Genesis 38:29

Posted on February 7, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 38:29 Illo vero retrahente manum, egressus est alter: dixitque mulier: Quare divisa est propter te maceria? et ob hanc causam vocavit nomen eius Phares.

But when he drew back his hand, the other came out; and the woman said, “Why has the wall been broken for you?” And for this reason she called his name Phares.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Illo when he PRON.DEM.ABL.SG.M
2 vero but / indeed CONJ.ADV
3 retrahente drawing back PART.PRES.ACT.ABL.SG.M
4 manum hand NOUN.ACC.SG.F
5 egressus came out PART.PERF.DEP.NOM.SG.M
6 est was / has V.3SG.PRES.IND.AUX
7 alter the other PRON.NUM.NOM.SG.M
8 dixitque and said V.3SG.PERF.ACT.IND + ENCLITIC -que
9 mulier woman NOUN.NOM.SG.F
10 Quare why ADV.INTERROG
11 divisa has been divided / broken PART.PERF.PASS.NOM.SG.F
12 est is / has been V.3SG.PRES.IND.AUX
13 propter because of PREP+ACC
14 te you PRON.PERS.ACC.SG.2
15 maceria wall NOUN.NOM.SG.F
16 et and CONJ
17 ob because of / on account of PREP+ACC
18 hanc this PRON.DEM.ACC.SG.F
19 causam reason / cause NOUN.ACC.SG.F
20 vocavit called V.3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
21 nomen name NOUN.ACC.SG.N
22 eius his PRON.POSS.GEN.SG.M
23 Phares Perez NOUN.NOM.SG.M (proper)

Syntax

Ablative Absolute: Illo vero retrahente manum — “when he was drawing back his hand,” introduces a circumstantial clause explaining the action preceding the other’s birth.
Main Clause 1: egressus est alter — perfect deponent verb “came out,” subject alter emphasizes the unexpected twin.
Main Clause 2: dixitque mulier — direct speech introduced by que, with Quare divisa est propter te maceria as the content.
Interrogative Clause: Quare divisa est propter te maceria — Quare introduces the question; maceria serves as subject, and propter te indicates cause.
Causal Clause: et ob hanc causam vocavit nomen eius Phares — expresses the naming motivation; ob hanc causam introduces reason.

Morphology

  1. Illo — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: subject of ablative absolute; Translation: “when he”; Notes: Refers to the first twin who extended his hand.
  2. vero — Lemma: vēro; Part of Speech: adverb/conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: contrastive particle; Translation: “but / indeed”; Notes: Adds narrative contrast between the twins’ actions.
  3. retrahente — Lemma: retrahō; Part of Speech: participle; Form: ablative singular masculine present active; Function: ablative absolute with Illo; Translation: “drawing back”; Notes: Indicates concurrent action during birth sequence.
  4. manum — Lemma: manus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of retrahente; Translation: “hand”; Notes: The hand marked by the scarlet thread.
  5. egressus — Lemma: ēgredior; Part of Speech: deponent verb; Form: nominative singular masculine perfect participle; Function: part of periphrastic perfect with est; Translation: “came out”; Notes: Deponent form with active meaning.
  6. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: auxiliary verb; Form: 3rd person singular present indicative; Function: auxiliary for deponent verb; Translation: “has”; Notes: Completes perfect deponent construction.
  7. alter — Lemma: alter; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of egressus est; Translation: “the other”; Notes: Indicates the second twin.
  8. dixitque — Lemma: dīcō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular perfect indicative active + enclitic -que; Function: introduces direct speech; Translation: “and said”; Notes: Conjunctive narrative marker.
  9. mulier — Lemma: mulier; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject of dixit; Translation: “woman”; Notes: Refers to the midwife speaking.
  10. Quare — Lemma: quā rē; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces question of cause; Translation: “why”; Notes: Compound of qua + re (“for what reason”).
  11. divisa — Lemma: dīvidō; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular feminine perfect passive; Function: predicate adjective with est; Translation: “has been broken / divided”; Notes: Describes separation of the womb walls.
  12. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: auxiliary verb; Form: 3rd person singular present indicative active; Function: completes passive periphrasis; Translation: “has been”; Notes: Forms perfect passive.
  13. propter — Lemma: propter; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: indicates cause; Translation: “because of”; Notes: Commonly used with causal meaning.
  14. te — Lemma: tū; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: accusative singular; Function: object of propter; Translation: “you”; Notes: Refers to the newborn (Phares).
  15. maceria — Lemma: maceria; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject of divisa est; Translation: “wall”; Notes: Metaphor for the womb’s barrier being broken.
  16. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: joins clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Links reason to action.
  17. ob — Lemma: ob; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses cause; Translation: “on account of”; Notes: Synonymous with propter.
  18. hanc — Lemma: hic, haec, hoc; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: modifies causam; Translation: “this”; Notes: Emphasizes immediacy of cause.
  19. causam — Lemma: causa; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of ob; Translation: “reason / cause”; Notes: Specifies motive for naming.
  20. vocavit — Lemma: vocō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular perfect indicative active; Function: main verb; Translation: “called / named”; Notes: Naming formula of birth narratives.
  21. nomen — Lemma: nōmen; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object of vocavit; Translation: “name”; Notes: Object of naming action.
  22. eius — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: possessive pronoun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessive modifying nomen; Translation: “his”; Notes: Refers to the second-born son.
  23. Phares — Lemma: Phares; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine (indeclinable); Function: predicate nominative renaming subject; Translation: “Phares”; Notes: Hebrew Perets, meaning “breach,” commemorating the miraculous birth order.

 

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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