Genesis 41:21

Posted on February 10, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 41:21 nullum saturitatis dedere vestigium: sed simili macie et squalore torpebant. Evigilans, rursus sopore depressus,

they gave no trace of fullness, but in similar leanness and filthiness they were sluggish. Waking up, being again pressed down by sleep,

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 nullum no ACC.SG.N
2 saturitatis of fullness GEN.SG.F
3 dedere gave 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
4 vestigium trace ACC.SG.N
5 sed but CONJ
6 simili similar ABL.SG.F
7 macie leanness ABL.SG.F
8 et and CONJ
9 squalore filthiness ABL.SG.M
10 torpebant they were sluggish 3PL.IMPFT.ACT.IND
11 Evigilans waking PRES.ACT.PTCP.NOM.SG.M
12 rursus again ADV
13 sopore by sleep ABL.SG.M
14 depressus pressed down P.P.P.NOM.SG.M

Syntax

Main clause:
Subject (implied): the deformed cows.
Verb: dedere — “gave.”
Object: nullum vestigium — “no trace,” further specified by saturitatis, “of fullness.”

Adversative clause:
sed introduces contrast.
Predicate: torpebant — “they were sluggish.”
Ablatives of description: simili macie et squalore — characterizing their condition.

Temporal–narrative shift:
Evigilans — circumstantial participle introducing a new scene (“waking up”).
depressus sopore — passive participle + ablative of cause (“pressed down by sleep”), forming a secondary circumstance.

Morphology

  1. nullum — Lemma: nullus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: modifies vestigium; Translation: “no”; Notes: negative adjective used substantively.
  2. saturitatis — Lemma: saturitas; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: genitive of quality; Translation: “of fullness”; Notes: defines the kind of trace missing.
  3. dedere — Lemma: do; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative third person plural; Function: main verb; Translation: “gave”; Notes: alternate form for “dederunt.”
  4. vestigium — Lemma: vestigium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object of dedere; Translation: “trace”; Notes: object of the negated statement.
  5. sed — Lemma: sed; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: introduces contrast; Translation: “but”; Notes: strong adversative.
  6. simili — Lemma: similis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: ablative of description; Translation: “similar”; Notes: paired with macie.
  7. macie — Lemma: macies; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: ablative of description; Translation: “leanness”; Notes: describes physical condition.
  8. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links ablatives; Translation: “and”; Notes: additive.
  9. squalore — Lemma: squalor; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: ablative of description; Translation: “filthiness”; Notes: emphasizes neglect or disease.
  10. torpebant — Lemma: torpeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperfect active indicative third person plural; Function: main verb of the second clause; Translation: “they were sluggish”; Notes: imperfect describes ongoing condition.
  11. Evigilans — Lemma: evigilo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: present active participle nominative singular masculine; Function: circumstantial participle referring to the dreamer; Translation: “waking”; Notes: shifts narrative to Pharaoh’s experience.
  12. rursus — Lemma: rursus; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: temporal modifier; Translation: “again”; Notes: introduces repeated action.
  13. sopore — Lemma: sopor; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: ablative of cause; Translation: “by sleep”; Notes: shows what presses him down.
  14. depressus — Lemma: deprimo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular masculine perfect passive participle; Function: predicate to Evigilans; Translation: “pressed down”; Notes: describes Pharaoh’s sinking back into sleep.

 

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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