresses hypothetical future action with interrogative tone, implying disbelief or irony in Jacob’s response.
  30. te — Lemma: tū; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: accusative singular; Function: direct object of adorabimus; Translation: “you”; Notes: Refers directly to Joseph, the target of the vision’s homage.
  31. super — Lemma: super; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses spatial relation; Translation: “upon”; Notes: Marks the physical location of the act of homage — “upon the ground.”
  32. terram — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of preposition super; Translation: “ground” / “earth”; Notes: Symbolically underscores the act of prostration or submission in Joseph’s dream.

 

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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