Genesis 12:16

Posted on January 12, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 12:16 Abram vero bene usi sunt propter illam: Fueruntque ei oves et boves, et asini, et servi et famulæ, et asinæ et cameli.

But Abram was treated well because of her; and he had sheep and oxen, and donkeys, and male and female servants, and she-donkeys, and camels.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Abram Abram NOM.SG.M
2 vero but / indeed ADV
3 bene well ADV
4 usi they treated / used PERF.DEP.PART.NOM.PL.M
5 sunt were 3PL.PRES.ACT.IND
6 propter because of PREP+ACC
7 illam her PRON.ACC.SG.F
8 Fueruntque and there were 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND + -QUE
9 ei to him PRON.DAT.SG.3
10 oves sheep NOM.PL.F
11 et and CONJ
12 boves oxen NOM.PL.M
13 et and CONJ
14 asini donkeys NOM.PL.M
15 et and CONJ
16 servi servants / slaves NOM.PL.M
17 et and CONJ
18 famulæ female servants NOM.PL.F
19 et and CONJ
20 asinæ she-donkeys NOM.PL.F
21 et and CONJ
22 cameli camels NOM.PL.M

Syntax

Main Clause 1: Abram vero bene usi sunt propter illam — usi sunt (from *utor*, deponent verb) governs the ablative but here idiomatically means “they treated (well).” Abram is the indirect recipient; propter illam (“because of her”) gives cause.
Main Clause 2: Fueruntque ei oves et boves… — existential use of *sum* indicating possession: “and there were to him (i.e., he had).” The enumeration of livestock and servants reflects the prosperity resulting from Sarai’s favor.

Morphology

  1. Abram — Lemma: Abram; Part of Speech: Proper noun (indeclinable); Form: Ablative singular (indeclinable form); Function: Complement of the deponent verb utor (“to use, deal with”) which governs the ablative; Translation: “Abram”; Notes: Hebrew proper names in the Vulgate often appear indeclinable; with usi sunt the sense is “they dealt well with Abram.”
  2. vero — Lemma: vero; Part of Speech: Adverbial particle; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Contrastive/discourse marker; Translation: “however / but indeed”; Notes: Sets Abram’s favorable treatment in contrast with the previous action concerning Sarai.
  3. bene — Lemma: bene; Part of Speech: Adverb; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Adverb of manner modifying the verbal idea in usi sunt; Translation: “well”; Notes: Qualifies the quality of treatment.
  4. usi — Lemma: utor; Part of Speech: Verb (deponent participle); Form: Perfect participle, nominative plural masculine; Function: With sunt forms the perfect of a deponent verb; Translation: “(they) used / dealt (with)”; Notes: utor takes the ablative; here the participle agrees with an implied plural subject (e.g., Egyptians/household).
  5. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present indicative, 3rd person plural (auxiliary); Function: Auxiliary with the deponent participle to form the perfect; Translation: “have (so) dealt / were”; Notes: Periphrastic perfect with deponents: usi sunt = “they treated/they dealt.”
  6. propter — Lemma: propter; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs the accusative; Function: Introduces causal phrase; Translation: “because of / on account of”; Notes: Signals external cause or motive.
  7. illam — Lemma: ille, illa, illud; Part of Speech: Demonstrative pronoun; Form: Accusative singular feminine; Function: Object of the preposition propter; Translation: “her”; Notes: Refers to Sarai as the reason for Abram’s favorable treatment.
  8. Fueruntque — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect indicative, 3rd person plural, with enclitic -que; Function: Existential “there were,” coordinating with the previous clause; Translation: “and there were / and he had”; Notes: With dative of possession (ei) expresses possession: “there were to him.”
  9. ei — Lemma: is, ea, id (dative form); Part of Speech: Third-person pronoun; Form: Dative singular masculine; Function: Dative of possession with fuerunt; Translation: “to him”; Notes: Latin idiom for “he had.”
  10. oves — Lemma: ovis; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative plural feminine; Function: Logical subject in the existential possession construction; Translation: “sheep”; Notes: First item in the inventory of wealth.
  11. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Coordinating conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Links coordinated nouns; Translation: “and”; Notes: Simple addition within the list.
  12. boves — Lemma: bos; Part of Speech: Noun (common gender); Form: Nominative plural; Function: Coordinated subject with oves; Translation: “oxen/cattle”; Notes: Commonly treated as masculine plural in context.
  13. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Coordinating conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Continues coordination; Translation: “and”; Notes: Polysyndeton builds the catalog rhythm.
  14. asini — Lemma: asinus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative plural masculine; Function: Coordinated subject; Translation: “donkeys”; Notes: Beasts of burden indicating material resources.
  15. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Coordinating conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Links next noun; Translation: “and”; Notes: —
  16. servi — Lemma: servus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative plural masculine; Function: Coordinated subject; Translation: “male servants / slaves”; Notes: Human property denoting increased household size.
  17. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Coordinating conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Continues list; Translation: “and”; Notes: —
  18. famulæ — Lemma: famula; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative plural feminine; Function: Coordinated subject; Translation: “female servants”; Notes: Paired with servi to indicate both sexes.
  19. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Coordinating conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Continues list; Translation: “and”; Notes: —
  20. asinæ — Lemma: asina; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative plural feminine; Function: Coordinated subject; Translation: “she-donkeys”; Notes: Gendered counterpart to asini.
  21. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Coordinating conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Final coordination; Translation: “and”; Notes: —
  22. cameli — Lemma: camelus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative plural masculine; Function: Coordinated subject; Translation: “camels”; Notes: High-value livestock associated with long-range trade and wealth.

 

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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