Genesis 40:14

Posted on February 9, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 40:14 Tantum memento mei, cum bene tibi fuerit, et facias mecum misericordiam: ut suggeras Pharaoni ut educat me de isto carcere:

Only remember me when it goes well for you, and act with mercy toward me, so that you may speak to Pharao and bring me out of this prison;

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Tantum only ADV
2 memento remember V.2SG.FUT.IMP.ACT
3 mei of me PRON.PERS.GEN.SG
4 cum when CONJ
5 bene well ADV
6 tibi for you PRON.PERS.DAT.SG
7 fuerit it will go V.3SG.FUTPERF.IND.ACT
8 et and CONJ
9 facias you may do V.2SG.PRES.SUBJ.ACT
10 mecum with me PREP+PRON.ABL.SG
11 misericordiam kindness NOUN.ACC.SG.F
12 ut so that CONJ.PURPOSE
13 suggeras you may speak to V.2SG.PRES.SUBJ.ACT
14 Pharaoni to Pharaoh NOUN.DAT.SG.M
15 ut so that CONJ.PURPOSE
16 educat may bring out V.3SG.PRES.SUBJ.ACT
17 me me PRON.PERS.ACC.SG
18 de from PREP+ABL
19 isto this ADJ.DEM.ABL.SG.M
20 carcere prison NOUN.ABL.SG.M

Syntax

Clause 1:
Tantum memento mei — “Only remember me.”
• Verb: memento (future imperative)
• Object (genitive): mei
• Adverb: Tantum restricts the request.

Clause 2:
cum bene tibi fuerit — “when it goes well for you.”
• Conjunction: cum
• Verb: fuerit (future perfect)
• Adverb: bene
• Dative of reference: tibi

Clause 3:
et facias mecum misericordiam — “and act with mercy toward me.”
• Verb: facias (subjunctive of request)
• Object: misericordiam
• Phrase: mecum (“with me”)

Clause 4 (purpose):
ut suggeras Pharaoni — “so that you may speak to Pharaoh.”
• Verb: suggeras (present subjunctive)
• Indirect object: Pharaoni

Clause 5 (second purpose clause):
ut educat me de isto carcere — “so that he may bring me out of this prison.”
• Verb: educat (present subjunctive)
• Object: me
• Prepositional phrase: de isto carcere

Morphology

  1. Tantum — Lemma: tantum; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: restricts the request; Translation: “only”; Notes: Highlights Joseph’s minimal plea.
  2. memento — Lemma: memini; Part of Speech: defective verb; Form: 2nd person singular future imperative active; Function: main command; Translation: “remember”; Notes: Future imperative expresses a request for later fulfillment.
  3. mei — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: genitive singular; Function: genitive object of memento; Translation: “of me”; Notes: Standard object case with memini.
  4. cum — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: temporal clause marker; Translation: “when”; Notes: Introduces future-perfect event.
  5. bene — Lemma: bene; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies fuerit; Translation: “well”; Notes: Describes favorable circumstances.
  6. tibi — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: dative singular; Function: dative of reference; Translation: “for you”; Notes: Refers to the cupbearer after restoration.
  7. fuerit — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd singular future perfect indicative active; Function: verb of temporal clause; Translation: “it will have gone”; Notes: Future-perfect common in Latin for subsequent events.
  8. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: links clause; Translation: “and”; Notes: Joins second request.
  9. facias — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 2nd singular present subjunctive active; Function: jussive subjunctive; Translation: “you may act”; Notes: Subjunctive used for polite/softened command.
  10. mecum — Lemma: cum + ego; Part of Speech: preposition + pronoun; Form: ablative singular; Function: prepositional phrase; Translation: “with me”; Notes: Enclitic form typical in classical and post-classical Latin.
  11. misericordiam — Lemma: misericordia; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of facias; Translation: “kindness”; Notes: Conveys covenantal loyalty in biblical Latin.
  12. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces purpose clause; Translation: “so that”; Notes: Subjunctive-dependent.
  13. suggeras — Lemma: suggero; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 2nd singular present subjunctive active; Function: purpose verb; Translation: “you may speak to / you may bring to mind”; Notes: Often used for advising or petitioning a superior.
  14. Pharaoni — Lemma: Pharaō; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to Pharaoh”; Notes: Maintains consistency with earlier datives.
  15. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces second purpose clause; Translation: “so that”; Notes: Parallel to first purpose clause.
  16. educat — Lemma: educo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd singular present subjunctive active; Function: verb of purpose; Translation: “he may bring out”; Notes: Implied subject: Pharaoh.
  17. me — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: accusative singular; Function: object of educat; Translation: “me”; Notes: Refers to Joseph.
  18. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses motion out from; Translation: “from”; Notes: Standard ablative of separation.
  19. isto — Lemma: iste; Part of Speech: demonstrative adjective; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: modifies carcere; Translation: “this”; Notes: Indicates immediacy and disdain.
  20. carcere — Lemma: carcer; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of de; Translation: “prison”; Notes: Literal place of confinement.

 

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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