Genesis 41:15

Posted on February 10, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 41:15 Cui ille ait: Vidi somnia, nec est qui edisserat: quæ audivi te sapientissime coniicere.

To whom he said: “I have seen dreams, and there is no one who can explain them; which I have heard that you most wisely interpret.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Cui to whom DAT.SG.M.REL
2 ille he NOM.SG.M
3 ait said 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
4 Vidi I saw 1SG.PERF.ACT.IND
5 somnia dreams ACC.PL.N
6 nec and not CONJ
7 est there is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
8 qui who NOM.SG.M.REL
9 edisserat may explain 3SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
10 quæ which NOM.PL.N.REL
11 audivi I have heard 1SG.PERF.ACT.IND
12 te you ACC.SG
13 sapientissime most wisely SUPERL.ADV
14 coniicere to interpret PRES.ACT.INF

Syntax

Relative clause opener: Cui — dative singular referring back to Joseph (“to whom”).
Main clause: ille ait — “he said,” introducing direct speech.
Direct speech clause 1: Vidi somnia — “I have seen dreams.”
Negative clause: nec est qui edisserat — a characteristic clause meaning “and there is no one who may explain them.”
Relative clause 2: quæ audivi te sapientissime coniicere — “which I have heard that you very wisely interpret,” with quæ referring to the dreams.

Morphology

  1. Cui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: indirect object of ait; Translation: “to whom”; Notes: refers to Joseph.
  2. ille — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “he”; Notes: Pharaoh speaking.
  3. ait — Lemma: aio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present active indicative; Function: verb introducing direct speech; Translation: “said”; Notes: defective verb commonly used in narrative dialogue.
  4. Vidi — Lemma: video; Part of Speech: verb; Form: first person singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb of direct speech; Translation: “I saw”; Notes: refers to earlier dream experiences.
  5. somnia — Lemma: somnium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: direct object; Translation: “dreams”; Notes: the content Pharaoh seeks interpreted.
  6. nec — Lemma: nec; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: negative coordinating conjunction; Function: negates following clause; Translation: “and not”; Notes: intensifies the absence of interpreters.
  7. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present active indicative; Function: existential verb; Translation: “there is”; Notes: introduces characteristic clause.
  8. qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: introduces relative clause of characteristic; Translation: “who”; Notes: generic rather than specific referent.
  9. edisserat — Lemma: edissero; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person present active subjunctive; Function: verb of characteristic clause; Translation: “may explain”; Notes: subjunctive expresses potential capacity.
  10. quæ — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative plural neuter; Function: subject of audivi clause; Translation: “which”; Notes: refers back to somnia.
  11. audivi — Lemma: audio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: first person singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb of relative clause; Translation: “I have heard”; Notes: refers to Pharaoh’s reports about Joseph.
  12. te — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular; Function: object of coniicere (indirect discourse); Translation: “you”; Notes: directly addresses Joseph.
  13. sapientissime — Lemma: sapiens; Part of Speech: adverb (superlative); Form: superlative adverb; Function: modifies coniicere; Translation: “most wisely”; Notes: expresses highest degree of skill.
  14. coniicere — Lemma: coniicio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active infinitive; Function: infinitive in indirect discourse; Translation: “to interpret”; Notes: captures Joseph’s ability to infer or discern meanings.

 

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.