Genesis 39:12

Posted on February 8, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 39:12 et illa, apprehensa lacinia vestimenti eius, diceret: Dormi mecum. Qui relicto in manu eius pallio fugit, et egressus est foras.

and she, having seized the edge of his garment, said: “Lie with me.” But he, leaving his cloak in her hand, fled and went outside.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 et and CONJ
2 illa she PRON.DEM.NOM.SG.F
3 apprehensa having seized V.PERF.PTCP.NOM.SG.F
4 lacinia the edge / hem NOUN.ABL.SG.F
5 vestimenti of the garment NOUN.GEN.SG.N
6 eius his PRON.POSS.GEN.SG.M
7 diceret said / was saying V.3SG.IMPERF.SUBJ.ACT
8 Dormi sleep / lie V.2SG.PRES.IMPER.ACT
9 mecum with me PREP+CUM+PRON.ABL.1SG
10 Qui who PRON.REL.NOM.SG.M
11 relicto having left V.PERF.PTCP.ABL.SG.N
12 in in PREP+ABL
13 manu hand NOUN.ABL.SG.F
14 eius her PRON.POSS.GEN.SG.F
15 pallio cloak / mantle NOUN.ABL.SG.N
16 fugit fled V.3SG.PERF.IND.ACT
17 et and CONJ
18 egressus having gone out V.PERF.PTCP.NOM.SG.M
19 est was / has V.3SG.PERF.IND.ACT (AUX)
20 foras outside ADV

Syntax

Participial Phrase: apprehensa lacinia vestimenti eius — ablative absolute meaning “when she had seized the edge of his garment.”
Subordinate Clause: diceret: Dormi mecum — imperfect subjunctive in indirect discourse following the narrative context (“as she was saying: Lie with me”).
Main Clause: Qui relicto in manu eius pallio fugit — relative clause with Qui referring to Joseph, literally “who, having left his cloak in her hand, fled.”
Final Phrase: et egressus est foras — perfect periphrastic form (“and went outside”), expressing decisive escape.

Morphology

  1. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: connects clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Introduces continuation of narrative sequence.
  2. illa — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject; Translation: “she”; Notes: Refers to Potiphar’s wife.
  3. apprehensa — Lemma: apprehendō; Part of Speech: verb (participle); Form: perfect passive participle, nominative singular feminine; Function: ablative absolute with lacinia; Translation: “having seized”; Notes: Denotes completed action prior to the main verb.
  4. lacinia — Lemma: lacinia; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of participle in ablative absolute; Translation: “edge / hem”; Notes: Refers to the border of a garment, indicating physical grasp.
  5. vestimenti — Lemma: vestimentum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter; Function: genitive of possession; Translation: “of the garment”; Notes: Specifies whose garment’s edge was seized.
  6. eius — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessive modifier; Translation: “his”; Notes: Refers to Joseph’s garment.
  7. diceret — Lemma: dīcō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular imperfect subjunctive active; Function: verb in circumstantial clause; Translation: “was saying / said”; Notes: Subjunctive for dependent narration.
  8. Dormi — Lemma: dormiō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 2nd person singular present imperative active; Function: direct command; Translation: “Lie”; Notes: Imperative expressing lustful demand.
  9. mecum — Lemma: cum + ego; Part of Speech: preposition + pronoun; Form: ablative singular; Function: complements Dormi; Translation: “with me”; Notes: enclitic form of cum me.
  10. Qui — Lemma: quī; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of subordinate clause; Translation: “who”; Notes: Refers to Joseph, introducing relative clause.
  11. relicto — Lemma: relinquō; Part of Speech: verb (participle); Form: perfect passive participle, ablative singular neuter; Function: ablative absolute; Translation: “having left”; Notes: Denotes prior completed action.
  12. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: indicates location; Translation: “in”; Notes: Marks the place where the cloak remained.
  13. manu — Lemma: manus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of preposition; Translation: “hand”; Notes: Literal and physical location of the garment left behind.
  14. eius — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: possessive modifying manu; Translation: “her”; Notes: Refers to Potiphar’s wife.
  15. pallio — Lemma: pallium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: part of ablative absolute; Translation: “cloak / mantle”; Notes: Denotes outer garment, a physical token later used in accusation.
  16. fugit — Lemma: fugiō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular perfect indicative active; Function: main verb; Translation: “fled”; Notes: Perfect tense conveys decisive, immediate flight.
  17. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: joins verbs; Translation: “and”; Notes: Sequential connector in narrative.
  18. egressus — Lemma: ēgredior; Part of Speech: verb (deponent participle); Form: perfect participle nominative singular masculine; Function: with auxiliary est; Translation: “having gone out”; Notes: Completes motion sequence with fugit.
  19. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: auxiliary verb; Form: 3rd person singular perfect indicative active; Function: auxiliary for perfect deponent; Translation: “was / has”; Notes: Forms perfect with deponent participle.
  20. foras — Lemma: foras; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: adverb of motion; Translation: “outside”; Notes: Indicates direction of Joseph’s escape.

 

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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