Genesis 21:12

Posted on January 21, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 21:12 Cui dixit Deus: Non tibi videatur asperum super puero, et super ancilla tua: omnia quæ dixerit tibi Sara, audi vocem eius: quia in Isaac vocabitur tibi semen.

And God said to him: “Let it not seem harsh to you concerning the boy and concerning your servant woman; in all that Sara says to you, listen to her voice, for in Isaac shall your offspring be called.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Cui to whom DAT.SG.M.REL.PRON
2 dixit said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
3 Deus God NOM.SG.M
4 Non not ADV
5 tibi to you DAT.SG.2ND.PRON
6 videatur may seem 3SG.PRES.SUBJ.DEP
7 asperum harsh / severe NOM.SG.N.ADJ
8 super concerning PREP+ABL
9 puero boy ABL.SG.M
10 et and CONJ
11 super concerning PREP+ABL
12 ancilla maidservant ABL.SG.F
13 tua your ABL.SG.F.POSS.ADJ
14 omnia all things ACC.PL.N
15 quæ which NOM.PL.N.REL.PRON
16 dixerit shall say 3SG.FUT.PERF.ACT.SUBJ
17 tibi to you DAT.SG.2ND.PRON
18 Sara Sarah NOM.SG.F
19 audi listen 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP
20 vocem voice ACC.SG.F
21 eius her GEN.SG.F.PRON
22 quia for / because CONJ
23 in in / through PREP+ABL
24 Isaac Isaac ABL.SG.M
25 vocabitur shall be called 3SG.FUT.PASS.IND
26 tibi to you DAT.SG.2ND.PRON
27 semen offspring NOM.SG.N

Syntax

Main Clause: Cui dixit Deus — A relative clause introducing divine speech. Deus is the subject, dixit the perfect main verb, and Cui the indirect object (“to whom”).
Subordinate Command: Non tibi videatur asperum super puero et super ancilla tua — A prohibitive subjunctive expressing God’s reassurance to Abraham; the phrase means “Let it not seem harsh to you.”
Conditional Instruction: omnia quæ dixerit tibi Sara, audi vocem eius — God commands Abraham to heed Sara’s counsel entirely.
Causal Clause: quia in Isaac vocabitur tibi semen — Explains the divine rationale: the covenant line continues through Isaac alone.

Morphology

  1. Cui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: indirect object of “dixit”; Translation: “to whom”; Notes: Refers to Abraham, introducing divine dialogue.
  2. dixit — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative active, third person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “said”; Notes: Marks divine communication, initiating the reassurance.
  3. Deus — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of “dixit”; Translation: “God”; Notes: The LORD addressing Abraham regarding Sara’s concern.
  4. Non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: negates “videatur”; Translation: “not”; Notes: Creates a prohibitive sense with the subjunctive verb.
  5. tibi — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular; Function: indirect object of “videatur”; Translation: “to you”; Notes: Addresses Abraham directly in divine reassurance.
  6. videatur — Lemma: videor; Part of Speech: deponent verb; Form: present subjunctive, third person singular; Function: verb of the negative exhortation; Translation: “may seem”; Notes: Subjunctive mood used for mild prohibition or counsel.
  7. asperum — Lemma: asper; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: predicate adjective of “videatur”; Translation: “harsh / severe”; Notes: Refers to Sara’s request about Hagar and Ishmael.
  8. super — Lemma: super; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces reference phrase; Translation: “concerning”; Notes: Establishes the matter under consideration.
  9. puero — Lemma: puer; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of “super”; Translation: “boy”; Notes: Refers to Ishmael, Abraham’s first son.
  10. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links two prepositional phrases; Translation: “and”; Notes: Connects “super puero” and “super ancilla tua.”
  11. super — Lemma: super; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: repeats for emphasis; Translation: “concerning”; Notes: Introduces the second object of compassion—Hagar.
  12. ancilla — Lemma: ancilla; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of “super”; Translation: “maidservant”; Notes: Refers to Hagar, the mother of Ishmael.
  13. tua — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: modifies “ancilla”; Translation: “your”; Notes: Emphasizes Abraham’s responsibility for Hagar.
  14. omnia — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective / pronoun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: object of “audi”; Translation: “all things”; Notes: Refers to everything Sara might instruct Abraham to do.
  15. quæ — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative plural neuter; Function: subject of “dixerit”; Translation: “which”; Notes: Introduces the relative clause modifying “omnia.”
  16. dixerit — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future perfect or perfect subjunctive, third person singular active; Function: main verb of relative clause; Translation: “shall say”; Notes: Anticipates future instruction from Sara.
  17. tibi — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular; Function: indirect object of “dixerit”; Translation: “to you”; Notes: Specifies Abraham as recipient of Sara’s instruction.
  18. Sara — Lemma: Sara; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject of “dixerit”; Translation: “Sara”; Notes: The speaker whose counsel God commands Abraham to heed.
  19. audi — Lemma: audio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present imperative active, second person singular; Function: command verb; Translation: “listen”; Notes: Divine imperative indicating Abraham’s obedience to Sara’s words.
  20. vocem — Lemma: vox; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object of “audi”; Translation: “voice”; Notes: Represents Sara’s counsel, viewed as divinely guided.
  21. eius — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: possessive modifier; Translation: “her”; Notes: Refers back to Sara, emphasizing obedience to her direction.
  22. quia — Lemma: quia; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: subordinating; Function: introduces causal clause; Translation: “for / because”; Notes: Connects command with divine reasoning.
  23. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces phrase of instrumentality or lineage; Translation: “in / through”; Notes: Marks Isaac as the medium through which the covenant lineage continues.
  24. Isaac — Lemma: Isaac; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of “in”; Translation: “Isaac”; Notes: The covenant heir through whom the promise line is established.
  25. vocabitur — Lemma: voco; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future indicative passive, third person singular; Function: main verb of causal clause; Translation: “shall be called”; Notes: Passive indicates divine designation of Isaac as the covenant bearer.
  26. tibi — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular; Function: indirect object of “vocabitur”; Translation: “to you”; Notes: Indicates Abraham as the recipient of the covenant promise.
  27. semen — Lemma: semen; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: subject of “vocabitur”; Translation: “offspring”; Notes: Refers to covenant lineage, emphasizing Isaac’s role as the promised seed.

 

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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