Genesis 38:18

Posted on February 7, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 38:18 Ait Iudas: Quid tibi vis pro arrhabone dari? Respondit: Annulum tuum, et armillam, et baculum quem manu tenes. Ad unum igitur coitum mulier concepit,

Judas said: “What do you want to be given to you as a pledge?” She answered: “Your ring, and your bracelet, and the staff which you hold in your hand.” And from a single union the woman conceived,

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Ait he said V.3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 Iudas Judah NOUN.NOM.SG.M (proper)
3 Quid what PRON.INTERROG.ACC.SG.N
4 tibi to you PRON.PERS.DAT.SG.2
5 vis do you wish V.2SG.PRES.IND.ACT
6 pro in exchange for PREP+ABL
7 arrhabone pledge NOUN.ABL.SG.M
8 dari to be given V.INF.PRES.PASS
9 Respondit she replied V.3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
10 Annulum ring NOUN.ACC.SG.M
11 tuum your PRON.POSS.ACC.SG.M
12 et and CONJ
13 armillam bracelet NOUN.ACC.SG.F
14 et and CONJ
15 baculum staff NOUN.ACC.SG.N
16 quem which PRON.REL.ACC.SG.M
17 manu hand NOUN.ABL.SG.F
18 tenes you hold V.2SG.PRES.IND.ACT
19 Ad to / at PREP+ACC
20 unum one / single ADJ.ACC.SG.M
21 igitur therefore ADV
22 coitum union / intercourse NOUN.ACC.SG.M
23 mulier woman NOUN.NOM.SG.F
24 concepit conceived V.3SG.PERF.ACT.IND

Syntax

Main Clause 1: Ait Iudas: Quid tibi vis pro arrhabone dari? — Direct question introduced by ait. The indirect passive infinitive dari (“to be given”) depends on vis (“you wish”), forming “What do you want to be given to you as a pledge?”

Main Clause 2: Respondit: Annulum tuum, et armillam, et baculum quem manu tenes — Direct speech answer. The relative clause quem manu tenes modifies baculum (“the staff which you hold in your hand”).

Final Clause: Ad unum igitur coitum mulier concepit — Temporal/circumstantial clause expressing result (“And from one union the woman conceived”). Ad + accusative phrase unum coitum expresses measure or instance.

Morphology

  1. Ait — Lemma: aiō; Part of Speech: defective verb; Form: 3rd person singular perfect indicative active; Function: introduces direct speech; Translation: “he said”; Notes: Standard narrative verb in dialogue.
  2. Iudas — Lemma: Iudas; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of ait; Translation: “Judah”; Notes: The patriarch who speaks to Thamar.
  3. Quid — Lemma: quis, quid; Part of Speech: interrogative pronoun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of vis; Translation: “what”; Notes: Opens Judah’s question about the pledge.
  4. tibi — Lemma: tū; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to you”; Notes: Recipient of the pledge.
  5. vis — Lemma: volō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 2nd person singular present indicative active; Function: main verb of question; Translation: “you wish”; Notes: Governs the infinitive dari.
  6. pro — Lemma: prō; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses exchange; Translation: “for / in exchange for”; Notes: Introduces arrhabone as the price equivalent.
  7. arrhabone — Lemma: arrhabo; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of pro; Translation: “pledge”; Notes: Loanword from Greek ἀρραβών meaning “earnest payment.”
  8. dari — Lemma: dō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present infinitive passive; Function: complementary infinitive with vis; Translation: “to be given”; Notes: Passive infinitive of indirect question.
  9. Respondit — Lemma: respondeō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular perfect indicative active; Function: introduces reply; Translation: “she replied”; Notes: Standard biblical narrative verb of response.
  10. Annulum — Lemma: anulus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object; Translation: “ring”; Notes: A personal seal used for identification or contracts.
  11. tuum — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: agrees with annulum; Translation: “your”; Notes: Marks Judah’s ownership of the ring.
  12. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: links coordinated nouns; Translation: “and”; Notes: Connects items in a list.
  13. armillam — Lemma: armilla; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object; Translation: “bracelet”; Notes: Symbol of wealth or status.
  14. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: connects final noun; Translation: “and”; Notes: Simple coordination.
  15. baculum — Lemma: baculum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object; Translation: “staff”; Notes: Personal symbol of authority.
  16. quem — Lemma: quī, quae, quod; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of tenes; Translation: “which”; Notes: Refers to baculum.
  17. manu — Lemma: manus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: ablative of means; Translation: “with (your) hand”; Notes: Common instrument phrase.
  18. tenes — Lemma: teneō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 2nd person singular present indicative active; Function: verb of relative clause; Translation: “you hold”; Notes: Depicts Judah’s possession of the staff.
  19. Ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses measure or instance; Translation: “to / at”; Notes: Used idiomatically with unum coitum (“from a single union”).
  20. unum — Lemma: ūnus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: modifies coitum; Translation: “one / single”; Notes: Emphasizes brevity of the encounter.
  21. igitur — Lemma: igitur; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: inferential particle; Translation: “therefore / then”; Notes: Connects result to previous act.
  22. coitum — Lemma: coitus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of ad; Translation: “union / intercourse”; Notes: Denotes the act leading to conception.
  23. mulier — Lemma: mulier; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject of concepit; Translation: “woman”; Notes: Refers to Thamar.
  24. concepit — Lemma: concipiō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular perfect indicative active; Function: main verb of final clause; Translation: “conceived”; Notes: Marks divine or natural consequence of their encounter.

 

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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