Genesis 38:24

Posted on February 7, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 38:24 Ecce autem post tres menses nunciaverunt Iudæ, dicentes: Fornicata est Thamar nurus tua, et videtur uterus illius intumescere. Dixitque Iudas: Producite eam ut comburatur.

And behold, after three months they reported to Judas, saying: “Thamar your daughter-in-law has committed fornication, and her womb appears to be swelling.” And Judas said: “Bring her out, that she may be burned.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Ecce behold INTJ
2 autem however / and CONJ.ADV
3 post after PREP+ACC
4 tres three NUM.CARD.ACC.PL.F
5 menses months NOUN.ACC.PL.M
6 nunciaverunt they reported V.3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
7 Iudæ to Judah NOUN.DAT.SG.M (proper)
8 dicentes saying PART.PRES.ACT.NOM.PL.M
9 Fornicata has committed fornication PART.PERF.PASS.NOM.SG.F
10 est she has been V.3SG.PRES.IND.AUX
11 Thamar Tamar NOUN.NOM.SG.F (proper)
12 nurus daughter-in-law NOUN.NOM.SG.F
13 tua your PRON.POSS.NOM.SG.F
14 et and CONJ
15 videtur it appears V.3SG.PRES.IND.PASS
16 uterus womb NOUN.NOM.SG.M
17 illius of her PRON.DEM.GEN.SG.F
18 intumescere to swell INF.PRES.ACT
19 Dixitque and he said V.3SG.PERF.ACT.IND + ENCLITIC -que
20 Iudas Judah NOUN.NOM.SG.M (proper)
21 Producite bring out V.2PL.PRES.IMP.ACT
22 eam her PRON.PERS.ACC.SG.F
23 ut so that CONJ.PURP
24 comburatur she may be burned V.3SG.PRES.SUBJ.PASS

Syntax

Opening Exclamation: Ecce autem post tres menses — temporal adverbial phrase introducing a new scene: “and behold, after three months.”

Main Clause: nunciaverunt Iudæ — perfect indicative denotes a completed action: “they reported to Judah.”

Indirect Speech: dicentes: Fornicata est Thamar nurus tua, et videtur uterus illius intumescere — participle dicentes introduces direct quotation, containing two coordinated clauses joined by et. The infinitive intumescere acts as a complement to videtur.

Main Clause 2: Dixitque Iudas: Producite eam ut comburatur — direct command from Judah. The purpose clause ut comburatur (subjunctive) expresses intent or result.

Morphology

  1. Ecce — Lemma: ecce; Part of Speech: interjection; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces vivid narrative transition; Translation: “behold”; Notes: Commonly used to mark narrative emphasis.
  2. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: conjunction/adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: contrastive or continuative connector; Translation: “however / and”; Notes: Links this verse to the preceding account.
  3. post — Lemma: post; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses time after; Translation: “after”; Notes: Used in temporal expressions.
  4. tres — Lemma: trēs; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: modifies menses; Translation: “three”; Notes: Quantifies time period.
  5. menses — Lemma: mēnsis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object of post; Translation: “months”; Notes: Duration of pregnancy revelation.
  6. nunciaverunt — Lemma: nūntiō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person plural perfect indicative active; Function: main verb; Translation: “they reported”; Notes: Introduces report to Judah.
  7. Iudæ — Lemma: Iudas; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to Judah”; Notes: Recipient of the report.
  8. dicentes — Lemma: dīcō; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative plural masculine present active; Function: introduces direct quotation; Translation: “saying”; Notes: Governs quoted speech.
  9. Fornicata — Lemma: fornicor; Part of Speech: verb (deponent); Form: nominative singular feminine perfect participle; Function: predicate with est; Translation: “has committed fornication”; Notes: Deponent perfect passive in form but active in meaning.
  10. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: auxiliary verb; Form: 3rd person singular present indicative; Function: auxiliary with Fornicata; Translation: “she has been / has”; Notes: Forms perfect periphrastic construction.
  11. Thamar — Lemma: Thamar; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject; Translation: “Thamar”; Notes: The woman accused.
  12. nurus — Lemma: nurus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: apposition to Thamar; Translation: “daughter-in-law”; Notes: Identifies her familial role.
  13. tua — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: possessive pronoun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: modifies nurus; Translation: “your”; Notes: Directly addressing Judah’s relation.
  14. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: connects two clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Coordination.
  15. videtur — Lemma: videō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular present indicative passive; Function: main verb; Translation: “it appears”; Notes: Used impersonally with infinitive complement.
  16. uterus — Lemma: uterus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of videtur; Translation: “womb”; Notes: Figuratively indicates pregnancy.
  17. illius — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: modifies uterus; Translation: “of her”; Notes: Refers to Thamar.
  18. intumescere — Lemma: intumēscō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present infinitive active; Function: complement of videtur; Translation: “to swell”; Notes: Indicates visible pregnancy symptom.
  19. Dixitque — Lemma: dīcō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular perfect indicative active + enclitic -que; Function: introduces new clause; Translation: “and he said”; Notes: Adds direct speech following report.
  20. Iudas — Lemma: Iudas; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of Dixit; Translation: “Judah”; Notes: Speaker issuing command.
  21. Producite — Lemma: prōdūcō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 2nd person plural present imperative active; Function: command; Translation: “bring out”; Notes: Direct imperative addressed to attendants.
  22. eam — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object of Producite; Translation: “her”; Notes: Refers to Thamar as accused.
  23. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces purpose clause; Translation: “so that”; Notes: Establishes result or purpose of command.
  24. comburatur — Lemma: combūrō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular present subjunctive passive; Function: verb of purpose clause; Translation: “she may be burned”; Notes: Expresses intended punishment, reflecting legal severity of Judah’s pronouncement.

 

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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