Genesis 39:10

Posted on February 8, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 39:10 Huiuscemodi verbis per singulos dies et mulier molesta erat adolescenti: et ille recusabat stuprum.

With words of this kind every day the woman troubled the young man, and he refused the act of shame.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Huiuscemodi of this kind / such ADJ.GEN.SG.M/F/N
2 verbis with words NOUN.ABL.PL.N
3 per through / during PREP+ACC
4 singulos each / every ADJ.ACC.PL.M
5 dies days NOUN.ACC.PL.M
6 et and CONJ
7 mulier woman NOUN.NOM.SG.F
8 molesta troublesome / vexing ADJ.NOM.SG.F
9 erat was V.3SG.IMPERF.IND.ACT
10 adolescenti to the young man NOUN.DAT.SG.M
11 et and CONJ
12 ille he PRON.DEM.NOM.SG.M
13 recusabat was refusing V.3SG.IMPERF.IND.ACT
14 stuprum shameful act / sexual sin NOUN.ACC.SG.N

Syntax

Ablative of Means: Huiuscemodi verbis — describes the means or instrument by which she tempted him: “with words of this kind.”
Temporal Phrase: per singulos dies — accusative of duration with preposition per, meaning “every day.”
Main Clause: et mulier molesta erat adolescenti — describes ongoing harassment; mulier is subject, adolescenti is dative of disadvantage (“to the young man”), molesta erat predicate.
Second Clause: et ille recusabat stuprum — simple coordinate clause; subject ille contrasts with mulier. The imperfect recusabat indicates repeated or habitual refusal, and stuprum is the direct object.

Morphology

  1. Huiuscemodi — Lemma: huiuscemodi; Part of Speech: compound adjective; Form: genitive singular (all genders, indeclinable in meaning); Function: modifies verbis; Translation: “of this kind”; Notes: Formed from huius + modi, literally “of this manner.”
  2. verbis — Lemma: verbum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural neuter; Function: ablative of means; Translation: “with words”; Notes: Instrument of her daily temptation.
  3. per — Lemma: per; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses duration; Translation: “through / during”; Notes: Indicates continual harassment across time.
  4. singulos — Lemma: singulus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: modifies dies; Translation: “each / every”; Notes: Emphasizes repetition of temptation.
  5. dies — Lemma: diēs; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object of per; Translation: “days”; Notes: Temporal duration complementing per.
  6. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: joins clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Connects consecutive narrative events.
  7. mulier — Lemma: mulier; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject; Translation: “woman”; Notes: Refers to Putiphar’s wife.
  8. molesta — Lemma: molestus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: predicate adjective with erat; Translation: “troublesome / vexing”; Notes: Describes continual harassment.
  9. erat — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular imperfect indicative active; Function: copula; Translation: “was”; Notes: Indicates continuous state of behavior.
  10. adolescenti — Lemma: adolescēns; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: dative of disadvantage; Translation: “to the young man”; Notes: Refers to Joseph as the one suffering her actions.
  11. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: joins the next clause; Translation: “and”; Notes: Connects contrastive action.
  12. ille — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of recusabat; Translation: “he”; Notes: Contrastive with mulier emphasizing resistance.
  13. recusabat — Lemma: recūsō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular imperfect indicative active; Function: main verb; Translation: “was refusing”; Notes: Imperfect conveys repeated, firm resistance.
  14. stuprum — Lemma: stuprum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object of recusabat; Translation: “the act of shame / immorality”; Notes: A technical term in Latin moral vocabulary for sexual sin, used in Vulgate for emphasis on moral gravity.

 

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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