Genesis 38:30

Posted on February 7, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 38:30 Postea egressus est frater eius, in cuius manu erat coccinum: quem appellavit Zara.

Afterward his brother came out, on whose hand was the scarlet thread; and she called his name Zara.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Postea afterward ADV.TEMP
2 egressus came out PART.PERF.DEP.NOM.SG.M
3 est was / has V.3SG.PRES.IND.AUX
4 frater brother NOUN.NOM.SG.M
5 eius his PRON.POSS.GEN.SG.M
6 in on / in PREP+ABL
7 cuius whose PRON.REL.GEN.SG.M
8 manu hand NOUN.ABL.SG.F
9 erat was V.3SG.IMPERF.IND.ACT
10 coccinum scarlet thread NOUN.NOM.SG.N
11 quem whom PRON.REL.ACC.SG.M
12 appellavit called / named V.3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
13 Zara Zerah NOUN.ACC.SG.M (proper)

Syntax

Temporal Adverb: Postea introduces sequence — “afterward.”
Main Clause: egressus est frater eius — perfect deponent verb, subject frater, with possessive genitive eius modifying it (“his brother came out”).
Relative Clause: in cuius manu erat coccinum — specifies the brother by a visible sign (“on whose hand was the scarlet thread”).
Final Clause: quem appellavit Zara — direct object quem refers to frater; appellavit governs both the object and predicate name Zara.

Morphology

  1. Postea — Lemma: posteā; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: temporal marker; Translation: “afterward”; Notes: Introduces the chronological order following the birth of Phares.
  2. egressus — Lemma: ēgredior; Part of Speech: deponent verb; Form: nominative singular masculine perfect participle; Function: main verb (deponent periphrasis); Translation: “came out”; Notes: Deponent form with active meaning, describing the act of birth.
  3. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: auxiliary verb; Form: 3rd person singular present indicative; Function: auxiliary completing perfect tense; Translation: “has”; Notes: Forms perfect periphrasis with egressus.
  4. frater — Lemma: frāter; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of egressus est; Translation: “brother”; Notes: Refers to the second twin, later named Zara.
  5. eius — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessive modifier of frater; Translation: “his”; Notes: Indicates relation to Phares, the first twin born.
  6. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses position; Translation: “on / in”; Notes: Indicates where the scarlet thread was tied.
  7. cuius — Lemma: quī, quae, quod; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessive within relative clause; Translation: “whose”; Notes: Refers to frater.
  8. manu — Lemma: manus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of in; Translation: “hand”; Notes: Marks the physical sign of identity (the scarlet thread).
  9. erat — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular imperfect indicative active; Function: verb of relative clause; Translation: “was”; Notes: Describes continuous state (the thread being present on the hand).
  10. coccinum — Lemma: coccinum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: subject of erat; Translation: “scarlet thread”; Notes: Refers to the identifying mark tied by the midwife.
  11. quem — Lemma: quī, quae, quod; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of appellavit; Translation: “whom”; Notes: Refers again to frater eius.
  12. appellavit — Lemma: appellō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular perfect indicative active; Function: main verb; Translation: “called / named”; Notes: Standard Latin verb for naming someone.
  13. Zara — Lemma: Zara; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular masculine (indeclinable); Function: predicate accusative after appellavit; Translation: “Zara”; Notes: Hebrew Zerah, meaning “brightness” or “dawn,” contrasting with his brother’s name Phares (“breach”).

 

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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