Genesis 16:13

Posted on January 16, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 16:13 Vocavit autem nomen Domini qui loquebatur ad eam: Tu Deus qui vidisti me. Dixit enim: Profecto hic vidi posteriora videntis me.

And she called the name of the LORD who spoke to her: “You are God who has seen me.” For she said: “Truly here I have seen the back of the One who sees me.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Vocavit called 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 autem however CONJ
3 nomen name ACC.SG.N
4 Domini of the LORD GEN.SG.M
5 qui who REL.PRON.NOM.SG.M
6 loquebatur was speaking 3SG.IMPF.DEP.IND
7 ad to PREP+ACC
8 eam her ACC.SG.F
9 Tu You NOM.SG
10 Deus God NOM.SG.M
11 qui who REL.PRON.NOM.SG.M
12 vidisti have seen 2SG.PERF.ACT.IND
13 me me ACC.SG
14 Dixit said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
15 enim for CONJ
16 Profecto truly ADV
17 hic here ADV
18 vidi I have seen 1SG.PERF.ACT.IND
19 posteriora back parts ACC.PL.N
20 videntis of the one seeing GEN.SG.PRES.PART.ACT.M
21 me me ACC.SG

Syntax

Main Clause 1: Vocavit (verb) + nomen Domini (object) + qui loquebatur ad eam (relative clause modifying “Domini”).
Subordinate Clause: qui loquebatur ad eam — relative clause identifying the LORD who spoke to her.
Main Clause 2: Tu Deus qui vidisti me — direct address expressing recognition of the LORD as the one who sees her.
Clause 3: Dixit enim: Profecto hic vidi posteriora videntis me — explanatory clause introduced by “enim,” giving her reasoning or reflection on the divine encounter.

Morphology

  1. Vocavit — Lemma: voco; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative, third person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “called”; Notes: Expresses completed past action — she called or named.
  2. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating conjunction; Function: connects this statement to previous context; Translation: “however”; Notes: Common postpositive conjunction indicating continuation.
  3. nomen — Lemma: nomen; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object of “vocavit”; Translation: “name”; Notes: Refers to the title or invocation she assigns to the LORD.
  4. Domini — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: shows possession — “of the LORD”; Translation: “of the LORD”; Notes: Refers to YHWH, hence translated “LORD.”
  5. qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: introduces relative clause modifying “Domini”; Translation: “who”; Notes: Links the LORD with His action of speaking.
  6. loquebatur — Lemma: loquor; Part of Speech: deponent verb; Form: imperfect indicative, third person singular; Function: verb of the relative clause; Translation: “was speaking”; Notes: Continuous action in past; deponent form.
  7. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses direction; Translation: “to”; Notes: Indicates direction toward the person spoken to.
  8. eam — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of “ad”; Translation: “her”; Notes: Refers to Hagar.
  9. Tu — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative singular; Function: subject of implied “es”; Translation: “You”; Notes: Beginning of direct speech.
  10. Deus — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: predicate nominative; Translation: “God”; Notes: Identifies the divine speaker as the one who sees.
  11. qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: introduces clause modifying “Deus”; Translation: “who”; Notes: Specifies divine attribute.
  12. vidisti — Lemma: video; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative, second person singular; Function: verb of relative clause; Translation: “have seen”; Notes: Perfect tense indicating completed perception.
  13. me — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular; Function: object of “vidisti”; Translation: “me”; Notes: Refers again to Hagar herself.
  14. Dixit — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative, third person singular; Function: introduces reported speech; Translation: “said”; Notes: Narrative perfect, main reporting verb.
  15. enim — Lemma: enim; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: postpositive conjunction; Function: provides explanation; Translation: “for”; Notes: Introduces reasoning for the previous statement.
  16. Profecto — Lemma: profecto; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: intensifier; Translation: “truly”; Notes: Emphasizes sincerity of her statement.
  17. hic — Lemma: hic; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: adverb of place; Function: indicates location; Translation: “here”; Notes: Indicates spatial immediacy.
  18. vidi — Lemma: video; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative, first person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “I have seen”; Notes: Perfect aspect, completed perception.
  19. posteriora — Lemma: posterior; Part of Speech: noun (substantivized adjective); Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: direct object of “vidi”; Translation: “back parts”; Notes: Figurative of partial vision of God’s glory.
  20. videntis — Lemma: video; Part of Speech: participle; Form: genitive singular present active participle masculine; Function: genitive dependent on “posteriora”; Translation: “of the one who sees”; Notes: Describes divine omniscience.
  21. me — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular; Function: object of “videntis”; Translation: “me”; Notes: Completes the genitival phrase “of the one who sees me.”

 

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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