Genesis 12:12

Posted on January 12, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 12:12 et quod cum viderint te Ægyptii, dicturi sunt: Uxor ipsius est: et interficient me, et te reservabunt.

And that when the Egyptians see you, they will say: She is his wife; and they will kill me, but you they will keep alive.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 et and CONJ
2 quod that CONJ
3 cum when SUB.CONJ
4 viderint they see / have seen 3PL.FUT.PERF.ACT.IND
5 te you PRON.ACC.SG.2
6 Ægyptii Egyptians NOM.PL.M
7 dicturi about to say FUT.ACT.PART.NOM.PL.M
8 sunt are 3PL.PRES.ACT.IND
9 Uxor wife NOM.SG.F
10 ipsius of him / his PRON.GEN.SG.M
11 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
12 et and CONJ
13 interficient they will kill 3PL.FUT.ACT.IND
14 me me PRON.ACC.SG.1
15 et and CONJ
16 te you PRON.ACC.SG.2
17 reservabunt they will spare / keep alive 3PL.FUT.ACT.IND

Syntax

Indirect Statement: et quod cum viderint te Ægyptii, dicturi sunt — quod introduces indirect discourse following Novi (from the previous verse). The temporal clause cum viderint te Ægyptii uses the future perfect to indicate an action preceding the main future idea: “when the Egyptians have seen you.”
Predicted Speech: Uxor ipsius est — reported future statement expressing the Egyptians’ anticipated reaction.
Result Clauses: et interficient me, et te reservabunt — coordinated future indicatives show consequences Abram foresees: his own death and Sarai’s preservation.

Morphology

  1. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Connective; Translation: “and”; Notes: Links continuation of Abram’s statement.
  2. quod — Lemma: quod; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Introduces indirect statement; Translation: “that”; Notes: Dependent on Novi in preceding verse.
  3. cum — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: Subordinating conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Temporal conjunction; Translation: “when”; Notes: Governs the subjunctive or future perfect indicative for future time reference.
  4. viderint — Lemma: video; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Future perfect active indicative, 3rd person plural; Function: Verb of temporal clause; Translation: “they see / have seen”; Notes: Indicates action preceding dicturi sunt.
  5. te — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: Accusative singular; Function: Direct object of viderint; Translation: “you”; Notes: Refers to Sarai.
  6. Ægyptii — Lemma: Ægyptius; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative plural masculine; Function: Subject of viderint and dicturi sunt; Translation: “Egyptians”; Notes: The anticipated observers of Sarai’s beauty.
  7. dicturi — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: Verb (participle); Form: Future active participle, nominative plural masculine; Function: Predicate with sunt; Translation: “about to say”; Notes: Describes imminent action, expressing prediction.
  8. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present active indicative, 3rd person plural; Function: Auxiliary verb; Translation: “are”; Notes: Combines with dicturi for periphrastic future, “they will say.”
  9. Uxor — Lemma: uxor; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular feminine; Function: Subject of est; Translation: “wife”; Notes: Central to Abram’s fear—misidentification leading to danger.
  10. ipsius — Lemma: ipse; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: Genitive singular masculine; Function: Possessive genitive; Translation: “of him / his”; Notes: Refers to Abram as Sarai’s husband.
  11. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present active indicative, 3rd person singular; Function: Linking verb; Translation: “is”; Notes: Used in direct discourse of predicted speech.
  12. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Links parallel future verbs; Translation: “and”; Notes: Coordinates two resulting actions.
  13. interficient — Lemma: interficio; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Future active indicative, 3rd person plural; Function: Main verb; Translation: “they will kill”; Notes: Predicts the Egyptians’ violent intent.
  14. me — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: Accusative singular; Function: Direct object of interficient; Translation: “me”; Notes: Refers to Abram as the endangered one.
  15. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Coordinates clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Joins contrastive outcome: death for Abram, life for Sarai.
  16. te — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: Accusative singular; Function: Direct object of reservabunt; Translation: “you”; Notes: Refers to Sarai; emphasizes the spared life.
  17. reservabunt — Lemma: reservo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Future active indicative, 3rd person plural; Function: Main verb; Translation: “they will keep / preserve”; Notes: Final verb showing Abram’s fear: Sarai spared for Egyptian possession.

 

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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