Genesis 41:26

Posted on February 10, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 41:26 Septem boves pulchræ, et septem spicæ plenæ: septem ubertatis anni sunt: eamdemque vim somnii comprehendunt.

The seven beautiful cows, and the seven full ears, are seven years of abundance; and they grasp the same meaning of the dream.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Septem seven NUM.INVAR
2 boves cows NOM.PL.F
3 pulchrae beautiful NOM.PL.F
4 et and CONJ
5 septem seven NUM.INVAR
6 spicae ears (of grain) NOM.PL.F
7 plenae full NOM.PL.F
8 septem seven NUM.INVAR
9 ubertatis of abundance GEN.SG.F
10 anni years NOM.PL.M
11 sunt are 3PL.PRES.ACT.IND
12 eamdemque and the same ACC.SG.F
13 vim meaning ACC.SG.F
14 somnii of the dream GEN.SG.N
15 comprehendunt they grasp 3PL.PRES.ACT.IND

Syntax

First Statement:
Septem boves pulchrae — subject phrase (“the seven beautiful cows”).
et septem spicae plenae — coordinated subject (“and the seven full ears”).
septem ubertatis anni sunt — predicate clause identifying their symbolic meaning:
• septem — numeral modifier.
• anni — predicate nominative (“years”).
• ubertatis — genitive of quality (“of abundance”).
• sunt — copula.

Second Statement:
eamdemque vim — “and the same meaning,” object of comprehendunt.
somnii — genitive modifier (“of the dream”).
comprehendunt — “they grasp,” referring to the cows and ears together expressing the same dream significance.

Morphology

  1. Septem — Lemma: septem; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies boves; Translation: “seven”; Notes: cardinal number.
  2. boves — Lemma: bos; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural feminine; Function: subject; Translation: “cows”; Notes: feminine by context.
  3. pulchrae — Lemma: pulcher; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative plural feminine; Function: describes boves; Translation: “beautiful”; Notes: predicate adjective.
  4. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: joins subjects; Translation: “and”; Notes: simple coordinator.
  5. septem — Lemma: septem; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies spicae; Translation: “seven”; Notes: repeated for parallelism.
  6. spicae — Lemma: spica; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural feminine; Function: subject with boves; Translation: “ears (of grain)”; Notes: part of symbolic pair.
  7. plenae — Lemma: plenus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative plural feminine; Function: modifies spicae; Translation: “full”; Notes: indicates abundance.
  8. septem — Lemma: septem; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies anni; Translation: “seven”; Notes: symbolic link.
  9. ubertatis — Lemma: ubertas; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: genitive of quality modifying anni; Translation: “of abundance”; Notes: expresses character of the years.
  10. anni — Lemma: annus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: predicate nominative; Translation: “years”; Notes: completes interpretation.
  11. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative third person plural; Function: copula linking symbols to meaning; Translation: “are”; Notes: factual identification.
  12. eamdemque — Lemma: idem; Part of Speech: pronoun/adjective; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object modifier; Translation: “and the same”; Notes: enclitic -que joins it to previous clause.
  13. vim — Lemma: vis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object of comprehendunt; Translation: “meaning,” “force”; Notes: abstract object.
  14. somnii — Lemma: somnium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter; Function: modifies vim; Translation: “of the dream”; Notes: possessive genitive.
  15. comprehendunt — Lemma: comprehendo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative third person plural; Function: main verb of second clause; Translation: “they grasp”; Notes: refers to both symbols having unified meaning.

 

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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