Genesis 15:4

Posted on January 15, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 15:4 Statimque sermo Domini factus est ad eum, dicens: Non erit hic heres tuus: sed qui egredietur de utero tuo, ipsum habebis heredem.

And immediately the word of the LORD was made to him, saying: This one shall not be your heir, but he who will come forth from your own womb, he shall be your heir.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Statimque and immediately ADV + CONJ
2 sermo word NOM.SG.M
3 Domini of the LORD GEN.SG.M
4 factus made NOM.SG.M PERF.PASS.PTCP
5 est was 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
6 ad to / toward PREP+ACC
7 eum him ACC.SG.M PRON
8 dicens saying NOM.SG.M PRES.ACT.PTCP
9 Non not ADV
10 erit will be 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND
11 hic this one NOM.SG.M DEM.PRON
12 heres heir NOM.SG.M
13 tuus your NOM.SG.M POSS.ADJ
14 sed but CONJ
15 qui who NOM.SG.M REL.PRON
16 egredietur will go forth 3SG.FUT.DEP.IND
17 de from PREP+ABL
18 utero womb ABL.SG.M
19 tuo your ABL.SG.M POSS.ADJ
20 ipsum himself ACC.SG.M DEM.PRON
21 habebis you will have 2SG.FUT.ACT.IND
22 heredem heir ACC.SG.M

Syntax

Main Clause: Statimque sermo Domini factus est ad eum — standard prophetic formula meaning “the word of the LORD came to him,” here marked by the adverb statim to show immediacy of divine response.
Participial Clause: dicens — introduces direct speech from YHWH.
Divine Statement 1: Non erit hic heres tuus — negative predictive clause; subject hic contrasts with qui egredietur.
Divine Statement 2: sed qui egredietur de utero tuo, ipsum habebis heredem — relative clause expressing contrast and promise; egredietur (future deponent) expresses certainty of biological heirship.

Morphology

  1. Statimque — Lemma: statim + -que; Part of Speech: Adverb + enclitic conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Temporal connector; Translation: “and immediately”; Notes: Introduces the prompt divine reply to Abram’s words, emphasizing divine responsiveness.
  2. sermo — Lemma: sermo; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Subject; Translation: “word”; Notes: Refers to the divine utterance or revelation itself.
  3. Domini — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Genitive singular masculine; Function: Possessive genitive; Translation: “of the LORD”; Notes: Denotes YHWH as the source of revelation.
  4. factus — Lemma: fio; Part of Speech: Verb (deponent/passive of facio); Form: Nominative singular masculine, perfect passive participle; Function: Forms periphrastic construction with est; Translation: “was made”; Notes: Common Vulgate phrase for “came to pass” or “was made.”
  5. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present active indicative, 3rd person singular; Function: Auxiliary verb; Translation: “was”; Notes: Completes periphrastic form factus est.
  6. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs accusative; Function: Indicates recipient; Translation: “to / toward”; Notes: Marks Abram as recipient of divine speech.
  7. eum — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: Accusative singular masculine; Function: Object of ad; Translation: “him”; Notes: Refers to Abram.
  8. dicens — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: Participle; Form: Nominative singular masculine, present active participle; Function: Introduces direct divine discourse; Translation: “saying”; Notes: Connects narrative formula to speech content.
  9. Non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: Adverb; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Negation; Translation: “not”; Notes: Negates future action of erit.
  10. erit — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Future active indicative, 3rd person singular; Function: Main verb of clause; Translation: “will be”; Notes: Expresses divine decree regarding inheritance.
  11. hic — Lemma: hic; Part of Speech: Demonstrative pronoun; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Subject; Translation: “this one”; Notes: Refers to Eliezer, previously mentioned.
  12. heres — Lemma: heres; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Predicate nominative; Translation: “heir”; Notes: Denotes successor or inheritor of covenant promises.
  13. tuus — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: Possessive adjective; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Modifies heres; Translation: “your”; Notes: Highlights personal possession denied by God.
  14. sed — Lemma: sed; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Contrastive connector; Translation: “but”; Notes: Introduces divine correction of Abram’s assumption.
  15. qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: Relative pronoun; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Subject of subordinate clause; Translation: “who”; Notes: Refers to Abram’s true biological heir.
  16. egredietur — Lemma: egredior; Part of Speech: Verb (deponent); Form: Future deponent indicative, 3rd person singular; Function: Main verb of relative clause; Translation: “will go forth”; Notes: Future tense of divine promise, stressing certainty of birth.
  17. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs ablative; Function: Indicates source or origin; Translation: “from”; Notes: Expresses origin of the heir.
  18. utero — Lemma: uterus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative singular masculine; Function: Object of de; Translation: “womb”; Notes: In Latin idiom, “from your womb” metaphorically refers to biological descent.
  19. tuo — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: Possessive adjective; Form: Ablative singular masculine; Function: Modifies utero; Translation: “your”; Notes: Personalizes the divine assurance to Abram’s lineage.
  20. ipsum — Lemma: ipse; Part of Speech: Demonstrative pronoun; Form: Accusative singular masculine; Function: Emphatic direct object; Translation: “himself”; Notes: Intensifies the subject identity — “he himself will be the heir.”
  21. habebis — Lemma: habeo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Future active indicative, 2nd person singular; Function: Main verb of final clause; Translation: “you will have”; Notes: Predicts future possession, reinforcing divine covenantal promise.
  22. heredem — Lemma: heres; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular masculine; Function: Direct object of habebis; Translation: “heir”; Notes: Concludes promise formula; reiterates fulfillment of God’s plan for Abram’s descendants.

 

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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