Genesis 38:14

Posted on February 7, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 38:14 Quæ, depositis viduitatis vestibus, assumpsit theristrum: et mutato habitu, sedit in bivio itineris, quod ducit Thamnam: eo quod crevisset Sela, et non eum accepisset maritum.

She, having laid aside her widow’s garments, took a veil; and having changed her clothing, she sat in the crossroad on the way that leads to Thamnas, because Sela had grown up, and she had not been given to him as a wife.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Quæ who / she PRON.REL.NOM.SG.F
2 depositis having put aside PART.PERF.PASS.ABL.PL.F
3 viduitatis of widowhood NOUN.GEN.SG.F
4 vestibus garments NOUN.ABL.PL.F
5 assumpsit she took / put on V.3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
6 theristrum veil / shawl NOUN.ACC.SG.N
7 et and CONJ
8 mutato having changed PART.PERF.PASS.ABL.SG.N
9 habitu clothing / appearance NOUN.ABL.SG.M
10 sedit she sat V.3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
11 in in / at PREP+ABL
12 bivio crossroad NOUN.ABL.SG.N
13 itineris of the way NOUN.GEN.SG.N
14 quod which PRON.REL.NOM.SG.N
15 ducit leads V.3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
16 Thamnam to Timnah NOUN.ACC.SG.F (proper)
17 eo because / for that reason ADV
18 quod because / that CONJ
19 crevisset had grown up V.3SG.PLUPERF.SUBJ.ACT
20 Sela Shelah NOUN.NOM.SG.M (proper)
21 et and CONJ
22 non not ADV.NEG
23 eum him PRON.PERS.ACC.SG.M
24 accepisset had received / accepted V.3SG.PLUPERF.SUBJ.ACT
25 maritum as husband NOUN.ACC.SG.M

Syntax

Ablative Absolute: depositis viduitatis vestibus — expresses temporal circumstance (“having laid aside her widow’s garments”). depositis agrees with vestibus in gender, number, and case.

Main Clause: assumpsit theristrum — perfect indicative verb; the subject Quæ refers to Thamar. theristrum is the direct object (“she took a veil”).

Second Ablative Absolute: mutato habitu — expresses subsequent circumstance (“having changed her clothing”). The participle mutato agrees with habitu.

Action Clause: sedit in bivio itineris quod ducit Thamnam — main verb sedit (“she sat”) with locative prepositional phrase in bivio itineris (“at the crossroads of the road”), and relative clause quod ducit Thamnam specifying direction.

Causal Clause: eo quod crevisset Sela, et non eum accepisset maritum — compound causal clause (“because Sela had grown up and she had not been given to him as a husband”); crevisset and accepisset are pluperfect subjunctives expressing completed past causes.

Morphology

  1. Quæ — Lemma: quī, quae, quod; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject of assumpsit and sedit; Translation: “she who”; Notes: Refers to Thamar, linking this verse to the previous narrative.
  2. depositis — Lemma: dēpōnō; Part of Speech: participle; Form: ablative plural feminine perfect passive; Function: agrees with vestibus in ablative absolute; Translation: “having laid aside”; Notes: Indicates preparatory action before disguise.
  3. viduitatis — Lemma: viduitās; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: possessive genitive modifying vestibus; Translation: “of widowhood”; Notes: Qualifies the type of garments laid aside.
  4. vestibus — Lemma: vestis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural feminine; Function: noun in ablative absolute; Translation: “garments”; Notes: Represents the symbolic end of her widowhood.
  5. assumpsit — Lemma: assumō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular perfect indicative active; Function: main verb; Translation: “she took / put on”; Notes: Marks her deliberate preparation to disguise herself.
  6. theristrum — Lemma: theristrum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object of assumpsit; Translation: “veil / shawl”; Notes: Likely a head covering used for concealment, from Greek θέριστρον.
  7. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: joins clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Connects sequential actions.
  8. mutato — Lemma: mūtō; Part of Speech: participle; Form: ablative singular neuter perfect passive; Function: agrees with habitu in ablative absolute; Translation: “having changed”; Notes: Introduces her transformation of appearance.
  9. habitu — Lemma: habitus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: part of ablative absolute; Translation: “clothing / appearance”; Notes: Suggests external transformation disguising her true identity.
  10. sedit — Lemma: sedeō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular perfect indicative active; Function: main verb of position; Translation: “she sat”; Notes: Denotes deliberate positioning to be seen by Judah.
  11. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: indicates location; Translation: “in / at”; Notes: Introduces place of action.
  12. bivio — Lemma: bivium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: object of in; Translation: “crossroad”; Notes: The location chosen symbolically stands for decision or transition.
  13. itineris — Lemma: iter; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter; Function: possessive genitive; Translation: “of the road / journey”; Notes: Defines the nature of the crossroads.
  14. quod — Lemma: quī, quae, quod; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: subject of ducit; Translation: “which”; Notes: Refers back to iter in the relative clause.
  15. ducit — Lemma: dūcō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular present indicative active; Function: verb of the relative clause; Translation: “leads”; Notes: Describes the road’s destination.
  16. Thamnam — Lemma: Thamnas; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of ducit; Translation: “to Thamnas”; Notes: Indicates direction toward Judah’s journey.
  17. eo — Lemma: eō; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: intensifier of quod; Translation: “for that reason”; Notes: Forms causal compound “eo quod.”
  18. quod — Lemma: quod; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces causal clause; Translation: “because”; Notes: Connects cause for her act.
  19. crevisset — Lemma: crēscō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular pluperfect subjunctive active; Function: verb of causal clause; Translation: “had grown up”; Notes: Indicates completed growth of Sela prior to this event.
  20. Sela — Lemma: Sēla; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of crevisset; Translation: “Sela”; Notes: Judah’s youngest son.
  21. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: joins two verbs in causal clause; Translation: “and”; Notes: Coordinates pluperfect verbs.
  22. non — Lemma: nōn; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: negates accepisset; Translation: “not”; Notes: Negates fulfillment of levirate duty.
  23. eum — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of accepisset; Translation: “him”; Notes: Refers to Sela.
  24. accepisset — Lemma: accipiō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular pluperfect subjunctive active; Function: verb of causal clause; Translation: “had accepted / received”; Notes: Expresses the unrealized action—she was not given to Sela as wife.
  25. maritum — Lemma: marītus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: predicate accusative complement with accepisset; Translation: “as husband”; Notes: Clarifies relational intent of the clause.

 

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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