Genesis 38:9

Posted on February 7, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 38:9 Ille sciens non sibi nasci filios, introiens ad uxorem fratris sui, semen fundebat in terram, ne liberi fratris nomine nascerentur.

He, knowing that sons would not be born for himself, went in to the wife of his brother and spilled his seed on the ground, lest children be born in his brother’s name.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Ille he PRON.DEM.NOM.SG.M
2 sciens knowing PART.PRES.ACT.NOM.SG.M
3 non not ADV.NEG
4 sibi for himself PRON.REF.DAT.SG.M
5 nasci to be born V.PRES.INF.DEP
6 filios sons NOUN.ACC.PL.M
7 introiens going in PART.PRES.ACT.NOM.SG.M
8 ad to PREP+ACC
9 uxorem wife NOUN.ACC.SG.F
10 fratris of his brother NOUN.GEN.SG.M
11 sui his PRON.REF.GEN.SG.M
12 semen seed NOUN.ACC.SG.N
13 fundebat he was pouring / spilling V.3SG.IMPERF.ACT.IND
14 in on / into PREP+ACC
15 terram ground NOUN.ACC.SG.F
16 ne lest CONJ.PURP.NEG
17 liberi children NOUN.NOM.PL.M
18 fratris of (his) brother NOUN.GEN.SG.M
19 nomine in name NOUN.ABL.SG.N
20 nascerentur might be born V.3PL.IMPERF.SUBJ.DEP

Syntax

Participial phrase: Ille sciens non sibi nasci filios — nominative subject Ille (“he”) modified by participle sciens with indirect statement non sibi nasci filios (“that sons would not be born for himself”). The reflexive sibi refers to Onan, showing self-interest.

Main clause: introiens ad uxorem fratris sui, semen fundebat in terram — two coordinated actions: introiens (present participle) indicates ongoing approach; fundebat (imperfect) describes habitual spilling, marking repetition of avoidance.

Final clause: ne liberi fratris nomine nascerentur — negative purpose clause with ne + subjunctive nascerentur; expresses reason for his act: to prevent children being born “in the name of his brother.”

Morphology

  1. Ille — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “he”; Notes: Refers to Onan, the second son of Judah.
  2. sciens — Lemma: sciō; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular masculine present active; Function: modifies Ille; Translation: “knowing”; Notes: Introduces causal background to the main clause.
  3. non — Lemma: nōn; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: negation; Translation: “not”; Notes: Negates infinitive phrase.
  4. sibi — Lemma: sē; Part of Speech: reflexive pronoun; Form: dative singular; Function: indirect object; Translation: “for himself”; Notes: Reflexive use shows selfish motive.
  5. nasci — Lemma: nāscor; Part of Speech: deponent verb; Form: present infinitive; Function: infinitive of indirect statement; Translation: “to be born”; Notes: Deponent verb expressing passive meaning.
  6. filios — Lemma: fīlius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: subject of infinitive nasci (in indirect statement); Translation: “sons”; Notes: Marks potential heirs of Onan’s act.
  7. introiens — Lemma: introeō; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular masculine present active; Function: circumstantial participle with fundebat; Translation: “going in”; Notes: Implies repeated conjugal approach.
  8. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces object of motion; Translation: “to”; Notes: Used idiomatically for sexual relations (“to go in to”).
  9. uxorem — Lemma: uxor; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of ad; Translation: “wife”; Notes: Refers to Tamar, widow of his brother.
  10. fratris — Lemma: frāter; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessive modifying uxorem; Translation: “of his brother”; Notes: Specifies lawful but levirate relationship.
  11. sui — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: reflexive possessive pronoun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: agrees with fratris; Translation: “his”; Notes: Points back to Onan, emphasizing familial bond.
  12. semen — Lemma: sēmen; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object of fundebat; Translation: “seed”; Notes: Euphemism for semen, denoting the physical act.
  13. fundebat — Lemma: fundō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular imperfect indicative active; Function: main verb; Translation: “was spilling / poured”; Notes: Imperfect expresses habitual or repeated action.
  14. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses direction; Translation: “on / into”; Notes: Indicates target of the spilling action.
  15. terram — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of in; Translation: “ground”; Notes: Denotes deliberate waste, contrasting purpose of procreation.
  16. ne — Lemma: nē; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces negative purpose clause; Translation: “lest”; Notes: Expresses motive of avoidance.
  17. liberi — Lemma: līberī; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject of nascerentur; Translation: “children”; Notes: Denotes legitimate offspring, potential heirs.
  18. fratris — Lemma: frāter; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessive modifier; Translation: “of (his) brother”; Notes: The children would legally belong to his deceased brother, not to Onan.
  19. nomine — Lemma: nōmen; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: ablative of respect; Translation: “in name”; Notes: Indicates legal and social identity inherited through the deceased brother.
  20. nascerentur — Lemma: nāscor; Part of Speech: deponent verb; Form: 3rd person plural imperfect subjunctive; Function: verb of negative purpose clause; Translation: “might be born”; Notes: Subjunctive expresses potentiality avoided by Onan’s deliberate act.

 

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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