Genesis 16:9

Posted on January 16, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

9 Dixitque ei angelus Domini: Revertere ad dominam tuam, et humiliare sub manu illius.

And the angel of the LORD said to her: “Return to your mistress, and humble yourself under her hand.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Dixitque and said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND + ENCLITIC
2 ei to her DAT.SG.F PRON
3 angelus angel NOM.SG.M
4 Domini of the LORD GEN.SG.M
5 Revertere return 2SG.PRES.IMPER.MID (DEP)
6 ad to PREP+ACC
7 dominam mistress ACC.SG.F
8 tuam your ACC.SG.F POSS.ADJ
9 et and CONJ
10 humiliare humble yourself 2SG.PRES.IMPER.MID (DEP)
11 sub under PREP+ABL
12 manu hand ABL.SG.F
13 illius of her GEN.SG.F DEM.PRON

Syntax

Main Clause: Dixitque ei angelus Domini — the subject angelus Domini (the angel of the LORD) performs the action of speaking; ei marks Hagar as the indirect object.
Imperative Clause 1: Revertere ad dominam tuam — a deponent imperative commanding Hagar to return to Sarai; ad governs the accusative dominam tuam.
Imperative Clause 2: et humiliare sub manu illius — second deponent imperative; sub manu (under the hand) expresses submission and authority, with illius referring to Sarai.

Morphology

  1. Dixitque — Lemma: dico + que; Part of Speech: Verb + Enclitic; Form: Perfect active indicative, 3rd person singular; Function: Main narrative verb; Translation: “and said”; Notes: The enclitic -que connects this utterance with the preceding divine dialogue sequence.
  2. ei — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: Dative singular feminine; Function: Indirect object; Translation: “to her”; Notes: Refers to Hagar as recipient of divine command.
  3. angelus — Lemma: angelus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Subject; Translation: “angel”; Notes: The messenger of YHWH delivering authoritative speech.
  4. Domini — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: Noun (title); Form: Genitive singular masculine; Function: Possessive genitive; Translation: “of the LORD”; Notes: Specifies divine ownership or commissioning; refers to YHWH.
  5. Revertere — Lemma: revertor; Part of Speech: Verb (deponent); Form: Present imperative, 2nd person singular; Function: Command; Translation: “return”; Notes: Deponent verb conveying command for voluntary return and reconciliation.
  6. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs accusative; Function: Expresses motion toward; Translation: “to”; Notes: Introduces object of return.
  7. dominam — Lemma: domina; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular feminine; Function: Object of ad; Translation: “mistress”; Notes: Refers to Sarai, marking restoration of servant relationship.
  8. tuam — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: Accusative singular feminine; Function: Possessive modifier; Translation: “your”; Notes: Establishes relational link between Hagar and Sarai.
  9. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Connects coordinate commands; Translation: “and”; Notes: Joins two imperatives of divine instruction.
  10. humiliare — Lemma: humilio; Part of Speech: Verb (deponent); Form: Present imperative, 2nd person singular; Function: Command; Translation: “humble yourself”; Notes: Reflects moral and spiritual submission; deponent middle form stresses inward act of humility.
  11. sub — Lemma: sub; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs ablative; Function: Expresses subjection or position beneath; Translation: “under”; Notes: Figurative for authority or power.
  12. manu — Lemma: manus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative singular feminine; Function: Object of sub; Translation: “hand”; Notes: Symbolic of control or authority exercised by Sarai.
  13. illius — Lemma: ille, illa, illud; Part of Speech: Demonstrative pronoun; Form: Genitive singular feminine; Function: Possessive modifier; Translation: “of her”; Notes: Refers explicitly to Sarai; conveys relational possession and authority in the divine directive.

 

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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