Genesis 15:16

Posted on January 15, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 15:16 Generatione autem quarta revertentur huc: necdum enim completæ sunt iniquitates Amorrhæorum usque ad præsens tempus.

But in the fourth generation they shall return here, for the iniquities of the Amorrites are not yet complete up to the present time.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Generatione generation ABL.SG.F
2 autem but / however ADV
3 quarta fourth ABL.SG.F ADJ
4 revertentur they shall return 3PL.FUT.DEP.IND
5 huc here ADV
6 necdum not yet ADV
7 enim for CONJ
8 completæ completed / fulfilled NOM.PL.F PERF.PASS.PTCP
9 sunt are 3PL.PRES.ACT.IND
10 iniquitates iniquities / sins NOM.PL.F
11 Amorrhæorum of the Amorites GEN.PL.M
12 usque up to / until PREP+ACC
13 ad to / up to PREP+ACC
14 præsens present ACC.SG.N ADJ
15 tempus time ACC.SG.N

Syntax

Main Clause: Generatione autem quarta revertentur huc — ablative of time (generatione quarta) indicates when the action will occur (“in the fourth generation”); revertentur is a deponent future verb meaning “they shall return”; huc adds locative emphasis (“here”).
Explanatory Clause: necdum enim completæ sunt iniquitates Amorrhæorum… — causal clause explaining divine delay; necdum (“not yet”) negates the perfect passive participle completæ (“fulfilled”); the genitive Amorrhæorum depends on iniquitates, specifying whose sins remain unfulfilled.
Prepositional Phrase: usque ad præsens tempus — expresses duration up to the current moment; usque ad introduces the temporal limit.

Morphology

  1. Generatione — Lemma: generatio; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative singular feminine; Function: Ablative of time when; Translation: “in generation”; Notes: Used temporally to indicate when the event (return) will occur — the fourth generation marks divine timing.
  2. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: Adversative particle; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Transitional adverb; Translation: “but”; Notes: Introduces contrast with the preceding promise of peace and future servitude.
  3. quarta — Lemma: quartus; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: Ablative singular feminine; Function: Modifies generatione; Translation: “fourth”; Notes: Specifies temporal cycle; symbolic of completion and restoration.
  4. revertentur — Lemma: revertor; Part of Speech: Verb (deponent); Form: Future indicative, 3rd person plural; Function: Main verb; Translation: “they shall return”; Notes: Deponent verb expressing promised restoration of Abram’s descendants.
  5. huc — Lemma: huc; Part of Speech: Adverb; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Locative adverb; Translation: “here”; Notes: Indicates return to the land of promise — Canaan.
  6. necdum — Lemma: necdum; Part of Speech: Adverb; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Negation of completed action; Translation: “not yet”; Notes: Expresses divine delay until full moral corruption of Amorites.
  7. enim — Lemma: enim; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Causal connector; Translation: “for”; Notes: Introduces explanatory rationale for deferred fulfillment of promise.
  8. completæ — Lemma: compleo; Part of Speech: Verb (participle); Form: Nominative plural feminine, perfect passive participle; Function: Predicate adjective; Translation: “completed”; Notes: Indicates process not yet fulfilled; highlights divine patience and justice.
  9. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present active indicative, 3rd person plural; Function: Copula; Translation: “are”; Notes: Forms perfect passive periphrasis with completæ.
  10. iniquitates — Lemma: iniquitas; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative plural feminine; Function: Subject of sunt; Translation: “iniquities / sins”; Notes: Represents moral failings of Amorites as the reason for delay.
  11. Amorrhæorum — Lemma: Amorrhaeus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Genitive plural masculine; Function: Possessive genitive; Translation: “of the Amorites”; Notes: Identifies the nation whose sins determine timing of Israel’s conquest.
  12. usque — Lemma: usque; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs accusative; Function: Indicates continuation up to a point; Translation: “up to”; Notes: Used with ad to intensify sense of ongoing duration.
  13. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs accusative; Function: Marks endpoint of duration; Translation: “to / up to”; Notes: Works with usque for the phrase “up to.”
  14. præsens — Lemma: praesens; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: Accusative singular neuter; Function: Modifies tempus; Translation: “present”; Notes: Qualifies the current time period.
  15. tempus — Lemma: tempus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular neuter; Function: Object of ad; Translation: “time”; Notes: Completes the phrase usque ad præsens tempus, meaning “until the present time.”

 

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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