Genesis 37:5

Posted on February 6, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 37:5 Accidit quoque ut visum somnium referret fratribus suis: quæ causa maioris odii seminarium fuit.

It also happened that he told a dream he had seen to his brothers; and this was the seed of greater hatred.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Accidit it happened V.3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 quoque also ADV
3 ut that CONJ.SUBORD
4 visum seen PART.PERF.PASS.ACC.SG.N
5 somnium dream NOUN.ACC.SG.N
6 referret told V.3SG.IMPF.SUBJ.ACT
7 fratribus brothers NOUN.DAT.PL.M
8 suis his own PRON.POSS.DAT.PL.M
9 quæ which PRON.REL.NOM.SG.F
10 causa cause NOUN.NOM.SG.F
11 maioris greater ADJ.GEN.SG.N.COMPAR
12 odii of hatred NOUN.GEN.SG.N
13 seminarium seed NOUN.NOM.SG.N
14 fuit was V.3SG.PERF.ACT.IND

Syntax

Main Clause: Accidit quoque ut visum somnium referret fratribus suis —
The impersonal verb Accidit governs a substantive clause of result introduced by ut. The subjunctive referret expresses the occurrence of an event (“that he told a dream he had seen”). The participle visum modifies somnium as an attributive participle. The dative fratribus suis marks the indirect object (“to his brothers”).

Relative Clause: quæ causa maioris odii seminarium fuit —
The relative pronoun quæ refers to the entire preceding clause, functioning as the subject of fuit. The predicate nominative causa … seminarium forms a double apposition: “which (thing) was the cause and seed of greater hatred.” The genitive phrase maioris odii specifies the kind of hatred.

Morphology

  1. Accidit — Lemma: accidō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular perfect indicative active; Function: impersonal main verb; Translation: “it happened”; Notes: Common narrative opener introducing a consequential clause with ut.
  2. quoque — Lemma: quoque; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: adverbial modifier; Translation: “also”; Notes: Adds continuity from previous verse.
  3. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: subordinating conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces a substantive/result clause; Translation: “that”; Notes: Governs the subjunctive referret.
  4. visum — Lemma: videō; Part of Speech: participle; Form: accusative singular neuter, perfect passive; Function: modifies somnium; Translation: “seen”; Notes: From the perfect passive participle of videō; refers to the dream seen by Joseph.
  5. somnium — Lemma: somnium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object of referret; Translation: “dream”; Notes: Object of narration—Joseph’s visionary experience.
  6. referret — Lemma: referō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular imperfect subjunctive active; Function: verb in substantive clause after ut; Translation: “he told / reported”; Notes: Subjunctive used after impersonal accidit to indicate event occurrence.
  7. fratribus — Lemma: frāter; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative plural masculine; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to (his) brothers”; Notes: Marks recipients of the report.
  8. suis — Lemma: suus, -a, -um; Part of Speech: reflexive possessive adjective; Form: dative plural masculine; Function: modifies fratribus; Translation: “his own”; Notes: Reflexive to Joseph, emphasizing family ties.
  9. quæ — Lemma: quī, quae, quod; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject of fuit; Translation: “which”; Notes: Refers to the whole preceding event.
  10. causa — Lemma: causa; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: predicate nominative; Translation: “cause”; Notes: One of two predicate nouns linked by fuit.
  11. maioris — Lemma: magnus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: genitive singular neuter (comparative); Function: modifies odii; Translation: “greater”; Notes: Comparative expressing increase of hatred.
  12. odii — Lemma: odium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter; Function: genitive of description; Translation: “of hatred”; Notes: Specifies the emotion intensified by the dream.
  13. seminarium — Lemma: seminarium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: predicate nominative; Translation: “seed / source”; Notes: Figurative expression for origin or cause; paired with causa.
  14. fuit — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular perfect indicative active; Function: copula; Translation: “was”; Notes: Links subject quæ with predicate nouns causa and seminarium.

 

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.