Genesis 39:18

Posted on February 8, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 39:18 cumque audisset me clamare, reliquit pallium quod tenebam, et fugit foras.

and when he heard me cry out, he left the cloak that I was holding, and fled outside.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 cumque and when CONJ.TEMPORAL
2 audisset had heard V.3SG.PLUPERF.SUBJ.ACT
3 me me PRON.PERS.ACC.SG.F
4 clamare cry / cry out V.PRES.INF.ACT
5 reliquit left V.3SG.PERF.IND.ACT
6 pallium cloak NOUN.ACC.SG.N
7 quod which PRON.REL.ACC.SG.N
8 tenebam I was holding V.1SG.IMPERF.IND.ACT
9 et and CONJ
10 fugit fled V.3SG.PERF.IND.ACT
11 foras outside ADV

Syntax

Temporal Clause: cumque audisset me clamare — Introduces the subordinate clause meaning “and when he heard me cry out.” The pluperfect subjunctive audisset indicates an action prior to the main clause.
Main Clause 1: reliquit pallium quod tenebam — The main event: “he left the cloak that I was holding.” The relative clause quod tenebam modifies pallium.
Main Clause 2: et fugit foras — Perfect indicative expressing completed action, “and fled outside.”
The sentence reflects the woman’s continued fabrication of the event, maintaining her deceptive tone.

Morphology

  1. cumque — Lemma: cum + que; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: enclitic compound; Function: introduces a temporal clause (“and when”); Translation: “and when”; Notes: The -que links this temporal clause with the preceding narrative.
  2. audisset — Lemma: audiō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular pluperfect subjunctive active; Function: main verb of the temporal clause; Translation: “had heard”; Notes: Subjunctive after cum expresses prior completed action with narrative continuity.
  3. me — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: accusative singular; Function: object of audisset and subject of infinitive clamare in indirect speech; Translation: “me”; Notes: Serves as accusative subject of infinitive in an accusative-and-infinitive construction.
  4. clamare — Lemma: clāmō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present infinitive active; Function: complementary infinitive dependent on audisset; Translation: “to cry out”; Notes: Expresses the content of what was heard.
  5. reliquit — Lemma: relinquō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular perfect indicative active; Function: main verb of the first independent clause; Translation: “left”; Notes: Describes Joseph’s physical action of escaping from the grasp.
  6. pallium — Lemma: pallium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object of reliquit; Translation: “cloak”; Notes: The article of clothing used by the woman as supposed evidence.
  7. quod — Lemma: quī; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: introduces relative clause modifying pallium; Translation: “which”; Notes: Agrees in gender and number with its antecedent pallium.
  8. tenebam — Lemma: teneō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 1st person singular imperfect indicative active; Function: main verb of the relative clause; Translation: “I was holding”; Notes: Imperfect expresses continuous past action, emphasizing her grip at the moment of escape.
  9. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: connects the two main clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Sequential narrative conjunction.
  10. fugit — Lemma: fugiō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular perfect indicative active; Function: main verb of final clause; Translation: “fled”; Notes: Perfect aspect emphasizes completed flight, contrasting with the ongoing deceit.
  11. foras — Lemma: foras; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: adverb of motion; Translation: “outside”; Notes: Indicates movement from interior to exterior; vivid detail of Joseph’s escape.

 

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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