Genesis 16:6

Posted on January 16, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 16:6 Cui respondens Abram: Ecce, ait, ancilla tua in manu tua est, utere ea ut libet. Affligente igitur eam Sarai, fugam iniit.

And Abram, answering, said: “Behold,” he said, “your handmaid is in your hand; deal with her as it pleases you.” And Sarai, afflicting her, she fled away.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Cui to whom DAT.SG.F REL.PRON
2 respondens answering NOM.SG.M PRES.ACT.PTCP
3 Abram Abram NOM.SG.M PROPN
4 Ecce behold INTERJ
5 ait he said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
6 ancilla maidservant NOM.SG.F
7 tua your NOM.SG.F POSS.ADJ
8 in in PREP+ABL
9 manu hand ABL.SG.F
10 tua your ABL.SG.F POSS.ADJ
11 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
12 utere use / deal with 2SG.PRES.IMPER.MID (DEP)
13 ea her ABL.SG.F PRON
14 ut as / how CONJ
15 libet it pleases 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
16 Affligente afflicting ABL.SG.F PRES.ACT.PTCP
17 igitur therefore CONJ
18 eam her ACC.SG.F PRON
19 Sarai Sarai NOM.SG.F PROPN
20 fugam flight ACC.SG.F
21 iniit she began / entered upon 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND

Syntax

Relative Clause: Cui respondens Abram — “To whom Abram answering…” introduces direct discourse; Cui is dative feminine referring to Sarai, respondens is a circumstantial participle showing Abram’s reply.
Direct Speech: Ecce, ait, ancilla tua in manu tua est — declarative; the predicate nominative ancilla tua is equated with the prepositional phrase in manu tua (“under your control”).
Imperative Clause: utere ea ut libet — deponent imperative; ut introduces a comparative of manner (“as it pleases you”).
Subsequent Action: Affligente igitur eam Sarai, fugam iniit — ablative absolute construction with Affligente … Sarai (“when Sarai was afflicting her”), followed by fugam iniit (“she fled”), idiomatic Latin for taking flight.

Morphology

  1. Cui — Lemma: qui, quae, quod; Part of Speech: Relative pronoun; Form: Dative singular feminine; Function: Indirect object; Translation: “to whom”; Notes: Refers to Sarai as the person being answered.
  2. respondens — Lemma: respondeo; Part of Speech: Verb (participle); Form: Nominative singular masculine, present active participle; Function: Circumstantial participle; Translation: “answering”; Notes: Describes Abram’s action concurrent with his speech.
  3. Abram — Lemma: Abram; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Subject; Translation: “Abram”; Notes: Speaker of the sentence.
  4. Ecce — Lemma: ecce; Part of Speech: Interjection; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Introduces exclamation; Translation: “Behold”; Notes: Marks demonstrative emphasis before statement.
  5. ait — Lemma: aio; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect active indicative, 3rd person singular; Function: Parenthetical reporting verb; Translation: “he said”; Notes: Common narrative insertion indicating direct quotation.
  6. ancilla — Lemma: ancilla; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular feminine; Function: Subject complement; Translation: “maidservant”; Notes: Refers to Hagar as subject of discussion.
  7. tua — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: Nominative singular feminine; Function: Possessive modifier; Translation: “your”; Notes: Denotes Sarai’s ownership and authority.
  8. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs ablative; Function: Expresses situation or control; Translation: “in”; Notes: Indicates authority under possession.
  9. manu — Lemma: manus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative singular feminine; Function: Object of in; Translation: “hand”; Notes: Metonym for control or authority.
  10. tua — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: Ablative singular feminine; Function: Possessive; Translation: “your”; Notes: Reinforces possession—“in your hand.”
  11. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present active indicative, 3rd person singular; Function: Copula; Translation: “is”; Notes: Links subject complement to predicate.
  12. utere — Lemma: utor; Part of Speech: Verb (deponent); Form: Present imperative, 2nd person singular; Function: Command; Translation: “deal with / use”; Notes: Deponent verb governing ablative; expresses Abram’s concession of control.
  13. ea — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: Ablative singular feminine; Function: Object of utere; Translation: “her”; Notes: Refers to Hagar as the one Sarai is to handle.
  14. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Comparative clause; Translation: “as / how”; Notes: Introduces manner clause dependent on libet.
  15. libet — Lemma: libet; Part of Speech: Verb (impersonal); Form: Present active indicative, 3rd person singular; Function: Impersonal predicate; Translation: “it pleases”; Notes: Common idiom “ut libet” = “as it pleases (you).”
  16. Affligente — Lemma: affligo; Part of Speech: Verb (participle); Form: Ablative singular feminine, present active participle; Function: Part of ablative absolute; Translation: “afflicting”; Notes: Describes Sarai’s mistreatment as the cause of Hagar’s flight.
  17. igitur — Lemma: igitur; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Logical connector; Translation: “therefore”; Notes: Marks resulting consequence.
  18. eam — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: Accusative singular feminine; Function: Object of affligente; Translation: “her”; Notes: Refers again to Hagar as the one afflicted.
  19. Sarai — Lemma: Sarai; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Nominative singular feminine; Function: Subject of participle; Translation: “Sarai”; Notes: Agent of affliction within ablative absolute.
  20. fugam — Lemma: fuga; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular feminine; Function: Direct object of iniit; Translation: “flight”; Notes: Common idiom “fugam inire” = “to take flight.”
  21. iniit — Lemma: ineo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect active indicative, 3rd person singular; Function: Main verb; Translation: “she entered upon / began”; Notes: Idiomatic expression for beginning an action; describes Hagar’s escape.

 

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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