Genesis 16:15

Posted on January 16, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 16:15 Peperitque Agar Abræ filium: qui vocavit nomen eius Ismael.

And Agar bore a son to Abram, who called his name Ismael.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Peperitque and bore 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND + CONJ
2 Agar Hagar NOM.SG.F.PROP.NOUN
3 Abræ to Abraham DAT.SG.M.PROP.NOUN
4 filium son ACC.SG.M
5 qui who REL.PRON.NOM.SG.M
6 vocavit called 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
7 nomen name ACC.SG.N
8 eius his GEN.SG.M.PRON
9 Ismael Ishmael ACC.SG.M.PROP.NOUN

Syntax

Main Clause: Peperitque Agar Abræ filium — the conjunction -que joins this clause to the previous narrative; Agar is the subject; peperit (verb) expresses completed action; Abræ is the indirect object (dative of recipient); filium is the direct object.
Relative Clause: qui vocavit nomen eius Ismael — introduced by qui, referring to Abraham; vocavit serves as the main verb; nomen eius the direct object; Ismael the predicate accusative giving the name.

Morphology

  1. Peperitque — Lemma: pario; Part of Speech: verb + conjunction; Form: perfect active indicative, third person singular, with enclitic conjunction “-que”; Function: main verb; Translation: “and bore”; Notes: Perfect tense indicates a completed birth; enclitic “-que” connects to preceding verse.
  2. Agar — Lemma: Agar; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject of “peperit”; Translation: “Hagar”; Notes: Name of Sarai’s Egyptian handmaid.
  3. Abræ — Lemma: Abraham; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: indirect object of “peperit”; Translation: “to Abraham”; Notes: Expresses to whom the son was born.
  4. filium — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of “peperit”; Translation: “son”; Notes: The child born of Hagar to Abraham.
  5. qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of “vocavit”; Translation: “who”; Notes: Refers back to Abraham as the one who names the child.
  6. vocavit — Lemma: voco; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative, third person singular; Function: main verb of the relative clause; Translation: “called”; Notes: Describes Abraham’s act of naming.
  7. nomen — Lemma: nomen; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object of “vocavit”; Translation: “name”; Notes: Specifies what was called or designated.
  8. eius — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessive modifier of “nomen”; Translation: “his”; Notes: Refers to the son born to Hagar.
  9. Ismael — Lemma: Ismael; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: predicate accusative; Translation: “Ishmael”; Notes: Name meaning “God hears,” marking divine response to Hagar’s distress.

 

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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