Genesis 38:17

Posted on February 7, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 38:17 dixit: Mittam tibi hœdam de gregibus. Rursumque illa dicente: Patiar quod vis, si dederis mihi arrhabonem, donec mittas quod polliceris.

he said: “I will send you a young goat from the flock.” And she again said: “I will allow what you desire, if you give me a pledge until you send what you promise.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 dixit he said V.3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 Mittam I will send V.1SG.FUT.ACT.IND
3 tibi to you PRON.PERS.DAT.SG.2
4 hœdam young goat NOUN.ACC.SG.F
5 de from / out of PREP+ABL
6 gregibus flocks NOUN.ABL.PL.M
7 Rursumque and again ADV + ENCLITIC -que
8 illa she PRON.DEM.NOM.SG.F
9 dicente saying PART.PRES.ACT.ABL.SG.F
10 Patiar I will allow / I will endure V.1SG.FUT/PRS.SUBJ.DEP
11 quod what / that which PRON.REL.ACC.SG.N
12 vis you wish / you desire V.2SG.PRES.IND.ACT
13 si if CONJ.COND
14 dederis you will have given V.2SG.FUT.PERF.ACT.IND
15 mihi to me PRON.PERS.DAT.SG.1
16 arrhabonem pledge / guarantee NOUN.ACC.SG.M
17 donec until CONJ.TEMP
18 mittas you send V.2SG.PRES.SUBJ.ACT
19 quod what / that which PRON.REL.ACC.SG.N
20 polliceris you promise V.2SG.PRES.IND.DEP

Syntax

Main Clause 1: dixit: Mittam tibi hœdam de gregibus — Direct speech introduced by dixit; Mittam is a simple future verb expressing intention. The indirect object tibi (“to you”) receives the direct object hœdam (“a young goat”).

Temporal/Participial Clause: Rursumque illa dicente — Ablative absolute (“and as she spoke again”), providing temporal background.

Main Clause 2: Patiar quod vis — Present subjunctive of a deponent verb meaning “I will allow what you desire.” The use of the subjunctive is concessive and polite in tone.

Conditional Clause: si dederis mihi arrhabonem — Future perfect condition (“if you will have given me a pledge”). Indicates requirement before her consent.

Final Clause: donec mittas quod polliceris — Temporal purpose clause (“until you send what you promise”). The subjunctive mittas marks anticipated action dependent on donec.

Morphology

  1. dixit — Lemma: dīcō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular perfect indicative active; Function: introduces direct discourse; Translation: “he said”; Notes: Standard narrative connector in biblical Latin.
  2. Mittam — Lemma: mittō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 1st person singular future indicative active; Function: main verb of promise; Translation: “I will send”; Notes: Future tense indicates Judah’s commitment.
  3. tibi — Lemma: tū; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular; Function: indirect object of Mittam; Translation: “to you”; Notes: Refers to Thamar.
  4. hœdam — Lemma: haedus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object; Translation: “young goat”; Notes: Often used as a gift or payment in ancient Near Eastern culture.
  5. de — Lemma: dē; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: indicates source; Translation: “from / out of”; Notes: Refers to the source flock.
  6. gregibus — Lemma: grex; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: object of de; Translation: “flocks”; Notes: Judah’s possessions, signifying wealth.
  7. Rursumque — Lemma: rursum + -que; Part of Speech: adverb + enclitic; Form: indeclinable; Function: joins to preceding action; Translation: “and again”; Notes: Signals repeated dialogue.
  8. illa — Lemma: ille, illa, illud; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject of ablative absolute; Translation: “she”; Notes: Refers to Thamar.
  9. dicente — Lemma: dīcō; Part of Speech: participle; Form: ablative singular feminine present active; Function: ablative absolute; Translation: “saying”; Notes: Expresses contemporaneous action.
  10. Patiar — Lemma: patior; Part of Speech: deponent verb; Form: 1st person singular future or present subjunctive deponent; Function: main verb of conditional statement; Translation: “I will allow”; Notes: Deponent form with active meaning, expresses consent.
  11. quod — Lemma: quod; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of vis; Translation: “what / that which”; Notes: Refers to Judah’s desired act.
  12. vis — Lemma: volō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 2nd person singular present indicative active; Function: verb of subordinate clause; Translation: “you desire”; Notes: Common verb of volition.
  13. si — Lemma: sī; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces conditional clause; Translation: “if”; Notes: Marks condition for her agreement.
  14. dederis — Lemma: dō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 2nd person singular future perfect indicative active; Function: verb of condition; Translation: “you will have given”; Notes: Future perfect expresses action prerequisite to consent.
  15. mihi — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to me”; Notes: Recipient of the pledge.
  16. arrhabonem — Lemma: arrhabo; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of dederis; Translation: “pledge / guarantee”; Notes: Loanword from Greek ἀρραβών, “earnest payment.”
  17. donec — Lemma: donec; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces temporal clause; Translation: “until”; Notes: Indicates pending fulfillment of promise.
  18. mittas — Lemma: mittō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 2nd person singular present subjunctive active; Function: verb of dependent clause after donec; Translation: “you send”; Notes: Subjunctive marks anticipated future action.
  19. quod — Lemma: quod; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of polliceris; Translation: “what / that which”; Notes: Refers to the promised goat.
  20. polliceris — Lemma: polliceor; Part of Speech: deponent verb; Form: 2nd person singular present indicative deponent; Function: verb of relative clause; Translation: “you promise”; Notes: Deponent form, governing indirect object implied by quod.

 

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.
This entry was posted in Genesis. Bookmark the permalink.

Comments are closed.