Genesis 21:11

Posted on January 21, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 21:11 Dure accepit hoc Abraham pro filio suo.

Abraham took this hard because of his son.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Dure harshly / with pain ADV
2 accepit took / received 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
3 hoc this ACC.SG.N.DEM.PRON
4 Abraham Abraham NOM.SG.M
5 pro for / on account of PREP+ABL
6 filio son ABL.SG.M
7 suo his ABL.SG.M.POSS.ADJ

Syntax

Main Clause: Dure accepit hoc Abraham pro filio suo — The verb accepit is the main action, with Abraham as the subject. The adverb Dure modifies the verb, indicating emotional distress. The prepositional phrase pro filio suo explains the cause or motive: Abraham’s anguish was “for his son,” referring to Ishmael.

Morphology

  1. Dure — Lemma: durus; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: positive degree; Function: adverbial modifier of “accepit”; Translation: “hardly / painfully”; Notes: Expresses Abraham’s emotional reaction, denoting distress or difficulty in accepting Sara’s demand.
  2. accepit — Lemma: accipio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative active, third person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “took / received”; Notes: Perfect tense marks a completed emotional response—Abraham inwardly received the news with pain.
  3. hoc — Lemma: hic; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object of “accepit”; Translation: “this”; Notes: Refers to Sara’s demand that Hagar and Ishmael be cast out.
  4. Abraham — Lemma: Abraham; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of “accepit”; Translation: “Abraham”; Notes: The patriarch, emotionally torn between obedience to God and paternal affection.
  5. pro — Lemma: pro; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses cause or reason; Translation: “for / because of”; Notes: Introduces the motivation for Abraham’s sorrow.
  6. filio — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of “pro”; Translation: “son”; Notes: Refers to Ishmael, Abraham’s firstborn, whom he deeply loved.
  7. suo — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: modifies “filio”; Translation: “his”; Notes: Reflexively refers back to Abraham, emphasizing personal emotional attachment.

 

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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