Genesis 21:30

Posted on January 21, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 21:30 At ille: Septem, inquit, agnas accipies de manu mea: ut sint mihi in testimonium, quoniam ego fodi puteum istum.

But he said: “You shall take seven ewe lambs from my hand, that they may be for me as a testimony that I dug this well.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 At but CONJ
2 ille he NOM.SG.M.DEM.PRON
3 Septem seven NUM.CARD.INVAR
4 inquit said 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
5 agnas ewe lambs ACC.PL.F
6 accipies you shall take 2SG.FUT.ACT.IND
7 de from PREP+ABL
8 manu hand ABL.SG.F
9 mea my ABL.SG.F.POSS.ADJ
10 ut that CONJ.PURPOSE
11 sint they may be 3PL.PRES.SUBJ.ACT
12 mihi for me DAT.SG.1ST.PRON
13 in in PREP+ACC
14 testimonium testimony ACC.SG.N
15 quoniam because / that CONJ
16 ego I NOM.SG.1ST.PRON
17 fodi I dug 1SG.PERF.ACT.IND
18 puteum well ACC.SG.M
19 istum this ACC.SG.M.DEM.ADJ

Syntax

Main Clause: At ille inquit — Conjunction At introduces contrast (“but”), with ille as the subject and inquit marking direct discourse.
Direct Speech: Septem agnas accipies de manu mea — Imperatival future accipies expresses instruction or command; de manu mea forms a prepositional phrase indicating the source.
Purpose Clause: ut sint mihi in testimonium — Subjunctive sint marks the desired result: the lambs serve as evidence.
Causal Clause: quoniam ego fodi puteum istum — Introduced by quoniam, explaining the reason: “because I dug this well.”

Morphology

  1. At — Lemma: at; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: introduces contrast or transition; Translation: “but”; Notes: Common in narrative to shift speaker or emphasis.
  2. ille — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of “inquit”; Translation: “he”; Notes: Refers to Abraham, continuing the covenant dialogue.
  3. Septem — Lemma: septem; Part of Speech: numeral (cardinal); Form: indeclinable; Function: numeral modifying “agnas”; Translation: “seven”; Notes: Symbolic of completeness, underscoring covenant perfection.
  4. inquit — Lemma: inquam; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present indicative active, third person singular; Function: introduces direct speech; Translation: “said”; Notes: Historic present for vivid narrative style.
  5. agnas — Lemma: agna; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: direct object of “accipies”; Translation: “ewe lambs”; Notes: Refers to covenantal tokens presented for verification.
  6. accipies — Lemma: accipio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future indicative active, second person singular; Function: main verb of direct speech; Translation: “you shall take”; Notes: Expresses a formal directive, not simple prediction.
  7. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: indicates source or separation; Translation: “from”; Notes: Marks origin of transfer from Abraham’s possession.
  8. manu — Lemma: manus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of preposition “de”; Translation: “hand”; Notes: Common idiom for “from one’s possession or power.”
  9. mea — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: agrees with “manu”; Translation: “my”; Notes: Reinforces personal ownership and transferal of property.
  10. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: subordinating (purpose); Function: introduces a purpose clause; Translation: “that”; Notes: Marks the intended purpose of the act of giving.
  11. sint — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present subjunctive active, third person plural; Function: verb in purpose clause; Translation: “they may be”; Notes: Subjunctive mood expresses desired outcome (purpose).
  12. mihi — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular first person; Function: dative of advantage; Translation: “for me”; Notes: Emphasizes Abraham’s claim of rightful ownership.
  13. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses goal or result; Translation: “as / into”; Notes: With accusative, implies change of state (“into testimony”).
  14. testimonium — Lemma: testimonium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: predicate complement of “sint”; Translation: “testimony”; Notes: Legal term signifying evidence or witness to ownership.
  15. quoniam — Lemma: quoniam; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: causal; Function: introduces reason clause; Translation: “because / that”; Notes: Explains justification for Abraham’s symbolic act.
  16. ego — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative singular first person; Function: emphatic subject of “fodi”; Translation: “I”; Notes: Stresses Abraham’s personal authorship of the well’s construction.
  17. fodi — Lemma: fodio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative active, first person singular; Function: main verb of causal clause; Translation: “I dug”; Notes: Simple perfect marking completed action establishing legal possession.
  18. puteum — Lemma: puteus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of “fodi”; Translation: “well”; Notes: Central object of dispute, its ownership confirmed through testimony.
  19. istum — Lemma: iste; Part of Speech: demonstrative adjective; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: modifies “puteum”; Translation: “this”; Notes: Deictic particle indicating the specific well under discussion.

 

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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