Genesis 40:20

Posted on February 9, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 40:20 Exinde dies tertius natalitius Pharaonis erat: qui faciens grande convivium pueris suis, recordatus est inter epulas magistri pincernarum, et pistorum principis.

Then it was the third day, the birthday of Pharao; and making a great feast for his servants, he remembered in the midst of the banquet the chief of the cupbearers and the chief of the bakers.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Exinde then / thereafter ADV
2 dies day NOUN.NOM.SG.M
3 tertius third ADJ.NOM.SG.M
4 natalitius birthday ADJ.NOM.SG.M
5 Pharaonis of Pharaoh NOUN.GEN.SG.M
6 erat was V.3SG.IMP.IND.ACT
7 qui who PRON.NOM.SG.M
8 faciens making V.PRES.ACT.PTCP.NOM.SG.M
9 grande great ADJ.ACC.SG.N
10 convivium feast NOUN.ACC.SG.N
11 pueris for his servants NOUN.DAT.PL.M
12 suis his ADJ.POSS.DAT.PL.M
13 recordatus having remembered V.PPP.NOM.SG.M
14 est was V.3SG.PERF.IND.ACT
15 inter among PREP+ACC
16 epulas feasts / banqueting NOUN.ACC.PL.F
17 magistri of the chief NOUN.GEN.SG.M
18 pincernarum of the cupbearers NOUN.GEN.PL.F
19 et and CONJ
20 pistorum of the bakers NOUN.GEN.PL.M
21 principis of the chief NOUN.GEN.SG.M

Syntax

Main temporal frame:
Exinde dies tertius natalitius Pharaonis erat — “Then it was the third day, the birthday of Pharaoh.”
• Subject: dies tertius natalitius Pharaonis
• Verb: erat

Relative clause modifying Pharaoh:
qui faciens grande convivium pueris suis — “who, making a great feast for his servants…”
• faciens = circumstantial participle
• convivium = object
• pueris suis = indirect object (“for his servants”)

Main action:
recordatus est — “he remembered”
• Subject: Pharaoh (implied from relative clause)

Object of remembrance:
inter epulas magistri pincernarum et pistorum principis
Meaning: “the chief of the cupbearers and the chief of the bakers.”

Morphology

  1. Exinde — Lemma: exinde; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: temporal marker; Translation: “then / thereafter”; Notes: Links this event to the prophecy’s fulfillment.
  2. dies — Lemma: dies; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “day”; Notes: Acts as the main subject of the sentence.
  3. tertius — Lemma: tertius; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: modifies dies; Translation: “third”; Notes: Indicates the day when Joseph’s interpretation would be fulfilled.
  4. natalitius — Lemma: natalitius; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: further modifies dies; Translation: “birthday”; Notes: Special celebratory day for Pharaoh.
  5. Pharaonis — Lemma: Pharao; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessive; Translation: “of Pharaoh”; Notes: Specifies whose birthday.
  6. erat — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd singular imperfect indicative active; Function: main verb; Translation: “was”; Notes: Imperfect describing ongoing state.
  7. qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: introduces relative clause referring to Pharaoh; Translation: “who”; Notes: Agrees with masculine subject.
  8. faciens — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: participle; Form: present active participle nominative singular masculine; Function: describes Pharaoh’s action during the feast; Translation: “making”; Notes: Marks simultaneous action.
  9. grande — Lemma: grandis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: modifies convivium; Translation: “great”; Notes: Indicates scale of celebration.
  10. convivium — Lemma: convivium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of faciens; Translation: “feast”; Notes: Regular word for banquet festivities.
  11. pueris — Lemma: puer; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative plural masculine; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to his servants”; Notes: “Pueri” means attendants/servants in courtly context.
  12. suis — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: dative plural masculine; Function: modifies pueris; Translation: “his”; Notes: Reflexive adjective referring to Pharaoh.
  13. recordatus — Lemma: recordor; Part of Speech: verb (deponent participle); Form: perfect participle nominative singular masculine; Function: governs est to form perfect; Translation: “having remembered”; Notes: Marks sudden recollection.
  14. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: auxiliary verb; Form: 3rd singular perfect indicative; Function: completes deponent perfect; Translation: “(he) was”; Notes: Forms periphrastic perfect with recordatus.
  15. inter — Lemma: inter; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses “among / during”; Translation: “in the midst of”; Notes: Common in festive imagery.
  16. epulas — Lemma: epula; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: object of inter; Translation: “banquets / feasting”; Notes: Often plural in Latin for feast activity.
  17. magistri — Lemma: magister; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessive genitive; Translation: “of the chief”; Notes: Introduces the first official remembered.
  18. pincernarum — Lemma: pincerna; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural feminine; Function: dependent on magistri; Translation: “of the cupbearers”; Notes: High-ranking role at court.
  19. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: links two genitive phrases; Translation: “and”; Notes: Equal weight to both officials.
  20. pistorum — Lemma: pistor; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: first part of second genitive unit; Translation: “of the bakers”; Notes: Parallels pincernarum.
  21. principis — Lemma: princeps; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: modifies pistorum; Translation: “of the chief”; Notes: Refers specifically to the chief baker.

 

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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