Genesis 40:9

Posted on February 9, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 40:9 Narravit prior, præpositus pincernarum, somnium suum: Videbam coram me vitem,

The chief cupbearer told his dream first: “I was seeing before me a vine,

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Narravit told V.3SG.PERF.IND.ACT
2 prior first ADJ.NOM.SG.M
3 praepositus chief NOUN.NOM.SG.M
4 pincernarum of the cupbearers NOUN.GEN.PL.M
5 somnium dream NOUN.ACC.SG.N
6 suum his ADJ.POSS.ACC.SG.N
7 Vinebam I was seeing V.1SG.IMP.IND.ACT
8 coram before PREP+ABL
9 me me PRON.ABL.SG
10 vitem a vine NOUN.ACC.SG.F

Syntax

Main clause: Narravit prior praepositus pincernarum somnium suum — “The chief cupbearer told his dream first.”
Subject = praepositus pincernarum; verb = Narravit; object = somnium suum.

Second clause (vision report): Vinebam coram me vitem — “I was seeing a vine before me.”
Subject implied (“I”); coram me is spatial phrase; vitem is object.

Morphology

  1. Narravit — Lemma: narrō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd singular perfect indicative active; Function: main verb; Translation: “told”; Notes: Introduces the butler’s dream report.
  2. prior — Lemma: prior; Part of Speech: comparative adjective; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: adjectival modifier of praepositus; Translation: “first”; Notes: Shows order of the two prisoners’ reports.
  3. praepositus — Lemma: praepositus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “chief”; Notes: Means “chief attendant,” specifically cupbearer here.
  4. pincernarum — Lemma: pincerna; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: possessive genitive modifying praepositus; Translation: “of the cupbearers”; Notes: Indicates rank: overseer of cupbearers.
  5. somnium — Lemma: somnium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object; Translation: “dream”; Notes: The dream to be interpreted by Yoseph.
  6. suum — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: modifies somnium; Translation: “his”; Notes: Reflexive, referring to the cupbearer.
  7. Vinebam — Lemma: videō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 1st singular imperfect indicative active; Function: verb of subordinate clause; Translation: “I was seeing”; Notes: Imperfect expresses ongoing visual perception.
  8. coram — Lemma: coram; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces spatial relation; Translation: “before”; Notes: Indicates immediate visual presence in the dream.
  9. me — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: ablative singular; Function: object of coram; Translation: “me”; Notes: Refers to the dreamer himself.
  10. vitem — Lemma: vītis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object of Vinebam; Translation: “a vine”; Notes: The essential symbolic element of the butler’s dream.

 

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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