Genesis 40:12

Posted on February 9, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 40:12 Respondit Ioseph: Hæc est interpretatio somnii: Tres propagines, tres adhuc dies sunt:

Joseph answered: “This is the interpretation of the dream: The three branches are three more days;

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Respondit answered V.3SG.PERF.IND.ACT
2 Ioseph Joseph NOUN.NOM.SG.M
3 Hæc this PRON.DEM.NOM.SG.F
4 est is V.3SG.PRES.IND.ACT
5 interpretatio interpretation NOUN.NOM.SG.F
6 somnii of the dream NOUN.GEN.SG.N
7 Tres three ADJ.NUM.NOM.PL.F
8 propagines branches NOUN.NOM.PL.F
9 tres three ADJ.NUM.NOM.PL.M
10 adhuc yet / still ADV
11 dies days NOUN.NOM.PL.M
12 sunt are V.3PL.PRES.IND.ACT

Syntax

Main Clause 1:
Respondit Ioseph — “Joseph answered.”
• Subject: Ioseph
• Verb: Respondit (perfect, main narrative action)

Main Clause 2:
Hæc est interpretatio somnii — “This is the interpretation of the dream.”
• Subject: Hæc
• Verb: est
• Predicate Noun: interpretatio
• Genitive Modifier: somnii — “of the dream”

Clause 3 (Equative Prophecy Statement):
Tres propagines, tres adhuc dies sunt — “The three branches are three more days.”
• Subject: Tres propagines
• Complement: tres adhuc dies
• Verb: sunt
• Joseph directly equates the dream-symbol (branches) with duration (days).

Morphology

  1. Respondit — Lemma: respondeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular perfect indicative active; Function: main verb introducing Joseph’s speech; Translation: “answered”; Notes: Perfect tense marks completed narrative action.
  2. Ioseph — Lemma: Ioseph; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of respondit; Translation: “Joseph”; Notes: Name appears uninflected in Latin.
  3. Hæc — Lemma: hic, haec, hoc; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject of est; Translation: “this”; Notes: Refers to the forthcoming interpretation.
  4. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular present indicative active; Function: copula linking subject and predicate; Translation: “is”; Notes: Standard equative construction.
  5. interpretatio — Lemma: interpretatio; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: predicate nominative; Translation: “interpretation”; Notes: Defines the content of Joseph’s explanation.
  6. somnii — Lemma: somnium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter; Function: genitive of possession; Translation: “of the dream”; Notes: Specifies whose interpretation is given.
  7. Tres — Lemma: tres; Part of Speech: numeral adjective; Form: nominative plural feminine; Function: modifies propagines; Translation: “three”; Notes: Numeral agrees with feminine noun.
  8. propagines — Lemma: propagō; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural feminine; Function: subject of the symbolic statement; Translation: “branches”; Notes: Represents symbols in the dream.
  9. tres — Lemma: tres; Part of Speech: numeral adjective; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: modifies dies; Translation: “three”; Notes: Masculine because dies is masculine in plural.
  10. adhuc — Lemma: adhuc; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: temporal modifier; Translation: “still / yet / more”; Notes: Indicates remaining time.
  11. dies — Lemma: dies; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: complement of propagines; Translation: “days”; Notes: Serves as the real-world referent of the metaphor.
  12. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person plural present indicative active; Function: equative verb linking symbol and meaning; Translation: “are”; Notes: Establishes prophetic equivalence.

 

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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