Genesis 17:14

Posted on January 17, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 17:14 Masculus, cuius præputii caro circumcisa non fuerit, delebitur anima illa de populo suo: quia pactum meum irritum fecit.

The male whose foreskin of the flesh shall not have been circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people, because he has broken my covenant.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Masculus male NOM.SG.M
2 cuius whose REL.PRON.GEN.SG.M
3 præputii of foreskin GEN.SG.N
4 caro flesh NOM.SG.F
5 circumcisa circumcised NOM.SG.F.PERF.PASS.PART
6 non not ADV
7 fuerit shall have been 3SG.FUT.PERF.ACT.IND
8 delebitur shall be cut off 3SG.FUT.PASS.IND
9 anima soul NOM.SG.F
10 illa that NOM.SG.F.DEMON.ADJ
11 de from / out of PREP+ABL
12 populo people ABL.SG.M
13 suo his / its ABL.SG.M.REFL.ADJ
14 quia because CONJ
15 pactum covenant ACC.SG.N
16 meum my ACC.SG.N.POSS.ADJ
17 irritum void / broken ACC.SG.N.ADJ
18 fecit he has made / done 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND

Syntax

Relative Clause: Masculus, cuius præputii caro circumcisa non fuerit — Masculus is the subject (“male”); cuius præputii forms a genitive of possession (“whose foreskin”); caro circumcisa non fuerit is a periphrastic passive (“the flesh of his foreskin shall not have been circumcised”), expressing a future perfect condition.
Main Clause: delebitur anima illa de populo suo — delebitur (future passive “shall be cut off”) serves as the main verb; anima illa (“that soul”) is the subject; de populo suo indicates separation from one’s people.
Causal Clause: quia pactum meum irritum fecit — introduced by quia (“because”), with pactum meum as the object and fecit (“he has made”) as the main verb, describing the reason for excommunication: violating the divine covenant.

Morphology

  1. Masculus — Lemma: masculus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “male”; Notes: Refers to the male individual obligated to undergo circumcision.
  2. cuius — Lemma: qui, quae, quod; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: expresses possession; Translation: “whose”; Notes: Links the male subject to the phrase “præputii caro.”
  3. præputii — Lemma: præputium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter; Function: dependent genitive; Translation: “of foreskin”; Notes: Specifies anatomical reference in circumcision law.
  4. caro — Lemma: caro; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject of “fuerit”; Translation: “flesh”; Notes: Represents physical organ of covenant sign.
  5. circumcisa — Lemma: circumcido; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular feminine, perfect passive; Function: predicate adjective; Translation: “circumcised”; Notes: Describes completed or required physical action.
  6. non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: negates “fuerit”; Translation: “not”; Notes: Negates circumcision condition.
  7. fuerit — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future perfect active indicative, third person singular; Function: auxiliary verb; Translation: “shall have been”; Notes: Indicates future completed state of noncompliance.
  8. delebitur — Lemma: deleo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future passive indicative, third person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “shall be cut off”; Notes: Expresses divine punishment of exclusion.
  9. anima — Lemma: anima; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject; Translation: “soul”; Notes: Represents the person’s life or identity.
  10. illa — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: demonstrative adjective; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: modifies “anima”; Translation: “that”; Notes: Specifies the individual under judgment.
  11. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses separation; Translation: “from / out of”; Notes: Introduces the source of expulsion.
  12. populo — Lemma: populus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of “de”; Translation: “people”; Notes: Refers to the covenant community of Abraham’s descendants.
  13. suo — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: reflexive adjective; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: modifies “populo”; Translation: “his”; Notes: Indicates the man’s own people from whom he will be cut off.
  14. quia — Lemma: quia; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces causal clause; Translation: “because”; Notes: Gives the reason for divine judgment.
  15. pactum — Lemma: pactum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object of “fecit”; Translation: “covenant”; Notes: Refers to the divine agreement established with Abraham.
  16. meum — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: modifies “pactum”; Translation: “my”; Notes: Indicates God’s ownership of the covenant.
  17. irritum — Lemma: irritus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object complement; Translation: “void / broken”; Notes: Describes the effect of disobedience — rendering the covenant null.
  18. fecit — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative, third person singular; Function: main verb of causal clause; Translation: “he has made”; Notes: Concludes the clause, asserting moral culpability for breaking the divine covenant.

 

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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