Genesis 38:11

Posted on February 7, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 38:11 Quam ob rem dixit Iudas Thamar nurui suæ: Esto vidua in domo patris tui, donec crescat Sela filius meus: timebat enim ne et ipse moreretur, sicut fratres eius. Quæ abiit, et habitavit in domo patris sui.

Wherefore Judas said to Thamar his daughter-in-law: “Remain a widow in the house of your father, until Sela my son grows up.” For he feared lest he also should die, as his brothers did. So she went and lived in the house of her father.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Quam wherefore ADV
2 ob on account of PREP+ACC
3 rem matter / thing NOUN.ACC.SG.F
4 dixit said V.3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
5 Iudas Judah NOUN.NOM.SG.M (proper)
6 Thamar Tamar NOUN.DAT.SG.F (proper)
7 nurui to his daughter-in-law NOUN.DAT.SG.F
8 suæ his PRON.POSS.DAT.SG.F
9 Esto be V.2SG.FUT.IMPER.ACT
10 vidua widow NOUN.NOM.SG.F
11 in in PREP+ABL
12 domo house NOUN.ABL.SG.F
13 patris of (your) father NOUN.GEN.SG.M
14 tui your PRON.POSS.GEN.SG.M
15 donec until CONJ
16 crescat may grow up V.3SG.PRES.SUBJ.ACT
17 Sela Shelah NOUN.NOM.SG.M (proper)
18 filius son NOUN.NOM.SG.M
19 meus my PRON.POSS.NOM.SG.M
20 timebat he was fearing V.3SG.IMPERF.ACT.IND
21 enim for CONJ.EXPL
22 ne lest CONJ.NEG.PURP
23 et also CONJ
24 ipse he himself PRON.PERS.NOM.SG.M
25 moreretur might die V.3SG.IMPERF.SUBJ.DEP
26 sicut as CONJ.COMP
27 fratres brothers NOUN.NOM.PL.M
28 eius his PRON.POSS.GEN.SG.M
29 Quæ who / she PRON.REL.NOM.SG.F
30 abiit went away V.3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
31 et and CONJ
32 habitavit lived / dwelt V.3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
33 in in PREP+ABL
34 domo house NOUN.ABL.SG.F
35 patris of (her) father NOUN.GEN.SG.M
36 sui her PRON.REF.GEN.SG.F

Syntax

Main clause: Quam ob rem dixit Iudas Thamar nurui suæ — causal adverbial phrase Quam ob rem (“wherefore”) links the action to prior divine punishment; dixit is the main verb; Iudas the subject; Thamar nurui suæ the indirect object (“to Thamar his daughter-in-law”).

Direct speech: Esto vidua in domo patris tui, donec crescat Sela filius meus — imperative Esto (“be”) governs predicate nominative vidua; prepositional phrase in domo patris tui expresses location; subordinate temporal clause donec crescat… employs the subjunctive to denote future expectation.

Subordinate reason clause: timebat enim ne et ipse moreretur sicut fratres eius — timebat (imperfect) expresses continuous fear; negative purpose clause introduced by ne + subjunctive moreretur (“lest he also might die”); sicut fratres eius is the comparison phrase (“as his brothers”).

Final clause: Quæ abiit et habitavit in domo patris sui — relative pronoun Quæ resumes Thamar; two perfect verbs coordinate (“she went away and lived”); prepositional phrase in domo patris sui gives location.

Morphology

  1. Quam — Lemma: quam; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: part of idiom *quam ob rem*; Translation: “wherefore”; Notes: Introduces causal transition.
  2. ob — Lemma: ob; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: prepositional component; Translation: “on account of”; Notes: Forms fixed phrase *ob rem* = “because of this matter.”
  3. rem — Lemma: rēs; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of ob; Translation: “thing / matter”; Notes: Refers to Onan’s sin and punishment.
  4. dixit — Lemma: dīcō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular perfect indicative active; Function: main verb; Translation: “said”; Notes: Perfect indicates completed speech act.
  5. Iudas — Lemma: Iūdās; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “Judah”; Notes: Patriarch of the tribe of Judah.
  6. Thamar — Lemma: Thamar; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: dative singular feminine; Function: indirect object; Translation: “Tamar”; Notes: Daughter-in-law addressed directly.
  7. nurui — Lemma: nurus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative singular feminine; Function: apposition to Thamar; Translation: “to his daughter-in-law”; Notes: Identifies family relation.
  8. suæ — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive pronoun; Form: dative singular feminine; Function: agrees with nurui; Translation: “his”; Notes: Reflexive to Judah.
  9. Esto — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 2nd person singular future imperative active; Function: command; Translation: “be”; Notes: Imperative of state, instructing her to remain unmarried.
  10. vidua — Lemma: vidua; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: predicate nominative of Esto; Translation: “a widow”; Notes: Denotes social and ritual status.
  11. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses location; Translation: “in”; Notes: Spatial preposition marking place of residence.
  12. domo — Lemma: domus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of in; Translation: “house”; Notes: Indicates household of her father.
  13. patris — Lemma: pater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessive modifier of domo; Translation: “of your father”; Notes: Specifies family dwelling.
  14. tui — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: possessive pronoun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: agrees with patris; Translation: “your”; Notes: Second-person possessive referring to Thamar.
  15. donec — Lemma: donec; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: introduces temporal clause; Function: “until”; Notes: With subjunctive expresses anticipation of future event.
  16. crescat — Lemma: crescō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular present subjunctive active; Function: verb of temporal clause; Translation: “may grow up”; Notes: Subjunctive due to temporal anticipation.
  17. Sela — Lemma: Sēla; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of crescat; Translation: “Sela”; Notes: Youngest son of Judah.
  18. filius — Lemma: fīlius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: appositive to Sela; Translation: “son”; Notes: Clarifies relationship.
  19. meus — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: possessive pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: agrees with filius; Translation: “my”; Notes: Emphasizes Judah’s paternal concern.
  20. timebat — Lemma: timeō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular imperfect indicative active; Function: main verb of reason clause; Translation: “he was fearing”; Notes: Imperfect shows ongoing fear.
  21. enim — Lemma: enim; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: explanatory; Translation: “for”; Notes: Introduces explanatory statement.
  22. ne — Lemma: nē; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces negative purpose clause; Translation: “lest”; Notes: Expresses apprehension.
  23. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: additive; Translation: “also”; Notes: Reinforces inclusion of Sela.
  24. ipse — Lemma: ipse; Part of Speech: intensive pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of moreretur; Translation: “he himself”; Notes: Emphasizes Sela personally, showing Judah’s specific fear that this son might also die.
  25. moreretur — Lemma: morior; Part of Speech: deponent verb; Form: 3rd person singular imperfect subjunctive; Function: verb in negative purpose clause introduced by ne; Translation: “might die”; Notes: Deponent form with active meaning; subjunctive expresses potential undesired event.
  26. sicut — Lemma: sicut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces comparison clause; Translation: “as”; Notes: Commonly used for analogical or comparative clauses in narrative Latin.
  27. fratres — Lemma: frāter; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject of implied verb in comparison clause; Translation: “brothers”; Notes: Refers to Er and Onan, who were both struck dead by the LORD.
  28. eius — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: possessive pronoun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: agrees with fratres; Translation: “his”; Notes: Possessive pronoun referring back to Sela.
  29. Quæ — Lemma: quī, quae, quod; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject of abiit; Translation: “she who / she”; Notes: Refers back to Thamar, resuming the narrative.
  30. abiit — Lemma: abeō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular perfect indicative active; Function: main verb; Translation: “went away”; Notes: Perfect tense marks the completion of her departure from Judah’s household.
  31. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: coordinates two perfect verbs; Translation: “and”; Notes: Simple connective joining sequential actions.
  32. habitavit — Lemma: habitō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular perfect indicative active; Function: second main verb; Translation: “lived / dwelt”; Notes: Marks Thamar’s continued residence in her father’s house as commanded.
  33. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses location; Translation: “in”; Notes: Common preposition expressing physical place.
  34. domo — Lemma: domus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of in; Translation: “house”; Notes: Refers to Thamar’s parental home.
  35. patris — Lemma: pater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessive modifier of domo; Translation: “of her father”; Notes: Specifies whose household it was.
  36. sui — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: reflexive possessive pronoun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: agrees with patris; Translation: “her”; Notes: Reflexive pronoun referring back to Thamar, maintaining narrative cohesion.

 

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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