Genesis 39:19

Posted on February 8, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 39:19 His auditis dominus, et nimium credulus verbis coniugis, iratus est valde:

When these things were heard, his master, being too trusting of his wife’s words, became very angry;

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 His these (things) PRON.DAT/ABL.PL.N
2 auditis having been heard V.PERF.PTCP.ABL.PL.N
3 dominus master / lord NOUN.NOM.SG.M
4 et and CONJ
5 nimium too / excessively ADV
6 credulus trusting / credulous ADJ.NOM.SG.M
7 verbis words NOUN.ABL.PL.N
8 coniugis of (his) wife NOUN.GEN.SG.F
9 iratus angry V.PERF.PTCP.NOM.SG.M
10 est was / became V.3SG.PERF.IND.ACT
11 valde greatly / very ADV

Syntax

Ablative Absolute: His auditis — literally “these things having been heard,” expressing a temporal condition. It sets the stage for the main action: “When these things were heard.”
Main Clause: dominus … iratus est valde — “the master became very angry.” iratus est is a perfect periphrastic (passive participle + sum), meaning “he became angry.”
Appositional Phrase: et nimium credulus verbis coniugis — an inserted descriptive phrase meaning “and being too trusting of his wife’s words.” The adjective credulus takes the dative or ablative of the thing believed (verbis), with coniugis in the genitive as possessive.
The entire structure presents a calm narrative transition before Joseph’s unjust imprisonment.

Morphology

  1. His — Lemma: hic, haec, hoc; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: ablative plural neuter; Function: in ablative absolute; Translation: “these (things)”; Notes: Refers to the accusations and story told by Potiphar’s wife.
  2. auditis — Lemma: audiō; Part of Speech: verb (participle); Form: perfect passive participle ablative plural neuter; Function: used in ablative absolute construction; Translation: “having been heard”; Notes: Describes the temporal circumstance preceding the master’s reaction.
  3. dominus — Lemma: dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of iratus est; Translation: “master”; Notes: Refers to Potiphar, Yoseph’s Egyptian overseer.
  4. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: connects descriptive element with main clause; Translation: “and”; Notes: Adds explanatory detail about his disposition.
  5. nimium — Lemma: nimium; Part of Speech: adverb (originally noun used adverbially); Form: indeclinable; Function: adverbial modifier of credulus; Translation: “too / excessively”; Notes: Indicates degree of misplaced trust.
  6. credulus — Lemma: crēdulus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: predicative modifier of dominus; Translation: “trusting / credulous”; Notes: Describes Potiphar’s gullibility toward his wife’s account.
  7. verbis — Lemma: verbum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural neuter; Function: ablative with credulus; Translation: “words”; Notes: Ablative of respect or object with adjectives of trust or belief.
  8. coniugis — Lemma: coniūnx; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: possessive genitive modifying verbis; Translation: “of his wife”; Notes: Indicates the origin of the deceitful words.
  9. iratus — Lemma: īrāscor; Part of Speech: verb (deponent, participial form); Form: perfect participle nominative singular masculine; Function: predicate adjective with est; Translation: “angry / enraged”; Notes: Denotes emotional reaction; often takes dative of the cause or person angered at.
  10. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular perfect indicative active; Function: auxiliary forming perfect periphrastic; Translation: “was / became”; Notes: Marks the completed onset of anger.
  11. valde — Lemma: valdē; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: adverbial modifier of iratus est; Translation: “very / greatly”; Notes: Emphasizes the intensity of Potiphar’s reaction.

 

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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