Gn 49:18 SALUTARE tuum expectabo Domine.
Your salvation I will await, O LORD.
| # |
Latin |
Gloss |
Grammar Tag |
| 1 |
SALUTARE |
salvation |
N.NEUT.ACC.SG |
| 2 |
tuum |
your |
POSS.ADJ.ACC.SG.N |
| 3 |
expectabo |
I will await |
V.1SG.FUT.ACT.IND |
| 4 |
Domine |
O LORD |
N.MASC.VOC.SG |
Syntax
Main clause: SALUTARE tuum expectabo — the direct object SALUTARE tuum precedes the verb for emphasis.
expectabo is the future verb (“I will await”).
Vocative address: Domine directly addresses the LORD, marking this line as a prayer or declaration of trust.
Morphology
- SALUTARE — Lemma: salutare; Part of Speech: noun (substantivized adjective); Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object of expectabo; Translation: salvation; Notes: used in a theological sense of divine deliverance.
- tuum — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: modifies SALUTARE; Translation: your; Notes: refers to the LORD’s salvation.
- expectabo — Lemma: expecto; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 1st person singular future active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: I will await; Notes: expresses confident future trust.
- Domine — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: vocative singular masculine; Function: direct address; Translation: O Lord; Notes: here this refers to YHWH, thus capitalized as “LORD” in translation rules, but vocative “Domine” is rendered conventionally as “O LORD.”
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.