Genesis 38:25

Posted on February 7, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 38:25 Quæ cum duceretur ad pœnam, misit ad socerum suum, dicens: De viro, cuius hæc sunt, concepi: cognosce cuius sit annulus, et armilla, et baculus.

When she was being led to punishment, she sent to her father-in-law, saying: “By the man whose these are, I have conceived. Recognize whose ring, bracelet, and staff these are.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Quæ who PRON.REL.NOM.SG.F
2 cum when CONJ.TEMP
3 duceretur was being led V.3SG.IMPERF.SUBJ.PASS
4 ad to / toward PREP+ACC
5 pœnam punishment NOUN.ACC.SG.F
6 misit she sent V.3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
7 ad to PREP+ACC
8 socerum father-in-law NOUN.ACC.SG.M
9 suum her PRON.POSS.ACC.SG.M
10 dicens saying PART.PRES.ACT.NOM.SG.F
11 De by / from PREP+ABL
12 viro man NOUN.ABL.SG.M
13 cuius whose PRON.REL.GEN.SG.M
14 hæc these things PRON.DEM.NOM.PL.N
15 sunt are V.3PL.PRES.IND.ACT
16 concepi I have conceived V.1SG.PERF.ACT.IND
17 cognosce recognize V.2SG.PRES.IMP.ACT
18 cuius whose PRON.REL.GEN.SG.M
19 sit it is V.3SG.PRES.SUBJ.ACT
20 annulus ring NOUN.NOM.SG.M
21 et and CONJ
22 armilla bracelet NOUN.NOM.SG.F
23 et and CONJ
24 baculus staff NOUN.NOM.SG.M

Syntax

Temporal Clause: Quæ cum duceretur ad pœnam — introduced by cum with imperfect subjunctive, expressing circumstance: “When she was being led to punishment.” Subject quæ refers to Thamar.

Main Clause: misit ad socerum suum — main narrative action: “she sent to her father-in-law.” The prepositional phrase indicates the recipient of the message.

Participial Construction: dicens introduces direct discourse containing Thamar’s defense and proof of innocence.

Direct Quotation: De viro, cuius hæc sunt, concepi — ablative of agent (de viro) + relative clause identifying ownership (cuius hæc sunt) followed by the main verb concepi.

Imperative Clause: cognosce cuius sit annulus, et armilla, et baculus — direct imperative urging recognition. The indirect question cuius sit uses the subjunctive because it depends on the verb of perception (cognosce).

Morphology

  1. Quæ — Lemma: quī, quae, quod; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject of duceretur; Translation: “who”; Notes: Refers to Thamar.
  2. cum — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces temporal clause; Translation: “when”; Notes: Used with subjunctive to indicate background circumstance.
  3. duceretur — Lemma: dūcō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular imperfect subjunctive passive; Function: verb of temporal clause; Translation: “was being led”; Notes: Passive voice highlights her as the recipient of action.
  4. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses goal or direction; Translation: “to”; Notes: Used with abstract noun pœnam.
  5. pœnam — Lemma: poena; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of ad; Translation: “punishment”; Notes: Refers to the sentence of burning ordered by Judah.
  6. misit — Lemma: mittō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular perfect indicative active; Function: main verb; Translation: “she sent”; Notes: Perfect tense shows completed act before execution.
  7. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: marks direction or recipient; Translation: “to”; Notes: Precedes socerum.
  8. socerum — Lemma: socer; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of ad; Translation: “father-in-law”; Notes: Refers to Judah.
  9. suum — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: modifies socerum; Translation: “her”; Notes: Reflexive, referring back to Thamar.
  10. dicens — Lemma: dīcō; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular feminine present active; Function: introduces direct speech; Translation: “saying”; Notes: Acts as a participial connective.
  11. De — Lemma: dē; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses origin or agent; Translation: “by / from”; Notes: Indicates agent responsible for conception.
  12. viro — Lemma: vir; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of de; Translation: “man”; Notes: Refers to the unknown father, later revealed as Judah.
  13. cuius — Lemma: quī, quae, quod; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessive genitive; Translation: “whose”; Notes: Links to hæc sunt.
  14. hæc — Lemma: hic, haec, hoc; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: nominative plural neuter; Function: subject of sunt; Translation: “these things”; Notes: Refers to the items left with her.
  15. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person plural present indicative active; Function: linking verb; Translation: “are”; Notes: Identifies ownership.
  16. concepi — Lemma: concipiō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 1st person singular perfect indicative active; Function: main verb of quotation; Translation: “I have conceived”; Notes: Perfect denotes completed event.
  17. cognosce — Lemma: cognōscō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 2nd person singular present imperative active; Function: direct command; Translation: “recognize”; Notes: Imperative urging Judah to identify his own possessions.
  18. cuius — Lemma: quī, quae, quod; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessive in indirect question; Translation: “whose”; Notes: Interrogative in dependent clause.
  19. sit — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular present subjunctive active; Function: verb of indirect question; Translation: “it is”; Notes: Subjunctive used after verbs of knowing or perceiving.
  20. annulus — Lemma: annulus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of sit; Translation: “ring”; Notes: Symbolic of authority and identity.
  21. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: connects coordinate nouns; Translation: “and”; Notes: Joins items in the list.
  22. armilla — Lemma: armilla; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject of sit; Translation: “bracelet”; Notes: Part of Judah’s pledge.
  23. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: connects; Translation: “and”; Notes: Final connector in tricolon list.
  24. baculus — Lemma: baculus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of sit; Translation: “staff”; Notes: Symbol of Judah’s identity and leadership.

 

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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