Genesis 40:8

Posted on February 9, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 40:8 Qui responderunt: Somnium vidimus, et non est qui interpretetur nobis. Dixitque ad eos Ioseph: Numquid non Dei est interpretatio? referte mihi quid videritis.

They answered: “We have seen a dream, and there is no one who may interpret it for us.” And Joseph said to them: “Is not the interpretation God’s? Tell me what you have seen.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Qui who PRON.REL.NOM.PL.M
2 responderunt answered V.3PL.PERF.IND.ACT
3 Somnium dream NOUN.ACC.SG.N
4 vidimus we have seen V.1PL.PERF.IND.ACT
5 et and CONJ
6 non not ADV
7 est there is V.3SG.PRES.IND.ACT
8 qui who PRON.REL.NOM.SG.M
9 interpretetur may interpret V.3SG.PRES.SUBJ.DEP
10 nobis for us PRON.DAT.PL
11 Dixitque and he said V.3SG.PERF.IND.ACT + -QUE
12 ad to PREP+ACC
13 eos them PRON.ACC.PL.M
14 Ioseph Joseph NOUN.NOM.SG.M
15 Numquid is it not? ADV.INTERROG
16 non not ADV
17 Dei of God NOUN.GEN.SG.M
18 est is V.3SG.PRES.IND.ACT
19 interpretatio interpretation NOUN.NOM.SG.F
20 referte tell V.2PL.PRES.IMP.ACT
21 mihi to me PRON.DAT.SG
22 quid what PRON.INTERROG.ACC.SG.N
23 videritis you have seen V.2PL.PERF.SUBJ.ACT

Syntax

Main clause: Qui responderunt — “Who answered.”
Relative pronoun connects back to the two officials.

Direct speech clause: Somnium vidimus — “We have seen a dream.”

Negative clause: et non est qui interpretetur nobis — “and there is no one who may interpret it for us.”
— qui interpretetur = relative clause of characteristic.

Second speech clause: Dixitque ad eos Ioseph — “And Yoseph said to them.”

Rhetorical question: Numquid non Dei est interpretatio? — “Is not the interpretation God’s?”

Command: referte mihi quid videritis — “tell me what you have seen.”

Morphology

  1. Qui — Lemma: quī; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject of responderunt; Translation: “who”; Notes: Refers to the cupbearer and baker.
  2. responderunt — Lemma: respondeō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd plural perfect indicative active; Function: main verb; Translation: “answered”; Notes: Continues narrative past.
  3. Somnium — Lemma: somnium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of vidimus; Translation: “dream”; Notes: Singular referring to each man’s respective dream.
  4. vidimus — Lemma: videō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 1st plural perfect indicative active; Function: main verb of speech; Translation: “we have seen”; Notes: Refers to both men’s dreams.
  5. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: links clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Standard connective.
  6. non — Lemma: nōn; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: negation; Translation: “not”; Notes: Negates existence of an interpreter.
  7. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd singular present indicative; Function: verb of existential clause; Translation: “there is”; Notes: Used idiomatically for existence.
  8. qui — Lemma: quī; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of interpretetur; Translation: “who”; Notes: Relative clause of characteristic after negative.
  9. interpretetur — Lemma: interpretō; Part of Speech: deponent verb; Form: 3rd singular present subjunctive; Function: verb of relative clause; Translation: “may interpret”; Notes: Subjunctive expresses potential rather than factual interpreter.
  10. nobis — Lemma: nōs; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative plural; Function: indirect object; Translation: “for us”; Notes: Indicates the ones needing interpretation.
  11. Dixitque — Lemma: dīcō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative + enclitic -que; Function: main verb introducing new speech; Translation: “and he said”; Notes: -que connects tightly to previous sentence.
  12. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces indirect object; Translation: “to”; Notes: Direction toward the two prisoners.
  13. eos — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object of ad; Translation: “them”; Notes: The dreamers.
  14. Ioseph — Lemma: Ioseph; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of Dixit; Translation: “Joseph”; Notes: Speaker in second clause.
  15. Numquid — Lemma: numquid; Part of Speech: interrogative particle; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces rhetorical question expecting “yes”; Translation: “is it not?”; Notes: Strengthens Joseph’s assertion.
  16. non — Lemma: nōn; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: negates predicate; Translation: “not”; Notes: Part of rhetorical emphasis.
  17. Dei — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessive genitive; Translation: “of God”; Notes: Shows divine ownership of interpretation.
  18. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd singular present indicative; Function: copula; Translation: “is”; Notes: Links subject and predicate.
  19. interpretatio — Lemma: interpretātiō; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject of est; Translation: “interpretation”; Notes: Focus of Joseph’s theological point.
  20. referte — Lemma: referō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 2nd plural present imperative active; Function: command; Translation: “tell”; Notes: Joseph commands them to recount the dreams.
  21. mihi — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to me”; Notes: Joseph becomes intermediary interpreter.
  22. quid — Lemma: quid; Part of Speech: interrogative pronoun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of videritis; Translation: “what”; Notes: Introduces indirect question.
  23. videritis — Lemma: videō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 2nd plural perfect subjunctive active; Function: verb of indirect question; Translation: “you have seen”; Notes: Subjunctive required by indirect question introduced by quid.

 

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.