Genesis 17:11

Posted on January 17, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 17:11 et circumcidetis carnem præputii vestri, ut sit in signum fœderis inter me et vos.

And you shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin, that it may be for a sign of the covenant between me and you.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 et and CONJ
2 circumcidetis you shall circumcise 2PL.FUT.ACT.IND
3 carnem flesh ACC.SG.F
4 præputii of foreskin GEN.SG.N
5 vestri your GEN.SG.N.POSS.ADJ
6 ut that / in order that CONJ
7 sit it may be 3SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
8 in in / for PREP+ACC
9 signum sign ACC.SG.N
10 fœderis of covenant GEN.SG.N
11 inter between PREP+ACC
12 me me ACC.SG.PRON
13 et and CONJ
14 vos you (pl.) ACC.PL.PRON

Syntax

Main Clause: et circumcidetis carnem præputii vestri — circumcidetis is the future active indicative verb meaning “you shall circumcise,” addressed to the covenant community; carnem is the direct object (“the flesh”); præputii vestri is a genitive phrase specifying possession (“of your foreskin”).
Purpose Clause: ut sit in signum fœderis inter me et vos — introduced by ut (“that / in order that”), with sit in the subjunctive expressing intended result: “that it may be.” in signum fœderis expresses purpose (“for a sign of the covenant”), and inter me et vos defines the relational scope of the sign—between God and His people.

Morphology

  1. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: connects this command to the previous verse; Translation: “and”; Notes: Links this command to the ongoing covenant discourse.
  2. circumcidetis — Lemma: circumcido; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative, second person plural; Function: main verb of command; Translation: “you shall circumcise”; Notes: Indicates divine injunction requiring human participation in covenantal ritual.
  3. carnem — Lemma: caro; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object; Translation: “flesh”; Notes: Refers to the physical body part upon which the covenant sign is enacted.
  4. præputii — Lemma: præputium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter; Function: possessive genitive; Translation: “of foreskin”; Notes: Specifies the anatomical area of circumcision, emphasizing covenantal distinctiveness.
  5. vestri — Lemma: vester; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: genitive singular neuter; Function: modifies “præputii”; Translation: “your”; Notes: Indicates collective belonging among the addressed males.
  6. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: introduces subjunctive clause; Function: marks purpose or result; Translation: “that / in order that”; Notes: Connects ritual command to its theological function.
  7. sit — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active subjunctive, third person singular; Function: main verb of purpose clause; Translation: “it may be”; Notes: Subjunctive expresses intention or goal of the action.
  8. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses purpose; Translation: “in / for”; Notes: Introduces a prepositional phrase showing symbolic significance.
  9. signum — Lemma: signum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of “in”; Translation: “sign”; Notes: Represents the visible marker or token of divine-human agreement.
  10. fœderis — Lemma: fœdus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter; Function: genitive of relation; Translation: “of covenant”; Notes: Indicates what the sign represents — the sacred bond established by God.
  11. inter — Lemma: inter; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces relational phrase; Translation: “between”; Notes: Establishes the bilateral nature of the covenant.
  12. me — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular; Function: object of “inter”; Translation: “me”; Notes: Refers to God as the divine covenant partner.
  13. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: connects pronouns; Translation: “and”; Notes: Joins the covenant parties—God and humanity.
  14. vos — Lemma: vos; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative plural; Function: second object of “inter”; Translation: “you (plural)”; Notes: Refers collectively to Abraham and his descendants, the human recipients of the covenant sign.

 

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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