Genesis 40:17

Posted on February 9, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 40:17 et in uno canistro quod erat excelsius, portare me omnes cibos qui fiunt arte pistoria, avesque comedere ex eo.

and in one basket that was higher, I was carrying all the foods that are made by the baker’s art, and the birds were eating from it.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 et and CONJ
2 in in PREP+ABL
3 uno one ADJ.ABL.SG.M
4 canistro basket NOUN.ABL.SG.M
5 quod which PRON.NOM.SG.N
6 erat was V.3SG.IMP.IND.ACT
7 excelsius higher ADJ.NOM.SG.N.COMP
8 portare to carry V.INF.PRES.ACT
9 me me PRON.ACC.SG
10 omnes all ADJ.ACC.PL.M
11 cibos foods NOUN.ACC.PL.M
12 qui which PRON.NOM.PL.M
13 fiunt are made V.3PL.PRES.IND.PASS
14 arte by the art NOUN.ABL.SG.F
15 pistoria baking ADJ.ABL.SG.F
16 avesque and birds NOUN.NOM.PL.F + ENCLITIC -QUE
17 comedere to eat V.INF.PRES.ACT
18 ex from PREP+ABL
19 eo it PRON.ABL.SG.N

Syntax

Main structure:
• et in uno canistro — prepositional phrase introducing location.
• quod erat excelsius — relative clause modifying canistro.
• portare me omnes cibos… — infinitive phrase giving the dream action “that I was carrying all the foods…”
• qui fiunt arte pistoria — relative clause describing the foods.
• avesque comedere ex eo — second infinitive phrase “and the birds were eating from it.”

Subjects and verbs:
• quod … erat → “which was higher”
• qui … fiunt → “which are made”
• infinitives portare and comedere describe dream actions without finite verbs.

Morphology

  1. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: links this dream detail to the previous sentence; Translation: “and”; Notes: Adds another component of the baker’s vision.
  2. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces location; Translation: “in”; Notes: Standard spatial preposition.
  3. uno — Lemma: unus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: modifies canistro; Translation: “one”; Notes: Identifies this basket as one of the set.
  4. canistro — Lemma: canistrum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of in; Translation: “basket”; Notes: One of the three baskets in the baker’s dream.
  5. quod — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: subject of erat; Translation: “which”; Notes: Agrees in gender with canistrum.
  6. erat — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd singular imperfect active indicative; Function: verb of the relative clause; Translation: “was”; Notes: Imperfect describes ongoing state.
  7. excelsius — Lemma: excelsus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative singular neuter comparative; Function: predicate adjective with erat; Translation: “higher”; Notes: Indicates the topmost basket.
  8. portare — Lemma: porto; Part of Speech: verb; Form: infinitive present active; Function: expresses action in dream; Translation: “to carry”; Notes: Dream narrative frequently uses infinitives.
  9. me — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular; Function: subject of infinitive; Translation: “me”; Notes: Accusative with infinitive construction.
  10. omnes — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: modifies cibos; Translation: “all”; Notes: Stresses completeness of baked goods.
  11. cibos — Lemma: cibus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object of portare; Translation: “foods”; Notes: Refers to baked goods.
  12. qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject of fiunt; Translation: “which”; Notes: Refers back to cibos.
  13. fiunt — Lemma: fio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd plural present indicative passive; Function: states how the foods are produced; Translation: “are made”; Notes: Passive of facere.
  14. arte — Lemma: ars; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: ablative of means; Translation: “by the art”; Notes: Instrumental ablative.
  15. pistoria — Lemma: pistorius; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: modifies arte; Translation: “of baking”; Notes: Specifies the culinary craft.
  16. avesque — Lemma: avis + que; Part of Speech: noun + enclitic; Form: nominative plural feminine; Function: subject of comedere; Translation: “and birds”; Notes: Enclitic -que joins clauses tightly.
  17. comedere — Lemma: comedo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: infinitive present active; Function: infinitive of reported dream action; Translation: “to eat”; Notes: Parallels infinitive portare.
  18. ex — Lemma: ex; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses origin; Translation: “from”; Notes: Indicates the direction of eating.
  19. eo — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: object of ex; Translation: “it”; Notes: Refers to the elevated basket.

 

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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