Genesis 41:14

Posted on February 10, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 41;14 Protinus ad regis imperium eductum de carcere Ioseph totonderunt: ac veste mutata, obtulerunt ei.

Immediately, at the king’s command, Joseph was brought out from the prison; and they shaved him, and when his clothing had been changed, they presented him to him.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Protinus immediately ADV
2 ad at PREP+ACC
3 regis of the king GEN.SG.M
4 imperium command ACC.SG.N
5 eductum brought out ACC.SG.M.PERF.PASS.PTCP
6 de from PREP+ABL
7 carcere prison ABL.SG.M
8 Ioseph Joseph ACC.SG.M
9 tondenderunt they shaved 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
10 ac and CONJ
11 veste with clothing ABL.SG.F
12 mutata changed ABL.SG.F.PERF.PASS.PTCP
13 obtulerunt they presented 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
14 ei to him DAT.SG.M

Syntax

Adverbial modifier: Protinus emphasizes the immediacy of the action.
Prepositional phrase: ad regis imperium — “at the king’s command,” expresses cause/motivation.
Participial phrase: eductum … Ioseph — object participle construction meaning “Joseph having been brought out.”
Verb 1: tonderunt — “they shaved,” primary action after Joseph’s release.
Ablative absolute: veste mutata — “when his clothing had been changed,” temporal clause.
Verb 2: obtulerunt — “they presented (him),” final action.
Dative complement: ei — indirect object, “to him,” referring to the king.

Morphology

  1. Protinus — Lemma: protinus; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: adverb; Function: modifies the entire clause; Translation: “immediately”; Notes: marks urgency.
  2. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses accordance; Translation: “at”; Notes: links the king’s command to the actions taken.
  3. regis — Lemma: rex; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: dependent genitive; Translation: “of the king”; Notes: refers to Pharaoh.
  4. imperium — Lemma: imperium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of ad; Translation: “command”; Notes: expresses authority.
  5. eductum — Lemma: educo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: accusative singular masculine perfect passive participle; Function: modifies Ioseph; Translation: “brought out”; Notes: marks release from prison.
  6. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses motion from; Translation: “from”; Notes: standard ablative usage.
  7. carcere — Lemma: carcer; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of de; Translation: “prison”; Notes: indicates origin.
  8. Ioseph — Lemma: Ioseph; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of eductum; Translation: “Joseph”; Notes: central figure.
  9. tondenderunt — Lemma: tondeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural perfect active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: “they shaved”; Notes: preparation before appearing before Pharaoh.
  10. ac — Lemma: ac; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links actions; Translation: “and”; Notes: slightly stronger than et.
  11. veste — Lemma: vestis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: part of ablative absolute; Translation: “with clothing”; Notes: ceremonial change of clothing.
  12. mutata — Lemma: muto; Part of Speech: participle; Form: ablative singular feminine perfect passive participle; Function: ablative absolute; Translation: “changed”; Notes: marks completed preparation.
  13. obtulerunt — Lemma: offereo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural perfect active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: “they presented”; Notes: indicates formal presentation to Pharaoh.
  14. ei — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to him”; Notes: refers to Pharaoh.

 

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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