Who be accusative

Latin Learning Latin
1

In: stabat mater dolorosa
Juxta crucem lacrimosa,
Dum pendebat filius.
Dum pendebat filius is: “when it hung your Son” or “her Son was hanging”?
Why “pendebat” doesn’t rule Son?

2

You might be thinking the verb is pendo (cause to hang), which is transitive. The intransitive verb is pendeo (be suspended, hang down, hang), so the subject of pendebat is filius. Your second reading, then is the correct one.

3

Thanks. It helped a lot.

4

and I’d make “dum” plus imperfect “while her son was hanging.”