Genesis 17:21

Posted on January 17, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 17:21 Pactum vero meum statuam ad Isaac, quem pariet tibi Sara tempore isto in anno altero.

But my covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sara shall bear to you at this time in the next year.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Pactum covenant ACC.SG.N
2 vero but / however ADV
3 meum my ACC.SG.N.POSS.ADJ
4 statuam I will establish 1SG.FUT.ACT.IND
5 ad with / toward PREP+ACC
6 Isaac Isaac ACC.SG.M.PROP.NOUN
7 quem whom REL.PRON.ACC.SG.M
8 pariet shall bear 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND
9 tibi to you DAT.SG.PRON
10 Sara Sarah NOM.SG.F.PROP.NOUN
11 tempore at time ABL.SG.N
12 isto this ABL.SG.N.DEMON.ADJ
13 in in PREP+ABL
14 anno year ABL.SG.M
15 altero next / following ABL.SG.M.ADJ

Syntax

Main Clause: Pactum vero meum statuam ad Isaac — Pactum meum (“my covenant”) serves as direct object; statuam (“I will establish”) is the main verb in future tense; ad Isaac expresses association or direction (“with Isaac”); vero adds contrast (“but / however”) to the previous clause about Ishmael.
Relative Clause: quem pariet tibi Sara — quem introduces a relative clause modifying “Isaac”; pariet (“shall bear”) is future active; tibi (“to you”) is dative of advantage; Sara is subject, emphasizing divine promise fulfilled through her.
Temporal Phrase: tempore isto in anno altero — specifies when the promise will occur; tempore isto (“at this time”) is ablative of time; in anno altero (“in the next year”) defines the period of fulfillment.

Morphology

  1. Pactum — Lemma: pactum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object of “statuam”; Translation: “covenant”; Notes: Refers to the divine agreement to be formalized through Isaac.
  2. vero — Lemma: vero; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces contrast; Translation: “but / however”; Notes: Shifts emphasis from Ishmael to the exclusive covenantal heir Isaac.
  3. meum — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: modifies “pactum”; Translation: “my”; Notes: Highlights divine ownership and authorship of the covenant.
  4. statuam — Lemma: statuo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative, first person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “I will establish”; Notes: Expresses divine determination to confirm a lasting promise.
  5. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: indicates association or relation; Translation: “with / toward”; Notes: Marks Isaac as covenantal partner rather than spatial direction.
  6. Isaac — Lemma: Isaac; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of “ad”; Translation: “Isaac”; Notes: The heir through whom the covenant continues.
  7. quem — Lemma: qui, quae, quod; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of “pariet”; Translation: “whom”; Notes: Introduces relative clause modifying Isaac.
  8. pariet — Lemma: pario; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative, third person singular; Function: main verb of relative clause; Translation: “shall bear”; Notes: Predictive of Sarah’s future childbirth.
  9. tibi — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to you”; Notes: Marks Abraham as recipient of divine blessing through the birth.
  10. Sara — Lemma: Sara; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject of “pariet”; Translation: “Sarah”; Notes: Matriarch through whom divine promise is fulfilled.
  11. tempore — Lemma: tempus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: ablative of time; Translation: “at time”; Notes: Specifies the temporal point of fulfillment.
  12. isto — Lemma: iste; Part of Speech: demonstrative adjective; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: modifies “tempore”; Translation: “this”; Notes: Refers to the appointed season of the promise.
  13. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces time phrase; Translation: “in”; Notes: Denotes point within the following year.
  14. anno — Lemma: annus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of “in”; Translation: “year”; Notes: Provides timeframe of divine fulfillment.
  15. altero — Lemma: alter; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: modifies “anno”; Translation: “next / following”; Notes: Refers to the subsequent year in which the birth of Isaac will occur.

 

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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