Genesis 21:14

Posted on January 21, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 21:14 Surrexit itaque Abraham mane, et tollens panem et utrem aquæ, imposuit scapulæ eius, tradiditque puerum, et dimisit eam. Quæ cum abiisset, errabat in solitudine Bersabee.

And so Abraham rose early in the morning, and taking bread and a skin of water, he placed it on her shoulder, gave her the boy, and sent her away. And when she had departed, she wandered in the wilderness of Bersabee.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Surrexit rose 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 itaque therefore / and so CONJ
3 Abraham Abraham NOM.SG.M
4 mane early in the morning ADV
5 et and CONJ
6 tollens taking NOM.SG.M.PRES.ACT.PART
7 panem bread ACC.SG.M
8 et and CONJ
9 utrem skin / bottle ACC.SG.M
10 aquæ of water GEN.SG.F
11 imposuit he placed 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
12 scapulæ shoulder DAT.SG.F
13 eius her GEN.SG.F.PRON
14 tradiditque and gave 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND + -QUE
15 puerum boy ACC.SG.M
16 et and CONJ
17 dimisit sent away 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
18 eam her ACC.SG.F.PRON
19 Quæ who NOM.SG.F.REL.PRON
20 cum when CONJ
21 abiisset had gone away 3SG.PLUPERF.ACT.SUBJ
22 errabat wandered 3SG.IMPERF.ACT.IND
23 in in PREP+ABL
24 solitudine wilderness ABL.SG.F
25 Bersabee of Beersheba GEN.SG.F

Syntax

Main Clause: Surrexit itaque Abraham mane — The perfect tense verb Surrexit introduces Abraham’s obedient and immediate response to God’s instruction. The adverb mane emphasizes diligence and promptness.
Participial Construction: et tollens panem et utrem aquæ, imposuit scapulæ eius — The participle tollens describes Abraham’s simultaneous action of preparation.
Subsequent Clauses: tradiditque puerum, et dimisit eam — Two coordinated perfect verbs indicate completion of Abraham’s compassionate yet sorrowful task.
Relative Clause: Quæ cum abiisset, errabat in solitudine Bersabee — The temporal-causal cum clause marks transition, followed by errabat describing Hagar’s uncertain wandering in the wilderness.

Morphology

  1. Surrexit — Lemma: surgo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative active, third person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “rose”; Notes: Expresses Abraham’s immediate and decisive obedience to divine instruction.
  2. itaque — Lemma: itaque; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: connects to the previous divine speech; Translation: “therefore”; Notes: Denotes logical consequence from God’s command.
  3. Abraham — Lemma: Abraham; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “Abraham”; Notes: The patriarch acting in faithful obedience.
  4. mane — Lemma: mane; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: temporal modifier; Translation: “early in the morning”; Notes: Reflects promptness and readiness to act upon divine word.
  5. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: joins participial and finite verbs; Translation: “and”; Notes: Creates smooth narrative progression.
  6. tollens — Lemma: tollo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular masculine, present active; Function: circumstantial participle modifying “Abraham”; Translation: “taking”; Notes: Describes preparatory action immediately following Abraham’s rising.
  7. panem — Lemma: panis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of “tollens”; Translation: “bread”; Notes: Symbolizes provision and survival for Hagar and Ishmael.
  8. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Function: joins the two direct objects “panem” and “utrem aquæ”; Translation: “and”; Notes: Denotes equal importance of both provisions.
  9. utrem — Lemma: uter; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of “tollens”; Translation: “skin”; Notes: Refers to a water skin made of animal hide, a standard desert container.
  10. aquæ — Lemma: aqua; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: genitive of content modifying “utrem”; Translation: “of water”; Notes: Specifies the content of the water skin, essential for survival.
  11. imposuit — Lemma: impono; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative active, third person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “he placed”; Notes: Marks Abraham’s careful provision for Hagar’s journey.
  12. scapulæ — Lemma: scapula; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative singular feminine; Function: indirect object of “imposuit”; Translation: “shoulder”; Notes: Indicates the burden carried physically by Hagar.
  13. eius — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: possessive modifier of “scapulæ”; Translation: “her”; Notes: Refers to Hagar, recipient of the provisions.
  14. tradiditque — Lemma: trado; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative active, third person singular + enclitic -que; Function: connects sequential action; Translation: “and gave”; Notes: Highlights paternal care—entrusting Ishmael to Hagar.
  15. puerum — Lemma: puer; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of “tradidit”; Translation: “boy”; Notes: Refers to Ishmael, now fully placed under Hagar’s guardianship.
  16. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: connects main verbs “tradidit” and “dimisit”; Translation: “and”; Notes: Adds sequence and completeness to Abraham’s actions.
  17. dimisit — Lemma: dimitto; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative active, third person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “sent away”; Notes: Indicates final separation, though done in faith and sorrow.
  18. eam — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object of “dimisit”; Translation: “her”; Notes: Refers to Hagar, the servant sent into the wilderness.
  19. Quæ — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject of the relative clause; Translation: “who”; Notes: Refers to Hagar, introducing the next action.
  20. cum — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: subordinating; Function: introduces temporal clause; Translation: “when”; Notes: Marks the time sequence of her departure and wandering.
  21. abiisset — Lemma: abeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: pluperfect subjunctive active, third person singular; Function: verb of subordinate temporal clause; Translation: “had departed”; Notes: Denotes completed action before the main event “errabat.”
  22. errabat — Lemma: erro; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperfect indicative active, third person singular; Function: main verb of the relative clause; Translation: “was wandering”; Notes: Portrays ongoing, aimless movement in desolation.
  23. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces locative phrase; Translation: “in”; Notes: Locative use, setting the scene of Hagar’s wandering.
  24. solitudine — Lemma: solitudo; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of “in”; Translation: “wilderness”; Notes: Represents both physical desert and spiritual isolation.
  25. Bersabee — Lemma: Bersabee; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: genitive of place; Translation: “of Beersheba”; Notes: Identifies the southern region of the Negev, near the edge of settled land.

 

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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