Genesis 40:3

Posted on February 9, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 40:3 misit eos in carcerem principis militum, in quo erat vinctus et Ioseph.

he sent them into the prison of the chief of the soldiers, in which Joseph also was bound.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 misit he sent V.3SG.PERF.IND.ACT
2 eos them PRON.ACC.PL.M
3 in into PREP+ACC
4 carcerem prison NOUN.ACC.SG.M
5 principis of the chief NOUN.GEN.SG.M
6 militum of the soldiers NOUN.GEN.PL.M
7 in in / within PREP+ABL
8 quo in which REL.PRON.ABL.SG.M
9 erat was V.3SG.IMPERF.IND.ACT
10 vinctus bound / imprisoned V.PERF.PTCP.NOM.SG.M
11 et also / and CONJ
12 Ioseph Joseph PROPN.NOM.SG.M

Syntax

Main Clause: misit eos in carcerem principis militum — “He sent them into the prison of the chief of the soldiers.”
The subject (Pharaoh) is understood from context. The direct object eos refers to the two officials. The phrase in carcerem expresses motion toward, taking the accusative, and principis militum is a genitive phrase modifying carcerem.

Relative Clause: in quo erat vinctus et Ioseph — “in which Joseph also was bound.”
The relative pronoun quo (ablative of place) connects back to carcerem. The participle vinctus is the predicate complement of erat, describing Joseph’s condition of imprisonment.

This verse reinforces divine orchestration: the royal servants are brought to the same prison as Joseph, setting up his next rise in Pharaoh’s favor.

Morphology

  1. misit — Lemma: mittō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular perfect indicative active; Function: main verb; Translation: “he sent”; Notes: Refers to Pharaoh’s action of imprisoning his servants.
  2. eos — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: direct object of misit; Translation: “them”; Notes: Refers to the cupbearer and the baker.
  3. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses motion toward; Translation: “into”; Notes: Introduces the destination of the action.
  4. carcerem — Lemma: carcer; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of in; Translation: “prison”; Notes: Refers to the royal detention facility under military supervision.
  5. principis — Lemma: prīnceps; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: modifies carcerem; Translation: “of the chief”; Notes: Indicates possession — the prison belonging to the military commander.
  6. militum — Lemma: mīles; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: complements principis; Translation: “of the soldiers”; Notes: Together, principis militum means “chief of the soldiers,” i.e., the captain of the guard.
  7. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses location; Translation: “in / within”; Notes: Marks place of imprisonment.
  8. quo — Lemma: quī, quae, quod; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: introduces relative clause, referring to carcerem; Translation: “in which”; Notes: Ablative of place with in.
  9. erat — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular imperfect indicative active; Function: linking verb; Translation: “was”; Notes: Imperfect denotes continuing state — Joseph was residing there.
  10. vinctus — Lemma: vincio; Part of Speech: verb (participle); Form: perfect passive participle nominative singular masculine; Function: predicate complement with erat; Translation: “bound / imprisoned”; Notes: Describes Joseph’s condition rather than mere physical restraint.
  11. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: connects Ioseph with implied “he”; Translation: “and / also”; Notes: Adds emphasis on Joseph’s shared imprisonment with the officials.
  12. Ioseph — Lemma: Ioseph; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of erat vinctus; Translation: “Joseph”; Notes: Central figure whose imprisonment becomes the providential means of future elevation.

 

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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