Genesis 38:2

Posted on February 7, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 38:2 Viditque ibi filiam hominis Chananæi, vocabulo Sue: et accepta uxore, ingressus est ad eam.

And he saw there the daughter of a Chananite man named Sue; and having taken her as wife, he went in to her.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Viditque and he saw V.3SG.PERF.ACT.IND + ENCLITIC.CONJ
2 ibi there ADV
3 filiam daughter NOUN.ACC.SG.F
4 hominis of a man NOUN.GEN.SG.M
5 Chananæi of the Canaanite ADJ.GEN.SG.M (proper)
6 vocabulo by name NOUN.ABL.SG.N
7 Sue Shua NOUN.ABL.SG.M (proper)
8 et and CONJ
9 accepta having taken PART.PERF.PASS.ABL.SG.F
10 uxore wife NOUN.ABL.SG.F
11 ingressus having entered PART.PERF.PASS.NOM.SG.M
12 est was / has been V.3SG.PRES.IND.AUX
13 ad to / toward PREP+ACC
14 eam her PRON.PERS.ACC.SG.F

Syntax

Main clause: Viditque ibi filiam hominis Chananæi — subject implied (Judah) with perfect verb vidit joined by enclitic -que; direct object filiam expanded by genitive hominis Chananæi (“the daughter of a Canaanite man”).

Ablative of specification: vocabulo Sue — ablative phrase meaning “by name Shua,” identifying the father.

Subsequent clause: et accepta uxore, ingressus est ad eam — ablative absolute accepta uxore precedes main verb ingressus est (“he went in to her”). The prepositional phrase ad eam indicates the sexual union.

Morphology

  1. Viditque — Lemma: videō; Part of Speech: verb with enclitic conjunction; Form: 3rd person singular perfect indicative active + -que; Function: main verb of the clause; Translation: “and he saw”; Notes: Perfect tense marks a single completed perception; -que links to the preceding verse.
  2. ibi — Lemma: ibi; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: adverb of place; Translation: “there”; Notes: Refers to the location of Judah’s encounter in Adullam.
  3. filiam — Lemma: fīlia; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object of vidit; Translation: “daughter”; Notes: Central object of Judah’s attention.
  4. hominis — Lemma: homō; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessive genitive modifying filiam; Translation: “of a man”; Notes: Specifies paternal relationship.
  5. Chananæi — Lemma: Chananæus; Part of Speech: adjective (ethnic); Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: modifies hominis; Translation: “of the Canaanite”; Notes: Identifies the man’s ethnic origin from Canaan.
  6. vocabulo — Lemma: nōmen (in phrase “vocabulo” = “by name”); Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: ablative of specification; Translation: “by name”; Notes: Common idiom introducing personal name in Latin narrative.
  7. Sue — Lemma: Sue; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: complement to vocabulo; Translation: “Shua”; Notes: Proper name of the Canaanite man’s daughter’s father.
  8. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: links the two main clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Coordinates sequential narrative actions.
  9. accepta — Lemma: accipiō; Part of Speech: participle; Form: ablative singular feminine perfect passive; Function: part of ablative absolute; Translation: “having taken”; Notes: Expresses completed act of marriage prior to cohabitation.
  10. uxore — Lemma: uxor; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: noun in ablative absolute; Translation: “wife”; Notes: Completes the ablative phrase “accepta uxore.”
  11. ingressus — Lemma: ingredior; Part of Speech: deponent verb (participle); Form: nominative singular masculine perfect passive in form, active in sense; Function: predicate participle; Translation: “having entered / went in”; Notes: Deponent usage expressing active meaning despite passive form.
  12. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: auxiliary verb; Form: 3rd person singular present indicative active; Function: auxiliary in perfect deponent construction; Translation: “was / has been”; Notes: Helps form perfect of ingressus.
  13. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses direction; Translation: “to / toward”; Notes: Introduces the person toward whom the motion is directed.
  14. eam — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of ad; Translation: “her”; Notes: Refers to the Canaanite woman whom Judah married.

 

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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