Genesis 41:8

Posted on February 10, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 41:8 et facto mane, pavore perterritus, misit ad omnes coniectores Ægypti, cunctosque sapientes: et accersitis narravit somnium, nec erat qui interpretaretur.

and when morning was made, terrified with fear, he sent to all the interpreters of Egypt and all the wise men, and when they had been called in he told the dream, and there was no one who could interpret it.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 et and CONJ
2 facto when … was made ABL.SG.N.PTCP.PERF.PASS
3 mane morning ABL.SG.N
4 pavore with fear ABL.SG.M
5 perterritus terrified NOM.SG.M.PTCP.PERF.PASS
6 misit he sent 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
7 ad to PREP+ACC
8 omnes all ACC.PL
9 coniectores interpreters ACC.PL.M
10 Ægypti of Egypt GEN.SG.F
11 cunctosque and all ACC.PL.M
12 sapientes wise men ACC.PL.M
13 et and CONJ
14 accersitis when they had been called in ABL.PL.PERF.PASS.PTCP
15 narravit he told 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
16 somnium the dream ACC.SG.N
17 nec and not CONJ
18 erat there was 3SG.IMPF.ACT.IND
19 qui who NOM.SG.M.REL
20 interpretaretur might interpret 3SG.IMPF.SUBJ.DEP

Syntax

Temporal clause: facto mane — ablative absolute meaning “when morning was made.”
Main subject: (implicit) “he,” identified later as Pharaoh.
Predicate: misit — main verb governing two coordinated objects.
Objects: omnes coniectores Ægypti and cunctos sapientes — direct objects of misit.
Participial clause: accersitis — ablative absolute indicating completed action prior to narration.
Verb of narration: narravit somnium — “he told the dream.”
Negative clause: nec erat qui interpretaretur — a negatived relative clause of characteristic, indicating the absence of a capable interpreter.

Morphology

  1. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating conjunction; Function: links clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: introduces the temporal setting.
  2. facto — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: participle; Form: ablative singular neuter perfect passive participle; Function: ablative absolute; Translation: “when … was made”; Notes: used impersonally with mane.
  3. mane — Lemma: mane; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: part of ablative absolute; Translation: “morning”; Notes: temporal marker.
  4. pavore — Lemma: pavor; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: ablative of cause; Translation: “with fear”; Notes: indicates emotional motivation.
  5. perterritus — Lemma: perterreo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular masculine perfect passive participle; Function: describes subject; Translation: “terrified”; Notes: sets Pharaoh’s emotional state.
  6. misit — Lemma: mitto; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: “he sent”; Notes: advances the narrative.
  7. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces destination; Translation: “to”; Notes: standard directional preposition.
  8. omnes — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative plural; Function: modifies coniectores; Translation: “all”; Notes: distributive emphasis.
  9. coniectores — Lemma: coniector; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object of misit; Translation: “interpreters”; Notes: diviners of Egypt.
  10. Ægypti — Lemma: Ægyptus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: possessive genitive; Translation: “of Egypt”; Notes: specifies location.
  11. cunctosque — Lemma: cunctus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: modifies sapientes; Translation: “and all”; Notes: -que enclitic connects with prior object.
  12. sapientes — Lemma: sapiens; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object of misit; Translation: “wise men”; Notes: Egyptian wisdom specialists.
  13. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating conjunction; Function: links clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: introduces the next action.
  14. accersitis — Lemma: accerso; Part of Speech: participle; Form: ablative plural perfect passive participle; Function: ablative absolute; Translation: “when they had been called in”; Notes: prior action to narravit.
  15. narravit — Lemma: narro; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: “he told”; Notes: verb of speech introducing the dream report.
  16. somnium — Lemma: somnium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object; Translation: “dream”; Notes: the content to be interpreted.
  17. nec — Lemma: nec; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: negative coordinating conjunction; Function: introduces negation; Translation: “and not”; Notes: strengthens the impossibility.
  18. erat — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular imperfect active indicative; Function: verb of existence; Translation: “there was”; Notes: forms impersonal expression.
  19. qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: introduces relative clause of characteristic; Translation: “who”; Notes: refers to a hypothetical capable interpreter.
  20. interpretaretur — Lemma: interpretor; Part of Speech: deponent verb; Form: third person singular imperfect subjunctive; Function: verb of relative clause; Translation: “might interpret”; Notes: subjunctive expresses non-existence of such a person.

 

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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