Genesis 40:18

Posted on February 9, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 40:18 Respondit Ioseph: Hæc est interpretatio somnii: Tria canistra, tres adhuc dies sunt:

Joseph answered: “This is the interpretation of the dream: The three baskets 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.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 Tria three ADJ.NUM.NOM.PL.N
8 canistra baskets NOUN.NOM.PL.N
9 tres three ADJ.NUM.NOM.PL.M
10 adhuc 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 narrative)

Quoted statement:
Hæc est interpretatio somnii — “This is the interpretation of the dream.”
• Hæc = demonstrative pronoun, subject
• interpretatio = predicate nominative
• somnii = genitive dependent on “interpretation”

Main clause 2:
Tria canistra tres adhuc dies sunt — “The three baskets are three more days.”
• Tria canistra = subject (symbol)
• tres … dies = predicate nominative (interpretation)
• adhuc adds the nuance “yet remaining / still.”

Morphology

  1. Respondit — Lemma: respondeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd singular perfect active indicative; Function: main narrative verb; Translation: “answered”; Notes: Marks Joseph’s interpretive reply.
  2. Ioseph — Lemma: Ioseph; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of Respondit; Translation: “Joseph”; Notes: Hebrew name retained in Latin.
  3. Hæc — Lemma: hic; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject of est; Translation: “this”; Notes: Refers to the explanation to follow.
  4. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd singular present indicative active; Function: copula linking subject and predicate; Translation: “is”; Notes: Present tense introduces interpretive statement.
  5. interpretatio — Lemma: interpretatio; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: predicate nominative; Translation: “interpretation”; Notes: Technical term in dream interpretation.
  6. somnii — Lemma: somnium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter; Function: genitive dependent on interpretatio; Translation: “of the dream”; Notes: Specifies the object being explained.
  7. Tria — Lemma: tres; Part of Speech: numeral adjective; Form: nominative plural neuter; Function: modifies canistra; Translation: “three”; Notes: Neuter agrees with the noun class of canistrum.
  8. canistra — Lemma: canistrum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural neuter; Function: subject of sunt; Translation: “baskets”; Notes: Elements in the baker’s symbolic 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 here.
  10. adhuc — Lemma: adhuc; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: adds temporal nuance; Translation: “still / yet remaining”; Notes: Highlights imminence of outcome.
  11. dies — Lemma: dies; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: predicate nominative; Translation: “days”; Notes: Symbolic of time until the baker’s fate.
  12. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd plural present indicative active; Function: links symbol to interpretation; Translation: “are”; Notes: Standard copular statement in LXX/Vulgate dream interpretations.

 

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.