Genesis 40:5

Posted on February 9, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 40:5 Videruntque ambo somnium nocte una iuxta interpretationem congruam sibi:

And both of them saw a dream in the same night, each according to the interpretation suitable to him;

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Videruntque and they saw V.3PL.PERF.IND.ACT
2 ambo both ADJ.NOM.DU.M (used as NOM.PL.M)
3 somnium dream NOUN.ACC.SG.N
4 nocte in the night NOUN.ABL.SG.F
5 una one / same ADJ.ABL.SG.F
6 iuxta according to PREP+ACC
7 interpretationem interpretation NOUN.ACC.SG.F
8 congruam fitting / suitable ADJ.ACC.SG.F
9 sibi to them (each) PRON.DAT.SG/PL.REFL

Syntax

Main clause: Videruntque ambo somnium — “And both of them saw a dream.”
Subject = ambo, verb = viderunt, object = somnium.

Temporal phrase: nocte una — “in the same night.”

Prepositional phrase: iuxta interpretationem congruam sibi — “according to the interpretation suitable to each.”
“sibi” is reflexive, referring to each individual dreamer.

Morphology

  1. Videruntque — Lemma: videō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd plural perfect indicative active + enclitic -que; Function: main verb; Translation: “and they saw”; Notes: -que joins this clause to the previous narrative unit.
  2. ambo — Lemma: ambō; Part of Speech: adjective/pronominal; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “both”; Notes: Refers to the royal cupbearer and baker.
  3. somnium — Lemma: somnium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object; Translation: “dream”; Notes: Singular in Latin though each man’s dream differed.
  4. nocte — Lemma: nox; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: ablative of time; Translation: “in the night”; Notes: Ablative expresses when the action occurred.
  5. una — Lemma: ūnus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: modifies “nocte”; Translation: “one / same”; Notes: Indicates simultaneity.
  6. iuxta — Lemma: iuxtā; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces comparison; Translation: “according to”; Notes: Establishes correspondence between dream and interpretation.
  7. interpretationem — Lemma: interpretātiō; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of iuxta; Translation: “interpretation”; Notes: Refers to divinely guided meaning.
  8. congruam — Lemma: congruus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: modifies interpretationem; Translation: “suitable / fitting”; Notes: Stresses individualized significance of each dream.
  9. sibi — Lemma: sē; Part of Speech: reflexive pronoun; Form: dative singular/plural; Function: indirect object of congruam interpretationem; Translation: “to him / to each”; Notes: Reflexive within plural context: “each according to his own interpretation.”

 

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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