Genesis 38:23

Posted on February 7, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 38:23 Ait Iudas: Habeat sibi, certe mendacii arguere nos non potest, ego misi hœdum quem promiseram: et tu non invenisti eam.

Judas said: “Let her keep it for herself; certainly she cannot accuse us of deceit. I sent the young goat which I promised, and you did not find her.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Ait he said V.3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 Iudas Judah NOUN.NOM.SG.M (proper)
3 Habeat let her have V.3SG.PRES.SUBJ.ACT
4 sibi for herself PRON.REFL.DAT.SG.3
5 certe certainly ADV
6 mendacii of deceit NOUN.GEN.SG.N
7 arguere to accuse INF.PRES.ACT
8 nos us PRON.PERS.ACC.PL.1
9 non not ADV.NEG
10 potest she can V.3SG.PRES.IND.ACT
11 ego I PRON.PERS.NOM.SG.1
12 misi I sent V.1SG.PERF.ACT.IND
13 hœdum young goat NOUN.ACC.SG.M
14 quem which PRON.REL.ACC.SG.M
15 promiseram I had promised V.1SG.PLUPERF.ACT.IND
16 et and CONJ
17 tu you PRON.PERS.NOM.SG.2
18 non not ADV.NEG
19 invenisti you found V.2SG.PERF.ACT.IND
20 eam her PRON.PERS.ACC.SG.F

Syntax

Main Clause 1: Ait Iudas — introductory narrative verb (“Judah said”) followed by multiple subordinate statements representing Judah’s reasoning.

Subjunctive Command: Habeat sibi — hortatory subjunctive expressing concession: “Let her keep it for herself.” sibi functions as a reflexive dative of advantage.

Clause 2: certe mendacii arguere nos non potest — literal: “certainly she cannot accuse us of deceit.” arguere functions as complementary infinitive to potest.

Clause 3: ego misi hœdum quem promiseram — statement of justification; the relative clause quem promiseram modifies hœdum.

Clause 4: et tu non invenisti eam — second-person clause providing contrast: “and you did not find her,” showing Judah’s transfer of responsibility.

Morphology

  1. Ait — Lemma: aiō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular perfect indicative active; Function: introduces direct speech; Translation: “he said”; Notes: Common narrative verb of speech, equivalent to “dixit.”
  2. Iudas — Lemma: Iudas; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of Ait; Translation: “Judah”; Notes: The patriarch speaking in defense of his actions.
  3. Habeat — Lemma: habeō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular present subjunctive active; Function: hortatory/jussive subjunctive; Translation: “let her have”; Notes: Expresses concession or permission.
  4. sibi — Lemma: sē; Part of Speech: reflexive pronoun; Form: dative singular; Function: dative of advantage; Translation: “for herself”; Notes: Indicates the beneficiary of the action.
  5. certe — Lemma: certē; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: intensifier; Translation: “certainly”; Notes: Expresses emphasis or assurance.
  6. mendacii — Lemma: mendācium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter; Function: objective genitive with arguere; Translation: “of deceit”; Notes: Denotes accusation’s object.
  7. arguere — Lemma: arguō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present infinitive active; Function: complementary infinitive; Translation: “to accuse”; Notes: Dependent on modal verb potest.
  8. nos — Lemma: nōs; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: accusative plural; Function: direct object of arguere; Translation: “us”; Notes: Refers to Judah and his servant.
  9. non — Lemma: nōn; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: negation; Translation: “not”; Notes: Negates potest.
  10. potest — Lemma: possum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular present indicative active; Function: modal verb; Translation: “she can”; Notes: Governs infinitive arguere.
  11. ego — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: nominative singular; Function: emphatic subject; Translation: “I”; Notes: Stressed for self-defense tone.
  12. misi — Lemma: mittō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 1st person singular perfect indicative active; Function: main verb; Translation: “I sent”; Notes: Perfect tense expressing completed action.
  13. hœdum — Lemma: haedus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of misi; Translation: “young goat”; Notes: Refers to promised payment.
  14. quem — Lemma: quī, quae, quod; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of promiseram; Translation: “which”; Notes: Refers back to hœdum.
  15. promiseram — Lemma: prōmittō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 1st person singular pluperfect indicative active; Function: verb of relative clause; Translation: “I had promised”; Notes: Expresses prior commitment to send payment.
  16. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: joins two clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Continues the statement.
  17. tu — Lemma: tū; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: nominative singular; Function: subject of invenisti; Translation: “you”; Notes: Addressed to the messenger.
  18. non — Lemma: nōn; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: negation; Translation: “not”; Notes: Negates invenisti.
  19. invenisti — Lemma: inveniō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 2nd person singular perfect indicative active; Function: main verb; Translation: “you found”; Notes: Expresses factual observation directed at messenger.
  20. eam — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object of invenisti; Translation: “her”; Notes: Refers to Thamar, the missing woman.

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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