Genesis 40:2

Posted on February 9, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 40:2 Iratusque contra eos Pharao (nam alter pincernis præerat, alter pistoribus)

And Pharaoh was angry with them (for one was in charge of the cupbearers, and the other of the bakers)

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Iratusque and angry V.PERF.PTCP.NOM.SG.M + CONJ
2 contra against PREP+ACC
3 eos them PRON.ACC.PL.M
4 Pharao Pharaoh NOUN.NOM.SG.M
5 (nam for CONJ.EXPLAN
6 alter one PRON.NOM.SG.M
7 pincernis the cupbearers NOUN.DAT.PL.M
8 præerat was in charge of V.3SG.IMPERF.IND.ACT
9 alter the other PRON.NOM.SG.M
10 pistoribus the bakers NOUN.DAT.PL.M

Syntax

Main Clause: Iratusque contra eos Pharao — “And Pharaoh was angry with them.”
Here Iratus (perfect participle of irascor) functions adjectivally with Pharao as its subject, and contra eos indicates the object of wrath (“against them”). The conjunction -que joins this verse to the previous narrative sequence.

Parenthetical Clause: nam alter pincernis præerat, alter pistoribus — explanatory insertion clarifying who “they” were: one was the chief cupbearer, the other the chief baker.
Both alter instances are nominative singular masculine pronouns functioning as subjects, and the dative plurals pincernis and pistoribus are governed by the compound verb præerat (“was presiding over”).
The syntax underscores administrative hierarchy — Pharaoh’s anger falls upon his senior officers in charge of critical palace provisions.

Morphology

  1. Iratusque — Lemma: īrātus; Part of Speech: perfect passive participle (from īrascor); Form: nominative singular masculine + enclitic conjunction -que; Function: adjectival predicate modifying Pharao; Translation: “and angry”; Notes: Describes Pharaoh’s emotional state as the cause of the coming imprisonment.
  2. contra — Lemma: contrā; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses hostility or opposition; Translation: “against”; Notes: Indicates the direction of Pharaoh’s anger.
  3. eos — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object of contra; Translation: “them”; Notes: Refers to the two eunuchs, the cupbearer and the baker.
  4. Pharao — Lemma: Pharaō; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of the main clause; Translation: “Pharaoh”; Notes: Egyptian royal title; uninflected in Latin declension.
  5. nam — Lemma: nam; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces explanatory parenthesis; Translation: “for”; Notes: Provides a rationale or clarification.
  6. alter — Lemma: alter; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of præerat; Translation: “one (of the two)”; Notes: Used in paired contrast with the second alter.
  7. pincernis — Lemma: pincerna; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative plural masculine; Function: indirect object governed by præerat; Translation: “to / over the cupbearers”; Notes: Denotes officials responsible for royal wine service.
  8. præerat — Lemma: prae-sum; Part of Speech: compound verb (prae + sum); Form: 3rd person singular imperfect indicative active; Function: main verb of the parenthetical clause; Translation: “was in charge of”; Notes: Imperfect denotes ongoing office or position.
  9. alter — Lemma: alter; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: parallel subject to previous alter; Translation: “the other”; Notes: Balanced repetition enhances stylistic symmetry.
  10. pistoribus — Lemma: pistor; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative plural masculine; Function: indirect object of præerat; Translation: “to / over the bakers”; Notes: Refers to the royal officers overseeing bread-making.

 

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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