Genesis 38:13

Posted on February 7, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 38:13 Nunciatumque est Thamar quod socer illius ascenderet in Thamnas ad tondendas oves.

And it was told to Thamar that her father-in-law was going up to Thamnas to shear the sheep.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Nunciatumque and it was told PART.PERF.PASS.NOM.SG.N
2 est was V.3SG.PRES.IND.AUX
3 Thamar to Tamar NOUN.DAT.SG.F (proper)
4 quod that CONJ
5 socer father-in-law NOUN.NOM.SG.M
6 illius of her PRON.POSS.GEN.SG.F
7 ascenderet was going up V.3SG.IMPERF.SUBJ.ACT
8 in to / into PREP+ACC
9 Thamnas Timnah NOUN.ACC.PL.F (proper place name)
10 ad to / for the purpose of PREP+ACC
11 tondendas to shear GERUNDIVE.ACC.PL.F
12 oves sheep NOUN.ACC.PL.F

Syntax

Main Clause: Nunciatumque est Thamar — impersonal passive construction with dative of the person informed (Thamar), “and it was told to Thamar.” The particle -que joins this sentence to the preceding narrative seamlessly.

Subordinate Clause: quod socer illius ascenderet in Thamnas ad tondendas oves — introduced by quod (“that”), expressing the content of the report. Subject: socer illius (“her father-in-law”); verb: ascenderet (imperfect subjunctive in indirect discourse); purpose phrase ad tondendas oves (“to shear the sheep”) expresses the reason for the ascent.

Morphology

  1. Nunciatumque — Lemma: nuntiō; Part of Speech: participle (used impersonally); Form: nominative singular neuter perfect passive; Function: impersonal subject in passive construction; Translation: “and it was told”; Notes: Common biblical Latin passive expression introducing reported speech.
  2. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: auxiliary verb; Form: 3rd person singular present indicative active; Function: auxiliary forming perfect passive; Translation: “was”; Notes: Forms the periphrastic perfect with Nunciatum.
  3. Thamar — Lemma: Thamar; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: dative singular feminine; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to Thamar”; Notes: Dative of the person receiving information.
  4. quod — Lemma: quod; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces a subordinate content clause; Translation: “that”; Notes: Marks the clause expressing the content of the message.
  5. socer — Lemma: socer; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of ascenderet; Translation: “father-in-law”; Notes: Refers to Judah in relation to Thamar.
  6. illius — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: possessive pronoun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: modifies socer; Translation: “of her”; Notes: Indicates Thamar’s relationship to the subject.
  7. ascenderet — Lemma: ascendō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular imperfect subjunctive active; Function: verb in indirect discourse; Translation: “was going up”; Notes: Subjunctive used to report speech in subordinate clause.
  8. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses direction; Translation: “to / into”; Notes: Marks movement toward a destination.
  9. Thamnas — Lemma: Thamnas; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative plural feminine (indeclinable); Function: object of in; Translation: “to Thamnas”; Notes: A town associated with Judah’s journey and Thamar’s plan.
  10. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses purpose; Translation: “to / for the purpose of”; Notes: Introduces purpose clause with gerundive construction.
  11. tondendas — Lemma: tondeō; Part of Speech: gerundive (verbal adjective); Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: modifies oves in purpose phrase; Translation: “to shear”; Notes: Gerundive used after ad to denote purpose.
  12. oves — Lemma: ovis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: object of gerundive construction ad tondendas; Translation: “sheep”; Notes: Denotes Judah’s flock, symbolizing wealth and pastoral life.

 

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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