Genesis 40:19

Posted on February 9, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 40:19 post quos auferet Pharao caput tuum, ac suspendet te in cruce, et lacerabunt volucres carnes tuas.

after which Pharao will take away your head, and he will hang you on a cross, and the birds will tear your flesh.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 post after PREP+ACC
2 quos which PRON.ACC.PL.M
3 auferet will take away V.3SG.FUT.IND.ACT
4 Pharao Pharaoh NOUN.NOM.SG.M
5 caput head NOUN.ACC.SG.N
6 tuum your ADJ.POSS.ACC.SG.N
7 ac and CONJ
8 suspendet will hang V.3SG.FUT.IND.ACT
9 te you PRON.ACC.SG
10 in on / upon PREP+ABL
11 cruce cross NOUN.ABL.SG.F
12 et and CONJ
13 lacerabunt will tear V.3PL.FUT.IND.ACT
14 volucres birds NOUN.NOM.PL.F
15 carnes flesh NOUN.ACC.PL.F
16 tuas your ADJ.POSS.ACC.PL.F

Syntax

Temporal phrase:
post quos — “after which,” referring to the three days previously mentioned.

Main clause 1:
Pharao auferet caput tuum
• Subject: Pharao
• Verb: auferet (future)
• Object: caput tuum (“your head”)
Meaning: execution by beheading.

Main clause 2:
suspendet te in cruce
• Verb: suspendet
• Object: te
• Prepositional phrase: in cruce
Meaning: “will hang you on a cross/pole,” a Near Eastern post-execution practice.

Main clause 3:
lacerabunt volucres carnes tuas
• Subjects: volucres
• Verb: lacerabunt
• Object: carnes tuas
Meaning: “birds will tear your flesh.”

Morphology

  1. post — Lemma: post; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces temporal reference; Translation: “after”; Notes: Refers back to the three-day period.
  2. quos — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object of post; Translation: “which”; Notes: Masculine because it refers to dies.
  3. auferet — Lemma: aufero; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd singular future active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: “will take away”; Notes: Describes execution by removal of the head.
  4. Pharao — Lemma: Pharao; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “Pharaoh”; Notes: Title of the Egyptian king.
  5. caput — Lemma: caput; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object; Translation: “head”; Notes: Literal physical head, removed in execution.
  6. tuum — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: modifies caput; Translation: “your”; Notes: Direct address to the chief baker.
  7. ac — Lemma: ac; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: links clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Slightly stronger connective than et.
  8. suspendet — Lemma: suspendo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd singular future active indicative; Function: verb of second clause; Translation: “will hang”; Notes: Refers to post-execution exposure on a stake or cross.
  9. te — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular; Function: direct object; Translation: “you”; Notes: Addressing the baker.
  10. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces location; Translation: “on / upon”; Notes: Spatial.
  11. cruce — Lemma: crux; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of in; Translation: “cross”; Notes: Not the Roman crucifixion sense here, but impalement/exposure.
  12. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: links third clause; Translation: “and”; Notes: Smooth transition.
  13. lacerabunt — Lemma: lacero; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd plural future active indicative; Function: verb of third clause; Translation: “they will tear”; Notes: Violent aftermath of impalement.
  14. volucres — Lemma: volucris; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural feminine; Function: subject of lacerabunt; Translation: “birds”; Notes: Typically carrion birds.
  15. carnes — Lemma: caro; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: direct object; Translation: “flesh”; Notes: Physical body being torn.
  16. tuas — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: modifies carnes; Translation: “your”; Notes: Intensifies personal judgment declared by Joseph.

 

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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