Genesis 39:4

Posted on February 8, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 39:4 Invenitque Ioseph gratiam coram domino suo, et ministrabat ei, a quo præpositus omnibus gubernabat creditam sibi domum, et universa quæ ei tradita fuerant:

And Joseph found favor before his master and served him; and he, having made him overseer of all things, governed the house entrusted to him and all that had been delivered to him;

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Invenitque and found V.3SG.PERF.IND.ACT + ENCLITIC -que
2 Ioseph Joseph NOUN.NOM.SG.M (proper)
3 gratiam favor NOUN.ACC.SG.F
4 coram before / in the presence of PREP+ABL
5 domino master NOUN.ABL.SG.M
6 suo his PRON.REFL.ABL.SG.M
7 et and CONJ
8 ministrabat was serving V.3SG.IMPERF.IND.ACT
9 ei him PRON.PERS.DAT.SG.M
10 a by / from PREP+ABL
11 quo by whom PRON.REL.ABL.SG.M
12 præpositus having been appointed PART.PERF.PASS.NOM.SG.M
13 omnibus over all things ADJ.ABL.PL.N
14 gubernabat was governing V.3SG.IMPERF.IND.ACT
15 creditam entrusted PART.PERF.PASS.ACC.SG.F
16 sibi to himself PRON.REFL.DAT.SG.M
17 domum house NOUN.ACC.SG.F
18 et and CONJ
19 universa all things ADJ.ACC.PL.N
20 quæ which PRON.REL.ACC.PL.N
21 ei to him PRON.PERS.DAT.SG.M
22 tradita had been delivered PART.PERF.PASS.NOM.PL.N
23 fuerant had been V.3PL.PLUPERF.IND.ACT

Syntax

Main Clause 1: Invenitque Ioseph gratiam coram domino suo — perfect indicative; Joseph “found favor” (idiomatic for gaining approval or grace).
Main Clause 2: et ministrabat ei — imperfect tense denotes habitual service (“he was serving him”).
Relative Clause: a quo præpositus omnibus gubernabat creditam sibi domum — dependent on domino suo, describing Putiphar’s act of appointment.
Relative Clause 2: et universa quæ ei tradita fuerant — specifies the scope of Joseph’s stewardship, “and all things which had been delivered to him.”
Style Note: Repetition of verbs in imperfect and pluperfect tenses creates a layered time frame: Joseph’s ongoing service contrasted with his earlier appointment.

Morphology

  1. Invenitque — Lemma: inveniō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular perfect indicative active + enclitic -que; Function: main verb; Translation: “and found”; Notes: Marks the narrative result of Joseph’s divine favor.
  2. Ioseph — Lemma: Ioseph; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of invenit; Translation: “Joseph”; Notes: Hebrew Yosep, transliterated into Latin form.
  3. gratiam — Lemma: grātia; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object of invenit; Translation: “favor / grace”; Notes: Common idiom “invenire gratiam” meaning “to find favor.”
  4. coram — Lemma: coram; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses presence or position; Translation: “before / in the presence of”; Notes: Preposition of personal audience.
  5. domino — Lemma: dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of coram; Translation: “master”; Notes: Refers to Putiphar, Joseph’s Egyptian overseer.
  6. suo — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: reflexive possessive adjective; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: modifies domino; Translation: “his”; Notes: Indicates Joseph’s relationship to the master.
  7. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Function: joins clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Simple coordination continuing narrative flow.
  8. ministrabat — Lemma: ministrō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular imperfect indicative active; Function: main verb; Translation: “was serving”; Notes: Imperfect tense stresses continual loyal service.
  9. ei — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: indirect object of ministrabat; Translation: “him”; Notes: Refers to Putiphar.
  10. a — Lemma: ā / ab; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: marks agent; Translation: “by”; Notes: Used before relative pronoun quo.
  11. quo — Lemma: quī, quae, quod; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: agent in relative clause; Translation: “by whom”; Notes: Refers back to dominus.
  12. præpositus — Lemma: praeponō; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular masculine perfect passive; Function: predicate participle; Translation: “having been appointed”; Notes: Marks Joseph’s elevation to authority.
  13. omnibus — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative plural neuter; Function: object of implied preposition; Translation: “over all things”; Notes: Expresses domain of authority.
  14. gubernabat — Lemma: gubernō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular imperfect indicative active; Function: main verb of clause; Translation: “was governing”; Notes: Continuous action of administration.
  15. creditam — Lemma: crēdō; Part of Speech: participle; Form: accusative singular feminine perfect passive; Function: modifies domum; Translation: “entrusted”; Notes: Indicates trust and responsibility.
  16. sibi — Lemma: sē; Part of Speech: reflexive pronoun; Form: dative singular; Function: indirect object of creditam; Translation: “to himself”; Notes: Denotes possession or trust assignment.
  17. domum — Lemma: domus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object of gubernabat; Translation: “house”; Notes: Refers to Putiphar’s estate.
  18. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Function: joins phrases; Translation: “and”; Notes: Connects two governed objects.
  19. universa — Lemma: ūniversus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: subject accusative of tradita fuerant; Translation: “all things”; Notes: Refers to total possessions or affairs.
  20. quæ — Lemma: quī, quae, quod; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative plural neuter; Function: subject of fuerant tradita; Translation: “which”; Notes: Introduces subordinate clause.
  21. ei — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to him”; Notes: Refers to Joseph as recipient of the charge.
  22. tradita — Lemma: trādō; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative plural neuter perfect passive; Function: predicate in relative clause; Translation: “had been delivered”; Notes: Denotes completed transference of trust.
  23. fuerant — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: auxiliary verb; Form: 3rd person plural pluperfect indicative active; Function: auxiliary for tradita; Translation: “had been”; Notes: Marks anterior completion of entrustment before ongoing governance.

 

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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