Genesis 38:7

Posted on February 7, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 38:7 Fuit quoque Her primogenitus Iudæ, nequam in conspectu Domini: et ab eo occisus est.

And Her, the firstborn of Judas, was wicked in the sight of the LORD; and he was slain by Him.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Fuit was V.3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 quoque also ADV
3 Her Er NOUN.NOM.SG.M (proper)
4 primogenitus firstborn ADJ.NOM.SG.M
5 Iudæ of Judah NOUN.GEN.SG.M (proper)
6 nequam wicked ADJ.NOM.SG.M/INDECL
7 in in PREP+ABL
8 conspectu sight / presence NOUN.ABL.SG.M
9 Domini of the LORD NOUN.GEN.SG.M
10 et and CONJ
11 ab by / from PREP+ABL
12 eo Him PRON.PERS.ABL.SG.M
13 occisus slain PART.PERF.PASS.NOM.SG.M
14 est was V.3SG.PRES.IND.AUX

Syntax

Main clause: Fuit quoque Her primogenitus Iudæ nequam in conspectu Domini — the verb fuit serves as a copula linking the subject Her primogenitus Iudæ to the predicate adjective nequam. The phrase in conspectu Domini functions as a prepositional phrase of respect, indicating moral evaluation before the LORD.

Second clause: et ab eo occisus est — passive construction with agent expressed by ab eo (“by Him”), referring to the LORD. The periphrastic passive (occisus est) indicates a completed divine action of judgment.

Morphology

  1. Fuit — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular perfect indicative active; Function: main copular verb; Translation: “was”; Notes: Perfect tense used as narrative past; establishes Her’s moral state.
  2. quoque — Lemma: quoque; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: connective adverb emphasizing continuation of events; Translation: “also”; Notes: Links Her’s moral corruption to preceding narrative.
  3. Her — Lemma: Her; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of fuit; Translation: “Er”; Notes: Judah’s firstborn son.
  4. primogenitus — Lemma: prīmogenitus; Part of Speech: adjective (used substantively); Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: in apposition to Her; Translation: “firstborn”; Notes: Identifies Er’s birth order and inheritance rank.
  5. Iudæ — Lemma: Iūdās; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessive genitive modifying primogenitus; Translation: “of Judah”; Notes: Marks familial relation.
  6. nequam — Lemma: nequam; Part of Speech: adjective (indeclinable); Form: invariant; Function: predicate adjective; Translation: “wicked”; Notes: A moral epithet indicating worthlessness or evil character.
  7. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces phrase of relation or respect; Translation: “in”; Notes: Here denotes “in the sight / presence of.”
  8. conspectu — Lemma: cōnspectus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of preposition in; Translation: “sight / presence”; Notes: Common idiom for divine observation in biblical Latin.
  9. Domini — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessive genitive modifying conspectu; Translation: “of the LORD”; Notes: Refers to YHWH, rendered “LORD” when used of God.
  10. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: links coordinate clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Introduces the consequence of divine judgment.
  11. ab — Lemma: ab; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces agent of passive verb; Translation: “by”; Notes: Marks the divine agent of the passive action.
  12. eo — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of ab; Translation: “Him”; Notes: Refers to the LORD as agent of Er’s death.
  13. occisus — Lemma: occīdō; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular masculine perfect passive; Function: predicate participle in periphrastic passive; Translation: “slain”; Notes: Describes completed divine retribution.
  14. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: auxiliary verb; Form: 3rd person singular present indicative active; Function: auxiliary in perfect passive; Translation: “was”; Notes: Forms the periphrastic perfect passive with occisus.

 

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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