Genesis 16:11

Posted on January 16, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

11 Ac deinceps: Ecce, ait, concepisti, et paries filium: vocabisque nomen eius Ismael, eo quod audierit Dominus afflictionem tuam.

And further he said: “Behold, you have conceived, and you shall bear a son, and you shall call his name Ishmael, because the LORD has heard your affliction.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Ac and CONJ
2 deinceps further / thereafter ADV
3 Ecce behold INTERJ
4 ait he said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
5 concepisti you have conceived 2SG.PERF.ACT.IND
6 et and CONJ
7 paries you shall bear 2SG.FUT.ACT.IND
8 filium son ACC.SG.M
9 vocabisque and you shall call 2SG.FUT.ACT.IND + ENCLITIC
10 nomen name ACC.SG.N
11 eius his GEN.SG.M PRON
12 Ismael Ishmael ACC.SG.M PROPN
13 eo because / for that ADV (causal)
14 quod that / because CONJ
15 audierit has heard 3SG.FUT.PERF.ACT.IND
16 Dominus the LORD NOM.SG.M
17 afflictionem affliction ACC.SG.F
18 tuam your ACC.SG.F POSS.ADJ

Syntax

Introductory Frame: Ac deinceps — adverbial phrase marking continuation or progression of divine speech (“and furthermore”).
Main Clause: Ecce, ait — interjection Ecce introduces direct revelation; ait signals speech insertion of the angel of the LORD.
Sequential Prophecy: concepisti, et paries filium — first clause (concepisti) marks completed conception; second clause (paries filium) predicts birth of a son.
Command Clause: vocabisque nomen eius Ismael — imperative-prophetic formula prescribing the name to be given; enclitic -que joins it to preceding prediction.
Causal Clause: eo quod audierit Dominus afflictionem tuam — eo quod introduces causal reasoning (“because”); the future perfect audierit expresses a completed divine action relative to the time of naming.

Morphology

  1. Ac — Lemma: ac; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Transitional connector; Translation: “and”; Notes: Introduces the next stage of divine speech, equivalent to “furthermore.”
  2. deinceps — Lemma: deinceps; Part of Speech: Adverb; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Temporal modifier; Translation: “thereafter / further”; Notes: Marks narrative sequence following prior pronouncement.
  3. Ecce — Lemma: ecce; Part of Speech: Interjection; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Introduces revelation or vision; Translation: “behold”; Notes: Used frequently in divine speech to call attention to imminent fulfillment.
  4. ait — Lemma: aio; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect active indicative, 3rd person singular; Function: Speech verb; Translation: “he said”; Notes: Parenthetical tag marking direct quotation.
  5. concepisti — Lemma: concipio; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect active indicative, 2nd person singular; Function: Past event; Translation: “you have conceived”; Notes: Indicates completion of conception at the moment of speech.
  6. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Coordinates sequential predictions; Translation: “and.”
  7. paries — Lemma: pario; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Future active indicative, 2nd person singular; Function: Predictive main verb; Translation: “you shall bear”; Notes: Prophetic use expressing divine assurance of birth.
  8. filium — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular masculine; Function: Direct object; Translation: “son”; Notes: Object of paries; signals specific gender and heir expectation.
  9. vocabisque — Lemma: voco + que; Part of Speech: Verb + Enclitic; Form: Future active indicative, 2nd person singular; Function: Command within prophetic declaration; Translation: “and you shall call”; Notes: Enclitic -que links this command to the preceding birth prophecy.
  10. nomen — Lemma: nomen; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular neuter; Function: Object of vocabis; Translation: “name”; Notes: Common biblical idiom—naming signifies destiny or divine commission.
  11. eius — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: Genitive singular masculine; Function: Possessive genitive; Translation: “his”; Notes: Refers to the future son, Ishmael.
  12. Ismael — Lemma: Ismael; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Accusative singular masculine; Function: Predicate accusative; Translation: “Ishmael”; Notes: Theophoric name meaning “God hears,” directly explained by following clause.
  13. eo — Lemma: eo; Part of Speech: Adverb; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Introduces causal clause; Translation: “because”; Notes: Used with quod to form causal compound “eo quod.”
  14. quod — Lemma: quod; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Introduces subordinate clause; Translation: “that / because.”
  15. audierit — Lemma: audio; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Future perfect active indicative, 3rd person singular; Function: Verb of causal clause; Translation: “has heard”; Notes: Future perfect expresses completed divine hearing as reason for naming.
  16. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: Noun (title); Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Subject of audierit; Translation: “the LORD”; Notes: Refers to YHWH as divine hearer of human suffering.
  17. afflictionem — Lemma: afflictio; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular feminine; Function: Object of audierit; Translation: “affliction”; Notes: The suffering of Hagar; basis for divine compassion.
  18. tuam — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: Accusative singular feminine; Function: Possessive modifier; Translation: “your”; Notes: Refers to Hagar personally, intensifying the empathy expressed by divine hearing.

 

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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