Genesis 39:7

Posted on February 8, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 39:7 Post multos itaque dies iniecit domina sua oculos suos in Ioseph, et ait: Dormi mecum.

And after many days, his mistress cast her eyes upon Joseph and said, “Sleep with me.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Post after PREP+ACC
2 multos many ADJ.ACC.PL.M
3 itaque therefore / accordingly CONJ.ADV
4 dies days NOUN.ACC.PL.M
5 iniecit cast / laid upon V.3SG.PERF.IND.ACT
6 domina mistress NOUN.NOM.SG.F
7 sua her ADJ.POSS.NOM.SG.F
8 oculos eyes NOUN.ACC.PL.M
9 suos her (own) ADJ.POSS.ACC.PL.M
10 in upon / on PREP+ACC
11 Ioseph Joseph NOUN.ACC.SG.M (proper)
12 et and CONJ
13 ait said V.3SG.PERF.IND.ACT
14 Dormi sleep V.2SG.IMPER.ACT
15 mecum with me PRON.PERS.ABL.SG.1 + PREP cum (enclitic)

Syntax

Temporal Phrase: Post multos itaque dies — prepositional phrase marking lapse of time (“after many days”). The adverbial itaque connects logically with previous context, signaling the next stage of narrative development.
Main Clause: iniecit domina sua oculos suos in Ioseph — the subject domina sua acts on oculos suos (“cast her eyes”), a Latin idiom expressing desire or lust. The verb iniecit takes the prepositional phrase in Ioseph to indicate the object of her gaze.
Speech Clause: et ait: Dormi mecum — direct speech with imperative dormi (“sleep”) followed by the prepositional pronoun mecum (“with me”). The juxtaposition intensifies the seduction scene with brevity and directness.

Morphology

  1. Post — Lemma: post; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: marks time following; Translation: “after”; Notes: Introduces elapsed period before the event.
  2. multos — Lemma: multus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: modifies dies; Translation: “many”; Notes: Accusative of duration with post.
  3. itaque — Lemma: itaque; Part of Speech: conjunction/adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces narrative continuation; Translation: “therefore / accordingly”; Notes: Common narrative connective in Vulgate prose.
  4. dies — Lemma: diēs; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object of post; Translation: “days”; Notes: Time period indicating delay before temptation.
  5. iniecit — Lemma: iniciō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular perfect indicative active; Function: main verb; Translation: “cast / fixed”; Notes: Literally “threw upon,” used metaphorically for directing gaze.
  6. domina — Lemma: domina; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject of iniecit; Translation: “mistress”; Notes: Refers to Putiphar’s wife.
  7. sua — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: reflexive possessive adjective; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: modifies domina; Translation: “her”; Notes: Reflects her ownership or relationship to the household.
  8. oculos — Lemma: oculus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: direct object of iniecit; Translation: “eyes”; Notes: Used idiomatically in expressions of desire.
  9. suos — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: reflexive possessive adjective; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: modifies oculos; Translation: “her own”; Notes: Emphasizes personal action of the subject.
  10. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses direction or focus; Translation: “upon / toward”; Notes: Marks the target of her attention.
  11. Ioseph — Lemma: Ioseph; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of in; Translation: “Joseph”; Notes: Central figure of the episode of temptation.
  12. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Function: coordinates clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Connects visual and verbal actions.
  13. ait — Lemma: aio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular perfect indicative active; Function: introduces direct speech; Translation: “said”; Notes: Common narrative verb of saying in Vulgate style.
  14. Dormi — Lemma: dormiō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 2nd person singular present imperative active; Function: command; Translation: “sleep”; Notes: Imperative expresses seduction with blunt immediacy.
  15. mecum — Lemma: cum + mē; Part of Speech: prepositional pronoun; Form: ablative singular 1st person; Function: complement of dormi; Translation: “with me”; Notes: The preposition cum encliticized to pronoun for emphasis.

 

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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