Genesis 40:4

Posted on February 9, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 40:4 At custos carceris tradidit eos Ioseph, qui et ministrabat eis: aliquantulum temporis fluxerat, et illi in custodia tenebantur.

But the keeper of the prison handed them over to Joseph, who also ministered to them: a little time had passed, and they were kept in custody.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 At but CONJ.ADV
2 custos keeper NOUN.NOM.SG.M
3 carceris of the prison NOUN.GEN.SG.M
4 tradidit handed over V.3SG.PERF.IND.ACT
5 eos them PRON.ACC.PL.M
6 Ioseph Joseph PROPN.DAT.SG.M
7 qui who REL.PRON.NOM.SG.M
8 et also / and CONJ
9 ministrabat was ministering V.3SG.IMPERF.IND.ACT
10 eis to them PRON.DAT.PL.M
11 aliquantulum a little ADV/INDEF.ACC.SG.N
12 temporis of time NOUN.GEN.SG.N
13 fluxerat had passed V.3SG.PLUPERF.IND.ACT
14 et and CONJ
15 illi they PRON.NOM.PL.M
16 in in PREP+ABL
17 custodia custody NOUN.ABL.SG.F
18 tenebantur were held V.3PL.IMPERF.IND.PASS

Syntax

Main Clause 1: At custos carceris tradidit eos Ioseph — “But the keeper of the prison handed them over to Joseph.”
custos is the subject; tradidit the verb; eos the direct object; Ioseph the indirect object.

Relative Clause: qui et ministrabat eis — “who also ministered to them.”
Describes Joseph’s service over the imprisoned officials.

Main Clause 2: aliquantulum temporis fluxerat — “a little time had passed.”
Pluperfect fluxerat indicates completed passage of time.

Main Clause 3: et illi in custodia tenebantur — “and they were kept in custody.”
illi refers to the two eunuchs; tenebantur is passive, describing ongoing imprisonment.

Morphology

  1. At — Lemma: at; Part of Speech: adversative conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces contrast; Translation: “but”; Notes: Shifts narrative focus to the prison warden’s action.
  2. custos — Lemma: custos; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of tradidit; Translation: “keeper”; Notes: Holds supervisory authority in the prison.
  3. carceris — Lemma: carcer; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: modifies custos; Translation: “of the prison”; Notes: Indicates sphere of responsibility.
  4. tradidit — Lemma: trādō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular perfect indicative active; Function: main verb; Translation: “handed over”; Notes: Marks official delegation.
  5. eos — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: direct object; Translation: “them”; Notes: Refers to both the cupbearer and baker.
  6. Ioseph — Lemma: Ioseph; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to Joseph”; Notes: Indicates Joseph’s appointment over the prisoners.
  7. qui — Lemma: quī; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of ministrabat; Translation: “who”; Notes: Refers to Joseph.
  8. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: additive force; Translation: “also / and”; Notes: Highlights Joseph’s service role.
  9. ministrabat — Lemma: ministrō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular imperfect indicative active; Function: main verb of relative clause; Translation: “was ministering”; Notes: Continuous imperfect indicates ongoing service.
  10. eis — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative plural masculine; Function: indirect object of ministrabat; Translation: “to them”; Notes: Refers to the imprisoned officials.
  11. aliquantulum — Lemma: aliquantulus; Part of Speech: adjective/pronominal adverb; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: internal accusative with fluxerat; Translation: “a little”; Notes: Strengthens the idea of brief time passing.
  12. temporis — Lemma: tempus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter; Function: partitive genitive with aliquantulum; Translation: “of time”; Notes: Indicates measure.
  13. fluxerat — Lemma: fluō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular pluperfect indicative active; Function: verb of clause; Translation: “had passed”; Notes: Indicates completed passage of time before the next event.
  14. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: links the final clause; Translation: “and”; Notes: Connects sequential narrative events.
  15. illi — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject of tenebantur; Translation: “they”; Notes: Refers to the cupbearer and baker.
  16. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses location; Translation: “in”; Notes: Marks place of confinement.
  17. custodia — Lemma: custōdia; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of in; Translation: “custody”; Notes: Indicates ongoing imprisonment.
  18. tenebantur — Lemma: teneō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person plural imperfect indicative passive; Function: main verb; Translation: “were held”; Notes: Describes continuing detention of the officials.

 

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.
This entry was posted in Genesis. Bookmark the permalink.

Comments are closed.