Genesis 18:6

Posted on January 18, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 18:6 Festinavit Abraham in tabernaculum ad Saram, dixitque ei: Accelera, tria sata similæ commisce, et fac subcinericios panes.

And Abraham hastened into the tent to Sara and said to her: “Make haste, mix three measures of fine flour, and make hearth cakes.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Festinavit hastened 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 Abraham Abraham NOM.SG.M.PROP.NOUN
3 in into PREP+ACC
4 tabernaculum tent ACC.SG.N
5 ad to PREP+ACC
6 Saram Sarah ACC.SG.F.PROP.NOUN
7 dixitque and said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
8 ei to her DAT.SG.F.PRON
9 Accelera make haste 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP
10 tria three ACC.PL.N.NUM
11 sata measures ACC.PL.N
12 similæ of fine flour GEN.SG.F
13 commisce mix 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP
14 et and CONJ
15 fac make 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP
16 subcinericios hearth ACC.PL.M.ADJ
17 panes cakes ACC.PL.M

Syntax

Main Clause: Festinavit Abraham in tabernaculum ad Saram — Festinavit (“hastened”) is the perfect indicative showing Abraham’s urgency; in tabernaculum (“into the tent”) expresses motion toward; ad Saram (“to Sarah”) identifies the addressee.
Direct Speech: dixitque ei: Accelera … — dixitque (“and he said”) introduces direct instructions; ei (“to her”) marks the indirect object.
Imperative Series: Accelera, tria sata similæ commisce, et fac subcinericios panes — A sequence of three imperatives directed to Sarah, showing domestic preparation for the guests: Accelera (“make haste”), commisce (“mix”), and fac (“make”). The phrase tria sata similæ (“three measures of fine flour”) specifies the quantity and quality of ingredients.

Morphology

  1. Festinavit — Lemma: festino; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative, third person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “hastened”; Notes: Expresses Abraham’s quick and eager hospitality upon seeing his guests.
  2. Abraham — Lemma: Abraham; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “Abraham”; Notes: The patriarch acts immediately, exemplifying hospitality and reverence.
  3. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: indicates motion toward; Translation: “into”; Notes: Used with motion verbs to express directionality.
  4. tabernaculum — Lemma: tabernaculum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of “in”; Translation: “tent”; Notes: Denotes Abraham’s dwelling, setting of household activity.
  5. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses direction toward a person; Translation: “to”; Notes: Connects Abraham’s movement to Sarah as recipient of command.
  6. Saram — Lemma: Sara; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of “ad”; Translation: “Sarah”; Notes: Directs the following imperatives to Abraham’s wife.
  7. dixitque — Lemma: dico + que; Part of Speech: verb with enclitic conjunction; Form: perfect active indicative, third person singular; Function: introduces speech; Translation: “and said”; Notes: Signals transition from action to instruction.
  8. ei — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular feminine; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to her”; Notes: Marks Sarah as the person addressed.
  9. Accelera — Lemma: accelero; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active imperative, second person singular; Function: command; Translation: “make haste”; Notes: Encourages quick action in preparing food for the guests.
  10. tria — Lemma: tres; Part of Speech: numeral adjective; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: modifies “sata”; Translation: “three”; Notes: Specifies the quantity of fine flour, equivalent to a large measure.
  11. sata — Lemma: satum (from sero); Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: direct object of “commisce”; Translation: “measures”; Notes: A Semitic loan-term representing a dry measure used for flour.
  12. similæ — Lemma: simila; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: genitive of material; Translation: “of fine flour”; Notes: Denotes refined flour suitable for special guests.
  13. commisce — Lemma: commisceo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active imperative, second person singular; Function: command; Translation: “mix”; Notes: Instruction for preparing dough, part of ritual hospitality.
  14. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links final command; Translation: “and”; Notes: Joins sequential imperatives within Abraham’s directions.
  15. fac — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active imperative, second person singular; Function: command; Translation: “make”; Notes: Final imperative completing the series of preparation commands.
  16. subcinericios — Lemma: subcinericius; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: modifies “panes”; Translation: “hearth”; Notes: Refers to bread baked under hot ashes, a rustic and ancient method.
  17. panes — Lemma: panis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: direct object of “fac”; Translation: “cakes”; Notes: Specifies the food prepared for divine visitors, demonstrating reverent hospitality.

 

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.
This entry was posted in Genesis. Bookmark the permalink.

Comments are closed.