Genesis 41:22

Posted on February 10, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 41:22 vidi somnium: Septem spicæ pullulabant in culmo uno plenæ atque pulcherrimæ.

I saw a dream: Seven ears were sprouting on one stalk, full and very beautiful.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 vidi I saw 1SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 somnium dream ACC.SG.N
3 Septem seven NUM.INVAR
4 spicae ears (of grain) NOM.PL.F
5 pullulabant were sprouting 3PL.IMPFT.ACT.IND
6 in in PREP+ABL
7 culmo stalk ABL.SG.M
8 uno one ABL.SG.M
9 plenae full NOM.PL.F
10 atque and also CONJ
11 pulcherrimae very beautiful NOM.PL.F.SUPERL

Syntax

Main Clause 1:
Subject: (implicit “I”)
Verb: vidi — “I saw.”
Object: somnium — the dream itself.

Main Clause 2 (content of the dream):
Subject: Septem spicae — seven ears of grain.
Verb: pullulabant — “were sprouting,” imperfect expressing continuous action in the dream.
Prepositional Phrase: in culmo uno — “on one stalk,” ablative of place.
Predicates:
• plenae — “full,” nominative plural modifying spicae.
• pulcherrimae — “most beautiful,” superlative strengthening the description.
• atque — adds the intensive second predicate.

Morphology

  1. vidi — Lemma: video; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative first person singular; Function: main verb introducing the dream; Translation: “I saw”; Notes: perfect used for completed perception.
  2. somnium — Lemma: somnium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object of vidi; Translation: “dream”; Notes: typical object of verbs of seeing.
  3. Septem — Lemma: septem; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies spicae; Translation: “seven”; Notes: standard Latin cardinal number.
  4. spicae — Lemma: spica; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural feminine; Function: subject of pullulabant; Translation: “ears (of grain)”; Notes: feminine first-declension noun.
  5. pullulabant — Lemma: pullulo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperfect active indicative third person plural; Function: describes ongoing sprouting; Translation: “were sprouting”; Notes: imperfect highlights progressive action.
  6. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces locative phrase; Translation: “in/on”; Notes: static locative usage.
  7. culmo — Lemma: culmus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of in; Translation: “stalk”; Notes: ablative expresses place.
  8. uno — Lemma: unus; Part of Speech: adjective/numeral; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: modifies culmo; Translation: “one”; Notes: numeric emphasis on singular stalk.
  9. plenae — Lemma: plenus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative plural feminine; Function: predicate adjective describing spicae; Translation: “full”; Notes: agrees with feminine plural subject.
  10. atque — Lemma: atque; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links paired predicates; Translation: “and also”; Notes: stronger than simple “et.”
  11. pulcherrimae — Lemma: pulcherrimus; Part of Speech: adjective (superlative); Form: nominative plural feminine; Function: predicate modifying spicae; Translation: “very beautiful”; Notes: superlative intensifies their appearance.

 

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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