Genesis 13:16

Posted on January 13, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 13:16 Faciamque semen tuum sicut pulverem terræ: si quis potest hominum numerare pulverem terræ, semen quoque tuum numerare poterit.

And I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth: if anyone of men can count the dust of the earth, your offspring also will be able to be counted.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Faciamque and I will make 1SG.FUT.ACT.IND + ENCLITIC -que
2 semen offspring / seed ACC.SG.N
3 tuum your ACC.SG.N (POSS.ADJ.)
4 sicut like / as CONJ
5 pulverem dust ACC.SG.M
6 terræ of the earth GEN.SG.F
7 si if CONJ
8 quis anyone / someone NOM.SG.M (INDEF.PRON.)
9 potest is able 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
10 hominum of men GEN.PL.M
11 numerare to count PRES.ACT.INF
12 pulverem dust ACC.SG.M
13 terræ of the earth GEN.SG.F
14 semen offspring / seed NOM.SG.N
15 quoque also ADV
16 tuum your NOM.SG.N (POSS.ADJ.)
17 numerare to count PRES.ACT.INF
18 poterit will be able 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND

Syntax

Main Clause: Faciamque semen tuum sicut pulverem terræ — “And I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth.” The verb faciam governs both direct object semen tuum and predicate accusative pulverem terræ.
Conditional Clause: si quis potest hominum numerare pulverem terræ — “if anyone of men can count the dust of the earth,” a hypothetical clause introducing the comparison.
Result Clause: semen quoque tuum numerare poterit — “your offspring also will be able to be counted,” the main clause expresses the impossibility of numbering Abram’s descendants, parallel to the immeasurable dust.

Morphology

  1. Faciamque — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Future active indicative, 1st person singular + enclitic -que; Function: Main verb of divine promise; Translation: “and I will make”; Notes: Expresses future creative act by divine agency.
  2. semen — Lemma: semen; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular neuter; Function: Direct object of faciam; Translation: “offspring / seed”; Notes: Refers collectively to Abram’s descendants, conveying continuity and inheritance.
  3. tuum — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: Possessive adjective; Form: Accusative singular neuter; Function: Modifies semen; Translation: “your”; Notes: Personalizes the covenantal seed as belonging to Abram.
  4. sicut — Lemma: sicut; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Introduces comparison; Translation: “as / like”; Notes: Establishes a simile comparing the innumerable seed to dust.
  5. pulverem — Lemma: pulvis; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular masculine; Function: Predicate accusative; Translation: “dust”; Notes: Symbolizes countlessness and humility of origin.
  6. terræ — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Genitive singular feminine; Function: Genitive of relation (“dust of the earth”); Translation: “of the earth”; Notes: Specifies the earthly and abundant metaphor.
  7. si — Lemma: si; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Introduces conditional clause; Translation: “if”; Notes: Sets a hypothetical condition.
  8. quis — Lemma: quis; Part of Speech: Indefinite pronoun; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Subject of potest; Translation: “anyone / someone”; Notes: Represents an indefinite human agent.
  9. potest — Lemma: possum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present active indicative, 3rd person singular; Function: Main verb of condition; Translation: “is able”; Notes: Expresses possibility within hypothetical framework.
  10. hominum — Lemma: homo; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Genitive plural masculine; Function: Partitive genitive (“anyone of men”); Translation: “of men”; Notes: Restricts the hypothetical to human capability.
  11. numerare — Lemma: numero; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present active infinitive; Function: Complementary infinitive with potest; Translation: “to count”; Notes: Expresses the infinitive of ability.
  12. pulverem — Lemma: pulvis; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular masculine; Function: Direct object of numerare; Translation: “dust”; Notes: Repetition intensifies the impossibility of the act.
  13. terræ — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Genitive singular feminine; Function: Possessive genitive; Translation: “of the earth”; Notes: Reiterates the source and extent of the dust.
  14. semen — Lemma: semen; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular neuter; Function: Subject of poterit; Translation: “offspring / seed”; Notes: Represents Abram’s descendants in a collective sense.
  15. quoque — Lemma: quoque; Part of Speech: Adverb; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Adds emphasis (“also”); Translation: “also”; Notes: Strengthens the comparison and parallelism.
  16. tuum — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: Possessive adjective; Form: Nominative singular neuter; Function: Modifies semen; Translation: “your”; Notes: Personalizes divine promise to Abram’s lineage.
  17. numerare — Lemma: numero; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present active infinitive; Function: Complementary infinitive with poterit; Translation: “to count”; Notes: Mirrors earlier infinitive, forming parallel structure.
  18. poterit — Lemma: possum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Future active indicative, 3rd person singular; Function: Main verb of apodosis; Translation: “will be able”; Notes: Future tense contrasts divine promise with human limitation.

 

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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