Genesis 18:33

Posted on January 18, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 18:33 Abiitque Dominus, postquam cessavit loqui ad Abraham: et ille reversus est in locum suum.

And the LORD departed after He had ceased speaking to Abraham, and he returned to his place.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Abiitque and departed 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND + ENCLITIC -QUE
2 Dominus the LORD NOM.SG.M
3 postquam after / when CONJ.TEMPORAL
4 cessavit He ceased / stopped 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
5 loqui to speak INF.PRES.DEP
6 ad to / toward PREP+ACC
7 Abraham Abraham ACC.SG.M
8 et and CONJ
9 ille he NOM.SG.M.PRON
10 reversus having returned NOM.SG.M.PERF.PASS.PTCP (DEPONENT)
11 est was / has 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
12 in into / to PREP+ACC
13 locum place ACC.SG.M
14 suum his own ACC.SG.M.POSS.ADJ

Syntax

Main Clause 1: Abiitque Dominus — The perfect verb Abiit (“departed”) with enclitic -que joins this sentence to the preceding scene, marking closure. The subject Dominus refers to YHWH, signifying the end of divine presence after the dialogue.
Temporal Clause: postquam cessavit loqui ad Abraham — The conjunction postquam introduces a temporal clause meaning “after He had ceased to speak.” The infinitive loqui is deponent, and ad Abraham indicates the recipient of the divine conversation.
Main Clause 2: et ille reversus est in locum suum — The pronoun ille refers to Abraham. The perfect deponent reversus est (“he returned”) indicates completed action. The phrase in locum suum (“to his place”) denotes Abraham’s return to his dwelling, closing the narrative sequence.

Morphology

  1. Abiitque — Lemma: abeo; Part of Speech: verb + enclitic; Form: perfect active indicative, third person singular + -que; Function: main verb; Translation: “and departed”; Notes: The enclitic -que connects this action to the prior context, marking divine withdrawal.
  2. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of “abiit”; Translation: “the LORD”; Notes: Refers to YHWH, whose departure concludes the theophany.
  3. postquam — Lemma: postquam; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: temporal; Function: introduces subordinate clause; Translation: “after”; Notes: Denotes temporal sequence between divine speech and departure.
  4. cessavit — Lemma: cesso; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative, third person singular; Function: main verb of subordinate clause; Translation: “He ceased”; Notes: Describes cessation of communication from YHWH to Abraham.
  5. loqui — Lemma: loquor; Part of Speech: deponent verb; Form: present infinitive; Function: infinitive complement to “cessavit”; Translation: “to speak”; Notes: Deponent infinitive carrying active sense.
  6. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces indirect object; Translation: “to”; Notes: Marks the addressee of divine communication, Abraham.
  7. Abraham — Lemma: Abraham; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of “ad”; Translation: “Abraham”; Notes: Patriarch addressed by the LORD in covenant dialogue.
  8. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: joins independent clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Links divine departure to Abraham’s subsequent return.
  9. ille — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of “reversus est”; Translation: “he”; Notes: Refers to Abraham, contrasting his remaining presence with divine departure.
  10. reversus — Lemma: revertor; Part of Speech: deponent participle; Form: nominative singular masculine, perfect; Function: predicate participle; Translation: “having returned”; Notes: Deponent participle expressing completed action.
  11. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative, third person singular; Function: auxiliary with participle; Translation: “has / was”; Notes: Forms perfect with deponent “reversus.”
  12. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: indicates motion toward; Translation: “into / to”; Notes: Marks spatial direction of movement.
  13. locum — Lemma: locus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of preposition; Translation: “place”; Notes: Refers to Abraham’s home or dwelling area near Mamre.
  14. suum — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: modifies “locum”; Translation: “his own”; Notes: Reflects personal possession—Abraham’s own place of residence.

 

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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