Genesis 41:6

Posted on February 10, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 41:6 aliæ quoque totidem spicæ tenues, et percussæ uredine oriebantur,

other ears also, the same number, thin and struck by blight, were arising,

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 aliæ other ADJ.NOM.PL.F
2 quoque also ADV
3 totidem the same number PRON.INDECL
4 spicæ ears (of grain) NOUN.NOM.PL.F
5 tenues thin ADJ.NOM.PL.F
6 et and CONJ
7 percussæ struck V.PTCP.PERF.NOM.PL.F
8 uredine by blight NOUN.ABL.SG.F
9 oriebantur were arising V.3PL.IMPF.IND.DEP

Syntax

Main clause (dream sequence):
aliæ quoque totidem spicæ tenues et percussæ uredine oriebantur —
“other ears also, the same number, thin and struck by blight, were arising.”

• Subject: aliæ … spicæ (feminine plural).
• Verb: oriebantur (deponent imperfect).
• Predicate adjectives: tenues, percussæ uredine.
• uredine: ablative of instrument or cause.

Morphology

  1. aliæ — Lemma: alius; Part of Speech: adjective/pronoun; Form: nominative plural feminine; Function: subject; Translation: “other”; Notes: Refers to a second set of ears parallel to the first seven.
  2. quoque — Lemma: quoque; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: adds emphasis (“also”); Translation: “also”; Notes: Indicates parallelism in the dream.
  3. totidem — Lemma: totidem; Part of Speech: indeclinable pronoun/adjective; Form: indeclinable; Function: quantifier; Translation: “the same number”; Notes: Equals “seven,” mirroring the earlier spicæ.
  4. spicæ — Lemma: spica; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural feminine; Function: subject (along with aliæ); Translation: “ears (of grain)”; Notes: Agricultural imagery consistent with Egyptian dreams.
  5. tenues — Lemma: tenuis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative plural feminine; Function: predicate adjective; Translation: “thin”; Notes: Describes famine imagery.
  6. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: links predicate adjectives; Translation: “and”; Notes: Coordination of descriptors.
  7. percussæ — Lemma: percutio (ppp: percussus); Part of Speech: verb participle; Form: perfect participle nominative plural feminine; Function: predicate adjective; Translation: “struck”; Notes: Functions adjectivally describing condition.
  8. uredine — Lemma: uredinis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: ablative of instrument/cause; Translation: “by blight / rust”; Notes: Refers to fungal crop disease common in ancient Near East.
  9. oriebantur — Lemma: orior; Part of Speech: deponent verb; Form: 3rd plural imperfect indicative (passive form, active meaning); Function: main verb; Translation: “were arising”; Notes: Deponent: passive form, active meaning; imperfect fits dream narration.

 

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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