Genesis 15:18

Posted on January 15, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 15:18 In illo die pepigit Dominus fœdus cum Abram, dicens: Semini tuo dabo terram hanc a fluvio Ægypti usque ad fluvium magnum Euphraten,

In that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying: To your offspring I will give this land, from the river of Egypt even to the great river, the Euphrates.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 In in PREP+ABL
2 illo that ABL.SG.M DEM.ADJ
3 die day ABL.SG.M
4 pepigit made / established 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
5 Dominus LORD NOM.SG.M
6 fœdus covenant ACC.SG.N
7 cum with PREP+ABL
8 Abram Abram ABL.SG.M (INDECL. PROPN)
9 dicens saying NOM.SG.M PRES.ACT.PTCP
10 Semini to your offspring DAT.SG.N
11 tuo your DAT.SG.N POSS.ADJ
12 dabo I will give 1SG.FUT.ACT.IND
13 terram land ACC.SG.F
14 hanc this ACC.SG.F DEM.ADJ
15 a from PREP+ABL
16 fluvio river ABL.SG.M
17 Ægypti of Egypt GEN.SG.F
18 usque even / up to PREP+ACC
19 ad to / as far as PREP+ACC
20 fluvium river ACC.SG.M
21 magnum great ACC.SG.M ADJ
22 Euphraten Euphrates ACC.SG.M PROPN

Syntax

Prepositional Phrase: In illo die — ablative of time (“in that day”), marking the solemn moment of divine covenant.
Main Clause: Pepigit Dominus fœdus cum Abram — main action where Dominus is subject, fœdus is the direct object, and pepigit (“made / established”) expresses formal covenantal act.
Participial Clause: dicens — introduces direct speech (“saying”), linking to the divine promise.
Quoted Clause: Semini tuo dabo terram hanc… — future indicative expressing divine promise to Abram’s offspring.
Prepositional Range: a fluvio Ægypti usque ad fluvium magnum Euphraten — marks territorial boundaries “from the river of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates.”

Morphology

  1. In — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs ablative; Function: Expresses time; Translation: “in”; Notes: Marks temporal setting for covenant action.
  2. illo — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: Demonstrative adjective; Form: Ablative singular masculine; Function: Modifies die; Translation: “that”; Notes: Refers to the specific day of divine manifestation.
  3. die — Lemma: dies; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative singular masculine; Function: Object of in; Translation: “day”; Notes: Indicates exact temporal point.
  4. pepigit — Lemma: pango; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect active indicative, 3rd person singular; Function: Main verb; Translation: “made / established”; Notes: Technical term for covenant-making; implies solemn agreement.
  5. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: Noun (title); Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Subject; Translation: “LORD”; Notes: Refers to YHWH, the divine covenant initiator.
  6. fœdus — Lemma: fœdus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular neuter; Function: Direct object; Translation: “covenant”; Notes: Central theological term, denotes divine-human binding agreement.
  7. cum — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs ablative; Function: Expresses association; Translation: “with”; Notes: Introduces recipient of covenant.
  8. Abram — Lemma: Abram; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Ablative singular masculine (indeclinable Hebrew name); Function: Object of cum; Translation: “Abram”; Notes: The covenant partner and patriarchal figure.
  9. dicens — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: Verb (participle); Form: Nominative singular masculine, present active participle; Function: Introduces direct discourse; Translation: “saying”; Notes: Marks divine speech continuation.
  10. Semini — Lemma: semen; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Dative singular neuter; Function: Indirect object; Translation: “to your offspring”; Notes: Collective singular referring to descendants of Abram.
  11. tuo — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: Dative singular neuter; Function: Modifies Semini; Translation: “your”; Notes: Emphasizes personal promise to Abram’s lineage.
  12. dabo — Lemma: do; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Future active indicative, 1st person singular; Function: Main verb in divine declaration; Translation: “I will give”; Notes: Expresses irrevocable divine promise.
  13. terram — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular feminine; Function: Direct object of dabo; Translation: “land”; Notes: Refers to promised land of Canaan.
  14. hanc — Lemma: hic; Part of Speech: Demonstrative adjective; Form: Accusative singular feminine; Function: Modifies terram; Translation: “this”; Notes: Deictic term pointing to specific land seen by Abram.
  15. a — Lemma: a / ab; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs ablative; Function: Expresses starting point; Translation: “from”; Notes: Indicates southern boundary of promised territory.
  16. fluvio — Lemma: fluvius; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative singular masculine; Function: Object of a; Translation: “river”; Notes: Refers to the “river of Egypt,” possibly the Wadi El-Arish.
  17. Ægypti — Lemma: Ægyptus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Genitive singular feminine; Function: Genitive of specification; Translation: “of Egypt”; Notes: Identifies southern border region of the promised land.
  18. usque — Lemma: usque; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs accusative; Function: Denotes extent; Translation: “up to / even to”; Notes: Paired with ad to express complete territorial span.
  19. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs accusative; Function: Expresses limit of range; Translation: “to”; Notes: Marks northern boundary of promise.
  20. fluvium — Lemma: fluvius; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular masculine; Function: Object of ad; Translation: “river”; Notes: Repetition of term for parallelism and symmetry.
  21. magnum — Lemma: magnus; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: Accusative singular masculine; Function: Modifies fluvium; Translation: “great”; Notes: Designates major boundary — the Euphrates River.
  22. Euphraten — Lemma: Euphrates; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Accusative singular masculine; Function: Apposition to fluvium magnum; Translation: “Euphrates”; Notes: Marks northernmost frontier of divine grant to Abram’s seed.

 

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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