Genesis 16:12

Posted on January 16, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 16:12 Hic erit ferus homo: manus eius contra omnes, et manus omnium contra eum: et e regione universorum fratrum suorum figet tabernacula.

He shall be a wild man: his hand against all, and the hand of all against him; and he shall pitch his tents in the presence of all his brothers.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Hic this (man) NOM.SG.M DEM.PRON
2 erit will be 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND
3 ferus wild NOM.SG.M ADJ
4 homo man NOM.SG.M
5 manus hand NOM.SG.F
6 eius his GEN.SG.M PRON
7 contra against PREP+ACC
8 omnes all (people) ACC.PL.M
9 et and CONJ
10 manus hand NOM.SG.F
11 omnium of all GEN.PL.M
12 contra against PREP+ACC
13 eum him ACC.SG.M PRON
14 et and CONJ
15 e out of / from PREP+ABL
16 regione region / side ABL.SG.F
17 universorum of all GEN.PL.M
18 fratrum brothers GEN.PL.M
19 suarum his GEN.PL.M POSS.ADJ
20 figet he will pitch 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND
21 tabernacula tents ACC.PL.N

Syntax

Main Clause 1: Hic erit ferus homo — declarative prophecy; Hic is the demonstrative subject (“This one”), erit the copula, and ferus homo the predicate nominative (“a wild man”).
Main Clause 2: manus eius contra omnes — a nominal sentence emphasizing perpetual hostility; manus functions as subject with contra introducing the object of opposition.
Coordinated Clause: et manus omnium contra eum — mirrored construction expressing reciprocal enmity; chiastic parallelism heightens tension.
Final Clause: et e regione universorum fratrum suorum figet tabernacula — depicts Ishmael’s independence yet continued proximity; e regione idiomatically means “in front of” or “in the presence of,” indicating geographical or social adjacency.

Morphology

  1. Hic — Lemma: hic, haec, hoc; Part of Speech: Demonstrative pronoun; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Subject; Translation: “this (man)”; Notes: Refers to Ishmael, the subject of the prophecy.
  2. erit — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Future active indicative, 3rd person singular; Function: Copula; Translation: “will be”; Notes: Future tense indicates enduring prophetic condition.
  3. ferus — Lemma: ferus; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Predicate adjective; Translation: “wild”; Notes: Describes Ishmael’s untamed and free nomadic nature.
  4. homo — Lemma: homo; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Predicate noun; Translation: “man”; Notes: Completes predicate phrase defining character identity.
  5. manus — Lemma: manus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular feminine; Function: Subject of clause; Translation: “hand”; Notes: Metonymy for power or hostility.
  6. eius — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: Genitive singular masculine; Function: Possessive genitive; Translation: “his”; Notes: Refers to Ishmael.
  7. contra — Lemma: contra; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs accusative; Function: Expresses opposition; Translation: “against”; Notes: Denotes perpetual conflict.
  8. omnes — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: Adjective/Substantive; Form: Accusative plural masculine; Function: Object of contra; Translation: “all (men)”; Notes: Universalizes the scope of enmity.
  9. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Coordinates clauses; Translation: “and.”
  10. manus — Lemma: manus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular feminine; Function: Subject; Translation: “hand”; Notes: Echoes previous clause, forming parallel structure.
  11. omnium — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: Genitive plural masculine; Function: Possessive genitive; Translation: “of all”; Notes: Indicates reciprocal hostility from all others.
  12. contra — Lemma: contra; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs accusative; Function: Expresses opposition; Translation: “against.”
  13. eum — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: Accusative singular masculine; Function: Object of contra; Translation: “him.”
  14. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Links final clause; Translation: “and.”
  15. e — Lemma: e, ex; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs ablative; Function: Denotes position; Translation: “from / out of”; Notes: Idiomatic with regione meaning “in front of.”
  16. regione — Lemma: regio; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative singular feminine; Function: Object of e; Translation: “region / side”; Notes: Combined with e conveys spatial relation.
  17. universorum — Lemma: universus; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: Genitive plural masculine; Function: Modifier of fratrum; Translation: “of all”; Notes: Emphasizes totality of kin group.
  18. fratrum — Lemma: frater; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Genitive plural masculine; Function: Dependent genitive; Translation: “brothers”; Notes: Refers to his kin, descendants of Abraham through Isaac.
  19. suarum — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: Adjective (possessive); Form: Genitive plural masculine; Function: Modifies fratrum; Translation: “his”; Notes: Reflexive, identifying Ishmael’s relation to his brothers.
  20. figet — Lemma: figo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Future active indicative, 3rd person singular; Function: Main verb; Translation: “he will pitch”; Notes: Prophetic prediction of nomadic dwelling pattern.
  21. tabernacula — Lemma: tabernaculum; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative plural neuter; Function: Direct object of figet; Translation: “tents”; Notes: Symbolizes nomadic lifestyle; consistent with Ishmael’s characterization as a wanderer.

 

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.
This entry was posted in Genesis. Bookmark the permalink.

Comments are closed.