Genesis 38:6

Posted on February 7, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

6 Dedit autem Iudas uxorem primogenito suo Her, nomine Thamar.

And Judas gave a wife to his firstborn, Her, named Thamar.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Dedit gave V.3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 autem however / and CONJ.ADV
3 Iudas Judah NOUN.NOM.SG.M (proper)
4 uxorem wife NOUN.ACC.SG.F
5 primogenito firstborn ADJ.DAT.SG.M / NOUN.DAT.SG.M
6 suo his PRON.POSS.DAT.SG.M
7 Her Er NOUN.DAT.SG.M (proper)
8 nomine by name NOUN.ABL.SG.N
9 Thamar Tamar NOUN.ABL.SG.F (proper)

Syntax

Main clause: Dedit autem Iudas uxorem primogenito suo Her — verb dedit (“gave”) is the main predicate; Iudas is subject; uxorem is the direct object; and primogenito suo Her functions as indirect object (“to his firstborn, Er”).

Ablative of specification: nomine Thamar — an ablative phrase meaning “by name Tamar,” specifying the name of the woman given as wife.

Morphology

  1. Dedit — Lemma: dō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular perfect indicative active; Function: main verb of the sentence; Translation: “gave”; Notes: Perfect tense narrates a completed act of giving.
  2. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: conjunction/adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: connective particle introducing a new event; Translation: “and / however”; Notes: Softly transitions from the previous narrative of births to a new event.
  3. Iudas — Lemma: Iūdās; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of dedit; Translation: “Judah”; Notes: Refers to the patriarch, son of Jacob and Leah.
  4. uxorem — Lemma: uxor; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object of dedit; Translation: “wife”; Notes: Object given by Judah to his son.
  5. primogenito — Lemma: prīmogenitus; Part of Speech: adjective functioning substantively; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: indirect object of dedit; Translation: “to the firstborn”; Notes: Indicates recipient of the gift (wife).
  6. suo — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive pronoun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: agrees with primogenito; Translation: “his”; Notes: Emphasizes the paternal relation (“his firstborn”).
  7. Her — Lemma: Her; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: appositive to primogenito suo; Translation: “Er”; Notes: Identifies Judah’s firstborn son, transliterated from Hebrew עֵר (ʿEr).
  8. nomine — Lemma: nōmen; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: ablative of specification; Translation: “by name”; Notes: Introduces the person’s name in Latin idiom.
  9. Thamar — Lemma: Thamar; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: complement of nomine; Translation: “Tamar”; Notes: Proper name of Judah’s daughter-in-law, corresponding to Hebrew תָּמָר (Tāmār), meaning “palm tree.”

 

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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