Genesis 37:6

Posted on February 6, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 37:6 Dixitque ad eos: Audite somnium meum quod vidi:

And he said to them: “Hear my dream which I have seen.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Dixitque and he said V.3SG.PERF.ACT.IND + ENCLITIC
2 ad to PREP+ACC
3 eos them PRON.PERS.ACC.PL.M
4 Audite hear V.2PL.PRES.ACT.IMP
5 somnium dream NOUN.ACC.SG.N
6 meum my PRON.POSS.ACC.SG.N
7 quod which PRON.REL.ACC.SG.N
8 vidi I saw V.1SG.PERF.ACT.IND

Syntax

Main Clause: Dixitque ad eos —
The verb Dixit (perfect indicative active) introduces direct speech, and the enclitic -que connects it to the preceding narrative. The prepositional phrase ad eos indicates the recipients (“to them”).

Direct Speech: Audite somnium meum quod vidi —
Imperative Audite calls the brothers to attention (“Hear my dream”). The noun phrase somnium meum serves as the object of Audite, and the relative clause quod vidi defines the dream as the one Joseph saw.

Morphology

  1. Dixitque — Lemma: dīcō + -que; Part of Speech: verb (+ enclitic conjunction); Form: 3rd person singular perfect indicative active; Function: main verb; Translation: “and he said”; Notes: The enclitic -que joins this clause to the narrative sequence; perfect tense marks completed action.
  2. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: indicates direction toward the object; Translation: “to”; Notes: Introduces the indirect object eos.
  3. eos — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object of preposition ad; Translation: “them”; Notes: Refers to Joseph’s brothers as listeners.
  4. Audite — Lemma: audiō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 2nd person plural present imperative active; Function: main verb of command; Translation: “hear”; Notes: Direct command inviting attention to the dream.
  5. somnium — Lemma: somnium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object of Audite; Translation: “dream”; Notes: The content being reported; often used in prophetic contexts.
  6. meum — Lemma: meus, -a, -um; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: modifies somnium; Translation: “my”; Notes: Expresses Joseph’s ownership of the dream experience.
  7. quod — Lemma: quī, quae, quod; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of vidi; Translation: “which”; Notes: Refers back to somnium introducing the defining clause.
  8. vidi — Lemma: videō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 1st person singular perfect indicative active; Function: verb of relative clause; Translation: “I saw”; Notes: Perfect tense marks completed vision; first-person emphasizes Joseph’s direct experience.

 

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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