Genesis 41:24

Posted on February 10, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

24 quæ priorum pulchritudinem devoraverunt. Narravi coniectoribus somnium, et nemo est qui edisserat.

which devoured the beauty of the former ears. I told the dream to the interpreters, and there is no one who could explain it.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 quae which REL.PRON.NOM.PL.F
2 priorum of the former GEN.PL.N
3 pulchritudinem beauty ACC.SG.F
4 devoraverunt devoured 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
5 Narravi I told 1SG.PERF.ACT.IND
6 coniectoribus to the interpreters DAT.PL.M
7 somnium dream ACC.SG.N
8 et and CONJ
9 nemo no one NOM.SG.M/INVAR
10 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
11 qui who REL.PRON.NOM.SG.M
12 edisserat might explain 3SG.IMPFT.ACT.SUBJ

Syntax

Relative Clause:
quae — subject referring to the thin ears.
Verb: devoraverunt — “devoured.”
Object: pulchritudinem — “beauty.”
Genitive Modifier: priorum — “of the former (ears).”

Main Clause:
Verb: Narravi — “I told.”
Indirect Object: coniectoribus — “to the interpreters.”
Object: somnium — “dream.”

Second Main Clause:
Subject: nemo — “no one.”
Verb: est — “is.”
Relative Clause: qui edisserat — “who might explain it.”
• qui — relative pronoun, nominative
• edisserat — imperfect subjunctive, expressing potential/attempted capability within the relative clause

Morphology

  1. quae — Lemma: qui, quae, quod; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative plural feminine; Function: subject referring to the seven thin ears; Translation: “which”; Notes: links the new clause to the damaged ears.
  2. priorum — Lemma: prior; Part of Speech: adjective used substantively; Form: genitive plural neuter; Function: modifies pulchritudinem by specifying whose beauty; Translation: “of the former”; Notes: refers to the first group of healthy ears.
  3. pulchritudinem — Lemma: pulchritudo; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object of devoraverunt; Translation: “beauty”; Notes: the quality lost due to the blighted ears.
  4. devoraverunt — Lemma: devoro; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative third person plural; Function: main verb of the relative clause; Translation: “devoured”; Notes: perfect expresses completed action.
  5. Narravi — Lemma: narro; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative first person singular; Function: main verb of new clause; Translation: “I told”; Notes: introduces Pharaoh’s attempt to seek interpretation.
  6. coniectoribus — Lemma: coniector; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative plural masculine; Function: indirect object of Narravi; Translation: “to the interpreters”; Notes: refers to Egyptian dream-interpreters.
  7. somnium — Lemma: somnium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object of Narravi; Translation: “dream”; Notes: same dream as prior clauses.
  8. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: joins clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: simple conjunction.
  9. nemo — Lemma: nemo; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative singular; Function: subject of est; Translation: “no one”; Notes: compound form from ne + homo.
  10. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative third person singular; Function: main verb of existential statement; Translation: “is”; Notes: expresses lack of qualified interpreter.
  11. qui — Lemma: qui, quae, quod; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: introduces relative clause modifying nemo; Translation: “who”; Notes: masculine by grammatical convention.
  12. edisserat — Lemma: edissero; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperfect active subjunctive third person singular; Function: verb of relative clause of characteristic; Translation: “might explain”; Notes: imperfect subjunctive shows potential capability, not actual action.

 

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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