Genesis 39:14

Posted on February 8, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 39:14 vocavit ad se homines domus suæ, et ait ad eos: En introduxit virum Hebræum, ut illuderet nobis: ingressus est ad me, ut coiret mecum: cumque ego succlamassem,

she called to her the men of her house and said to them: “Behold, he has brought in a Hebrew man to mock us; he came to me to lie with me, but when I cried out,

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 vocavit called V.3SG.PERF.IND.ACT
2 ad to / toward PREP+ACC
3 se herself PRON.REFL.ACC.SG.F
4 homines men NOUN.ACC.PL.M
5 domus of the house NOUN.GEN.SG.F
6 suæ her PRON.POSS.GEN.SG.F
7 et and CONJ
8 ait said V.3SG.PERF.IND.ACT
9 ad to PREP+ACC
10 eos them PRON.PERS.ACC.PL.M
11 En behold INTERJ
12 introduxit has brought in V.3SG.PERF.IND.ACT
13 virum man NOUN.ACC.SG.M
14 Hebræum Hebrew ADJ.ACC.SG.M
15 ut that / in order that CONJ.PURP
16 illuderet he might mock V.3SG.IMPERF.SUBJ.ACT
17 nobis us PRON.PERS.DAT.PL.M/F
18 ingressus having entered V.PERF.PTCP.NOM.SG.M
19 est is / has V.3SG.PERF.IND.ACT (AUX)
20 ad to PREP+ACC
21 me me PRON.PERS.ACC.SG.F
22 ut to / in order to CONJ.PURP
23 coiret he might lie V.3SG.IMPERF.SUBJ.ACT
24 mecum with me PREP+CUM+PRON.ABL.1SG
25 cumque and when CONJ
26 ego I PRON.PERS.NOM.SG.F
27 succlamassem I cried out V.1SG.PLUPERF.SUBJ.ACT

Syntax

Main Clause: vocavit ad se homines domus suæ — the main action “she called the men of her house to herself,” introducing the accusation scene.
Speech Clause: et ait ad eos — transition to direct speech marked by the conjunction et.
First Subordinate Clause: En introduxit virum Hebræum ut illuderet nobis — ut introduces a purpose or alleged intent clause (“that he might mock us”).
Next Clause: ingressus est ad me ut coiret mecum — a second ut-clause of purpose, amplifying her fabricated accusation.
Final Temporal Clause: cumque ego succlamassem — introduces the supposed reaction, subordinate pluperfect subjunctive marking contemporaneous action within narrative past.

Morphology

  1. vocavit — Lemma: vocō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular perfect indicative active; Function: main verb; Translation: “she called”; Notes: Indicates decisive action to summon others as witnesses.
  2. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: direction toward; Translation: “to”; Notes: Introduces indirect object se.
  3. se — Lemma: sē; Part of Speech: reflexive pronoun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of ad; Translation: “herself”; Notes: Reflexive referring to the subject mulier.
  4. homines — Lemma: homō; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: direct object of vocavit; Translation: “men”; Notes: Servants of Potiphar’s household.
  5. domus — Lemma: domus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: genitive of possession; Translation: “of the house”; Notes: Specifies household context.
  6. suæ — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: reflexive possessive adjective; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: modifies domus; Translation: “her own”; Notes: Reflects ownership and authority within the house.
  7. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: joins clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Smoothly connects sequential actions.
  8. ait — Lemma: aiō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular perfect indicative active; Function: introduces direct speech; Translation: “said”; Notes: Common in narrative Latin for speech introduction.
  9. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: direction toward someone; Translation: “to”; Notes: Governs eos.
  10. eos — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object of ad; Translation: “them”; Notes: Refers to summoned servants.
  11. En — Lemma: en; Part of Speech: interjection; Form: indeclinable; Function: draws attention; Translation: “Behold!”; Notes: Expresses dramatic accusation.
  12. introduxit — Lemma: introducō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular perfect indicative active; Function: main verb of accusation; Translation: “has brought in”; Notes: Blames her husband for bringing a foreigner into the house.
  13. virum — Lemma: vir; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of introduxit; Translation: “man”; Notes: Refers to Joseph.
  14. Hebræum — Lemma: Hebraeus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: modifies virum; Translation: “Hebrew”; Notes: Ethnic identification used to heighten suspicion.
  15. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: introduces purpose clause; Function: marks intended or alleged result; Translation: “that / in order that”; Notes: Used accusatively to frame her claim.
  16. illuderet — Lemma: illūdō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular imperfect subjunctive active; Function: verb of purpose clause; Translation: “might mock”; Notes: Implies ridicule and assault combined.
  17. nobis — Lemma: nōs; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative plural; Function: indirect object of illuderet; Translation: “us”; Notes: Inclusive of all household members.
  18. ingressus — Lemma: ingredior; Part of Speech: deponent verb (participle); Form: perfect participle nominative singular masculine; Function: main verb with auxiliary; Translation: “having entered”; Notes: Perfect participle marks completed intrusion.
  19. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: auxiliary verb; Form: 3rd person singular perfect indicative active; Function: auxiliary with deponent participle; Translation: “has”; Notes: Completes perfect tense for ingressus.
  20. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: direction toward; Translation: “to”; Notes: Introduces object of motion.
  21. me — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular; Function: object of ad; Translation: “me”; Notes: Marks the target of alleged assault.
  22. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: introduces purpose clause; Function: expresses intended act; Translation: “to / in order to”; Notes: Links to coiret.
  23. coiret — Lemma: coeō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular imperfect subjunctive active; Function: verb of purpose; Translation: “he might lie (with me)”; Notes: Euphemism for sexual union.
  24. mecum — Lemma: cum + ego; Part of Speech: preposition + pronoun; Form: ablative singular; Function: complements coiret; Translation: “with me”; Notes: Enclitic form of cum me.
  25. cumque — Lemma: cum + que; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: compound; Function: introduces temporal clause; Translation: “and when”; Notes: Adds temporal flow to preceding purpose clause.
  26. ego — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative singular; Function: subject of succlamassem; Translation: “I”; Notes: Marks emphatic subject position in her false testimony.
  27. succlamassem — Lemma: succlamō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 1st person singular pluperfect subjunctive active; Function: verb in subordinate temporal clause; Translation: “I had cried out”; Notes: Expresses prior protest claimed by the speaker.

 

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.
This entry was posted in Genesis. Bookmark the permalink.

Comments are closed.