Genesis 12:3

Posted on January 12, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 11:3 Benedicam benedicentibus tibi, et maledicam maledicentibus tibi, atque IN TE benedicentur universæ cognationes terræ.

I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse those who curse you, and IN YOU shall all the families of the earth be blessed.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Benedicam I will bless 1SG.FUT.ACT.IND
2 benedicentibus to those blessing PRES.ACT.PART.DAT.PL.M
3 tibi you PRON.DAT.SG.2
4 et and CONJ
5 maledicam I will curse 1SG.FUT.ACT.IND
6 maledicentibus those cursing PRES.ACT.PART.DAT.PL.M
7 tibi you PRON.DAT.SG.2
8 atque and also CONJ
9 in in PREP+ABL
10 te you PRON.ABL.SG.2
11 benedicentur will be blessed 3PL.FUT.PASS.IND
12 universæ all ADJ.NOM.PL.F
13 cognationes families NOM.PL.F
14 terræ of the earth GEN.SG.F

Syntax

Main Clause 1: Benedicam benedicentibus tibi — future indicative with dative participial phrase “to those blessing you,” denoting reciprocal blessing.
Main Clause 2: et maledicam maledicentibus tibi — parallel structure; future verb maledicam governs dative participle phrase “to those cursing you.”
Main Clause 3: atque in te benedicentur universæ cognationes terræ — future passive verb benedicentur with ablative of means in te; subject universæ cognationes terræ (“all families of the earth”) identifies global scope of blessing through Abram.

Morphology

  1. Benedicam — Lemma: benedico; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Future active indicative, 1st person singular; Function: Main verb; Translation: “I will bless”; Notes: The LORD’s promise of ongoing divine favor to Abram’s supporters.
  2. benedicentibus — Lemma: benedico; Part of Speech: Participle (present active); Form: Dative plural masculine; Function: Indirect object of benedicam; Translation: “to those blessing”; Notes: Present participle indicating those actively blessing Abram.
  3. tibi — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: Dative singular (2nd person); Function: Dative of reference; Translation: “you”; Notes: Indicates the beneficiary of both blessing and cursing clauses.
  4. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Coordinating; Function: Links parallel clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Signals contrastive parallelism of blessing and cursing.
  5. maledicam — Lemma: maledico; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Future active indicative, 1st person singular; Function: Main verb; Translation: “I will curse”; Notes: Antithetical parallel to benedicam, emphasizing divine justice.
  6. maledicentibus — Lemma: maledico; Part of Speech: Participle (present active); Form: Dative plural masculine; Function: Indirect object of maledicam; Translation: “to those cursing”; Notes: Present participle denotes habitual or continual hostility toward Abram.
  7. tibi — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: Dative singular (2nd person); Function: Dative of reference; Translation: “you”; Notes: Repeated for emphasis, symmetrical with earlier phrase.
  8. atque — Lemma: atque; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Coordinating; Function: Introduces climactic statement; Translation: “and also / and moreover”; Notes: Heightens the universal promise following the bilateral blessing and curse.
  9. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs ablative; Function: Expresses instrument or sphere; Translation: “in”; Notes: Indicates the channel or medium (“in you”) through which the blessing occurs.
  10. te — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: Ablative singular (2nd person); Function: Object of in; Translation: “you”; Notes: Emphasizes Abram as the covenantal instrument of divine blessing.
  11. benedicentur — Lemma: benedico; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Future passive indicative, 3rd person plural; Function: Main verb; Translation: “will be blessed”; Notes: Passive voice highlights divine agency: “shall be blessed (by God).”
  12. universæ — Lemma: universus; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: Nominative plural feminine; Function: Modifies cognationes; Translation: “all”; Notes: Distributive in sense, emphasizing universality of blessing.
  13. cognationes — Lemma: cognatio; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative plural feminine; Function: Subject of benedicentur; Translation: “families / clans”; Notes: Refers to extended family groups or nations descended from Noah.
  14. terræ — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Genitive singular feminine; Function: Genitive of relation; Translation: “of the earth”; Notes: Completes the scope of divine promise, encompassing all nations of the world.

 

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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