Genesis 15:1

Posted on January 15, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 15:1 His itaque transactis, factus est sermo Domini ad Abram per visionem dicens: Noli timere Abram, ego protector tuus sum, et merces tua magna nimis.

After these things were accomplished, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, saying: “Do not fear, Abram, I am your protector, and your reward is exceedingly great.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 His these things ABL.PL.N DEM.PRON
2 itaque therefore / thus CONJ
3 transactis having been accomplished ABL.PL.N PERF.PASS.PTCP
4 factus made / happened NOM.SG.M PERF.PASS.PTCP
5 est was 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
6 sermo word / message NOM.SG.M
7 Domini of the LORD GEN.SG.M
8 ad to / toward PREP+ACC
9 Abram Abram ACC.SG.M (INDECL. HEBR.)
10 per through / by means of PREP+ACC
11 visionem vision ACC.SG.F
12 dicens saying NOM.SG.M PRES.ACT.PTCP
13 Noli do not 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP (WITH INF)
14 timere to fear PRES.ACT.INF
15 Abram Abram VOC.SG.M (INDECL. HEBR.)
16 ego I NOM.SG.1ST.PRON
17 protector protector / defender NOM.SG.M
18 tuus your NOM.SG.M POSS.ADJ
19 sum am 1SG.PRES.ACT.IND
20 et and CONJ
21 merces reward NOM.SG.F
22 tua your NOM.SG.F POSS.ADJ
23 magna great NOM.SG.F ADJ
24 nimis exceedingly ADV

Syntax

Temporal Clause: His itaque transactis — ablative absolute expressing “after these things had been accomplished,” connecting to the events of the preceding chapter.
Main Clause: factus est sermo Domini ad Abram — literal phrase meaning “the word of the LORD was made to Abram,” an idiomatic Hebraism reflecting divine revelation.
Prepositional Phrase: per visionem — expresses the medium through which the revelation occurs (“by means of a vision”).
Participial Phrase: dicens — introduces direct divine speech.
Direct Speech: Noli timere Abram, ego protector tuus sum, et merces tua magna nimis — series of declarative and imperative clauses combining reassurance, covenantal promise, and reward.

Morphology

  1. His — Lemma: hic; Part of Speech: Demonstrative pronoun; Form: Ablative plural neuter; Function: Ablative absolute element; Translation: “these things”; Notes: Refers to events of Genesis 14, the conflict of the kings.
  2. itaque — Lemma: itaque; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Logical connective; Translation: “therefore / thus”; Notes: Signals narrative transition to new revelation.
  3. transactis — Lemma: transigo; Part of Speech: Participle; Form: Ablative plural neuter perfect passive participle; Function: Ablative absolute with his; Translation: “having been accomplished”; Notes: Indicates completed prior events.
  4. factus — Lemma: fio; Part of Speech: Verb (irregular passive of facio); Form: Nominative singular masculine perfect passive participle; Function: Forms periphrastic passive with est; Translation: “made / came about”; Notes: Used idiomatically in biblical Latin for divine occurrences.
  5. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present active indicative, 3rd person singular; Function: Auxiliary verb; Translation: “was”; Notes: Completes periphrastic form factus est.
  6. sermo — Lemma: sermo; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Subject; Translation: “word / message”; Notes: Technical term for divine speech or revelation.
  7. Domini — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Genitive singular masculine; Function: Possessive genitive; Translation: “of the LORD”; Notes: Refers to YHWH, the covenant God of Abram.
  8. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs accusative; Function: Indicates recipient; Translation: “to / toward”; Notes: Standard in the formula “word of the LORD came to ….”
  9. Abram — Lemma: Abram; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Accusative singular masculine (indeclinable Hebrew name); Function: Object of ad; Translation: “Abram”; Notes: Designates patriarch as addressee of divine revelation.
  10. per — Lemma: per; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs accusative; Function: Indicates medium or instrument; Translation: “through”; Notes: Introduces means of revelation.
  11. visionem — Lemma: visio; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular feminine; Function: Object of per; Translation: “vision”; Notes: Denotes prophetic or mystical encounter with God.
  12. dicens — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: Participle; Form: Nominative singular masculine present active participle; Function: Introduces direct speech; Translation: “saying”; Notes: Marks transition to divine oracle.
  13. Noli — Lemma: nolo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present active imperative, 2nd person singular; Function: Negative command; Translation: “do not”; Notes: Used idiomatically with infinitive for prohibitions.
  14. timere — Lemma: timeo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present active infinitive; Function: Complement of noli; Translation: “to fear”; Notes: Prohibition formula meaning “fear not.”
  15. Abram — Lemma: Abram; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Vocative singular masculine (indeclinable Hebrew name); Function: Direct address; Translation: “Abram”; Notes: Name spoken in reassurance.
  16. ego — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: Nominative singular; Function: Subject pronoun; Translation: “I”; Notes: Expresses divine self-identification.
  17. protector — Lemma: protector; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Predicate nominative; Translation: “protector”; Notes: Declares God’s role as Abram’s divine shield.
  18. tuus — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: Possessive adjective; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Modifies protector; Translation: “your”; Notes: Marks personal relationship and covenant loyalty.
  19. sum — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present active indicative, 1st person singular; Function: Copula; Translation: “am”; Notes: Affirms divine identity and promise.
  20. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Connects coordinate clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Joins two covenantal statements.
  21. merces — Lemma: merces; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular feminine; Function: Subject of second clause; Translation: “reward”; Notes: Symbol of divine blessing and promise.
  22. tua — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: Possessive adjective; Form: Nominative singular feminine; Function: Modifies merces; Translation: “your”; Notes: Emphasizes personal covenant promise.
  23. magna — Lemma: magnus; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: Nominative singular feminine; Function: Predicate adjective; Translation: “great”; Notes: Qualifies divine compensation and favor.
  24. nimis — Lemma: nimis; Part of Speech: Adverb; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Intensifier; Translation: “exceedingly”; Notes: Intensifies magna, underscoring the abundance of the promised reward.

 

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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