Genesis 40:6

Posted on February 9, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 40:6 ad quos cum introisset Ioseph mane, et vidisset eos tristes,

and when Joseph had gone in to them in the morning and had seen them sad,

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 ad to PREP+ACC
2 quos whom PRON.REL.ACC.PL.M
3 cum when CONJ
4 introisset he had entered V.3SG.PLUP.SUBJ.ACT
5 Ioseph Joseph NOUN.NOM.SG.M
6 mane in the morning ADV
7 et and CONJ
8 vidisset he had seen V.3SG.PLUP.SUBJ.ACT
9 eos them PRON.ACC.PL.M
10 tristes sad ADJ.ACC.PL.M

Syntax

Temporal cum-clause: cum introisset Ioseph mane — “when Yoseph had entered in the morning.”
Subject = Ioseph; verb = introisset (pluperfect subjunctive expressing prior time).

Coordinated action: et vidisset eos tristes — “and had seen them sad.”
“eos” = object; “tristes” = predicate adjective.

Prepositional phrase: ad quos — “to whom,” linking back to the two imprisoned officers.

Morphology

  1. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces quos; Translation: “to”; Notes: Indicates direction toward the two officials.
  2. quos — Lemma: quī; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object of ad, linking back to the cupbearer and baker; Translation: “whom”; Notes: Connects this sentence to the previous narrative.
  3. cum — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces temporal clause; Translation: “when”; Notes: Triggers subjunctive in a past-time circumstantial clause.
  4. introisset — Lemma: intrō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd singular pluperfect subjunctive active; Function: verb of temporal clause; Translation: “had entered”; Notes: Pluperfect expresses anterior time relative to main narrative past.
  5. Ioseph — Lemma: Ioseph; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of introisset and vidisset; Translation: “Joseph”; Notes: Hebrew proper name preserved in Latin form.
  6. mane — Lemma: manē; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: adverbial modifier of introisset; Translation: “in the morning”; Notes: Specifies time of Joseph’s entry.
  7. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: joins coordinated verbs; Translation: “and”; Notes: Connects temporal actions within the subordinate clause.
  8. vidisset — Lemma: videō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd singular pluperfect subjunctive active; Function: second verb in temporal cum-clause; Translation: “had seen”; Notes: Shares subject with introisset.
  9. eos — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: direct object of vidisset; Translation: “them”; Notes: Refers to the two imprisoned court officers.
  10. tristes — Lemma: trīstis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: predicate adjective with eos; Translation: “sad”; Notes: Indicates their emotional state after their troubling dreams.

 

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.