Genesis 21:8

Posted on January 21, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 21:8 Crevit igitur puer, et ablactatus est: fecitque Abraham grande convivium in die ablactationis eius.

And the boy grew and was weaned, and Abraham made a great feast on the day of his weaning.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Crevit grew 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 igitur therefore / so ADV
3 puer boy / child NOM.SG.M
4 et and CONJ
5 ablactatus weaned NOM.SG.M.PERF.PASS.PART
6 est was 3SG.PERF.IND.AUX
7 fecitque and made 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND + ENCLITIC -que
8 Abraham Abraham NOM.SG.M
9 grande great ACC.SG.N.ADJ
10 convivium feast ACC.SG.N
11 in on / at PREP+ABL
12 die day ABL.SG.M
13 ablactationis of weaning GEN.SG.F
14 eius of him / his GEN.SG.M.PRON

Syntax

Main Clause 1: Crevit igitur puer — The perfect verb Crevit expresses the boy’s physical development; puer serves as the subject, and igitur connects the statement logically with the preceding account of Isaac’s birth.
Main Clause 2: et ablactatus est — The perfect passive periphrastic construction indicates the completion of the weaning process.
Main Clause 3: fecitque Abraham grande convivium in die ablactationis eius — A new clause joined by -que, indicating celebration. Abraham is the subject, convivium the object, with the prepositional phrase in die ablactationis eius marking the occasion.

Morphology

  1. Crevit — Lemma: cresco; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative active, third person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “grew”; Notes: Indicates both physical and figurative growth of Isaac, continuing the narrative of divine blessing.
  2. igitur — Lemma: igitur; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: transitional marker; Translation: “therefore / so”; Notes: Concludes the preceding event and signals the next stage in Isaac’s early life.
  3. puer — Lemma: puer; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of “crevit” and “ablactatus est”; Translation: “boy”; Notes: Refers to Isaac, the child of promise, now developing under God’s providence.
  4. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links the two main verbs; Translation: “and”; Notes: Joins consecutive narrative actions.
  5. ablactatus — Lemma: ablacto; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular masculine, perfect passive; Function: complement with “est”; Translation: “weaned”; Notes: Describes a culturally significant milestone, often celebrated as a sign of divine favor.
  6. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: auxiliary verb; Form: perfect indicative, third person singular; Function: auxiliary completing periphrastic perfect; Translation: “was”; Notes: Forms perfect tense with “ablactatus.”
  7. fecitque — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative active, third person singular + enclitic -que; Function: introduces subsequent main action; Translation: “and made”; Notes: Marks Abraham’s active response to the joyous event.
  8. Abraham — Lemma: Abraham; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of “fecitque”; Translation: “Abraham”; Notes: Acts as host of the celebratory feast, demonstrating gratitude.
  9. grande — Lemma: grandis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: modifies “convivium”; Translation: “great”; Notes: Emphasizes the magnitude of the occasion—an extraordinary celebration.
  10. convivium — Lemma: convivium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object of “fecit”; Translation: “feast”; Notes: Symbolic of joy and thanksgiving for divine fulfillment.
  11. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces temporal phrase; Translation: “on / at”; Notes: Denotes the time when the feast occurred.
  12. die — Lemma: dies; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of “in”; Translation: “day”; Notes: Marks the precise temporal setting of celebration.
  13. ablactationis — Lemma: ablactatio; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: genitive of specification; Translation: “of weaning”; Notes: Specifies the type of day being commemorated—Isaac’s weaning day.
  14. eius — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessive modifier of “ablactationis”; Translation: “of him / his”; Notes: Refers to Isaac; identifies the celebration as belonging to his milestone.

 

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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