Genesis 41:25

Posted on February 10, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 41:25 Respondit Ioseph: Somnium regis unum est: quæ facturus est Deus, ostendit Pharaoni.

Joseph answered: “The dream of the king is one; what God is going to do, He has shown to Pharao.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Respondit answered 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 Ioseph Joseph NOM.SG.M
3 Somnium the dream NOM.SG.N
4 regis of the king GEN.SG.M
5 unum one NOM.SG.N
6 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
7 quae what REL.PRON.NOM.PL.N (NEUTER USAGE)
8 facturus going to do NOM.SG.M.FUT.ACT.PTCP
9 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
10 Deus God NOM.SG.M
11 ostendit has shown 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
12 Pharaoni to Pharaoh DAT.SG.M

Syntax

First Clause:
Subject: Ioseph — the one responding.
Verb: Respondit — perfect indicative, main narrative action.
Object Clause: Somnium regis unum est
• Somnium — subject of the clause.
• regis — genitive modifier (“of the king”).
• unum — predicate nominative (“is one”).
• est — copula.

Second Clause:
quae facturus est Deus — “what God is going to do”
• quae — neuter relative pronoun referring to a fact/event.
• facturus est — periphrastic future (“is going to do”).
• Deus — subject of the periphrastic construction.

Main Clause:
ostendit Pharaoni — “He has shown to Pharaoh.”
• ostendit — perfect indicative.
• Pharaoni — dative of indirect object.

Morphology

  1. Respondit — Lemma: respondeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative third person singular; Function: main verb introducing Joseph’s speech; Translation: “answered”; Notes: perfect used narratively.
  2. Ioseph — Lemma: Ioseph; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of Respondit; Translation: “Joseph”; Notes: indeclinable name.
  3. Somnium — Lemma: somnium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: subject of est; Translation: “dream”; Notes: stands first in the explanation.
  4. regis — Lemma: rex; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: genitive of possession modifying Somnium; Translation: “of the king”; Notes: refers to Pharaoh.
  5. unum — Lemma: unus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: predicate nominative; Translation: “one”; Notes: emphasizes unified meaning of two dreams.
  6. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative third person singular; Function: linking verb; Translation: “is”; Notes: simple copula.
  7. quae — Lemma: qui, quae, quod; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative plural neuter (used substantively); Function: introduces a relative clause referring to the events God will do; Translation: “what”; Notes: neuter plural often expresses abstract events.
  8. facturus — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular masculine future active participle; Function: predicate within the periphrastic future; Translation: “going to do”; Notes: indicates intention or future action.
  9. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative third person singular; Function: auxiliary in periphrastic future; Translation: “is”; Notes: helps form Latin future periphrastic.
  10. Deus — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of facturus est; Translation: “God”; Notes: Joseph attributes meaning to divine action.
  11. ostendit — Lemma: ostendo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative third person singular; Function: main verb of second clause; Translation: “has shown”; Notes: perfect indicates a completed revelation.
  12. Pharaoni — Lemma: Pharao; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: indirect object of ostendit; Translation: “to Pharaoh”; Notes: recipient of divine revelation.

 

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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