Genesis 17:12

Posted on January 17, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 17:12 Infans octo dierum circumcidetur in vobis, omne masculinum in generationibus vestris: tam vernaculus, quam emptitius circumcidetur, et quicumque non fuerit de stirpe vestra:

An infant of eight days shall be circumcised among you, every male in your generations: both he that is born in the house and he that is bought shall be circumcised, and whoever is not of your lineage.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Infans infant NOM.SG.M
2 octo eight INDECL.NUM
3 dierum of days GEN.PL.M
4 circumcidetur shall be circumcised 3SG.FUT.PASS.IND
5 in among / in PREP+ABL
6 vobis you (pl.) ABL.PL.PRON
7 omne every NOM.SG.N.ADJ
8 masculinum male NOM.SG.N
9 in in / among PREP+ABL
10 generationibus generations ABL.PL.F
11 vestris your ABL.PL.F.POSS.ADJ
12 tam as / both ADV
13 vernaculus homeborn NOM.SG.M
14 quam as / as well as CONJ
15 emptitius bought NOM.SG.M
16 circumcidetur shall be circumcised 3SG.FUT.PASS.IND
17 et and CONJ
18 quicumque whoever REL.PRON.NOM.SG.M
19 non not ADV
20 fuerit shall have been 3SG.FUT.PERF.ACT.IND
21 de of / from PREP+ABL
22 stirpe lineage ABL.SG.F
23 vestra your ABL.SG.F.POSS.ADJ

Syntax

Main Clause: Infans octo dierum circumcidetur in vobis — Infans is the subject (“infant”), modified by octo dierum (“of eight days”), with circumcidetur as the main verb (future passive “shall be circumcised”). in vobis locatively identifies the covenant community among whom the act occurs.
Appositional Phrase: omne masculinum in generationibus vestris — broadens the scope to every male throughout successive generations.
Parallel Construction: tam vernaculus quam emptitius circumcidetur — both those born within the household and those purchased are equally bound by the covenant law.
Relative Clause: et quicumque non fuerit de stirpe vestra — introduces a subordinate clause indicating inclusion of foreigners (“whoever is not of your lineage”), further emphasizing the universality of the covenantal mark.

Morphology

  1. Infans — Lemma: infans; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “infant”; Notes: Refers to a newborn male within the covenant community.
  2. octo — Lemma: octo; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies “dierum”; Translation: “eight”; Notes: Specifies the age requirement for circumcision, symbolizing completeness.
  3. dierum — Lemma: dies; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: genitive of measure; Translation: “of days”; Notes: Expresses the measure of time since birth.
  4. circumcidetur — Lemma: circumcido; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future passive indicative, third person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “shall be circumcised”; Notes: Indicates divine command of covenant initiation.
  5. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses locality; Translation: “among / in”; Notes: Denotes inclusion within the community of Abraham.
  6. vobis — Lemma: vos; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: ablative plural; Function: complement of “in”; Translation: “you”; Notes: Refers collectively to the covenant people.
  7. omne — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: modifies “masculinum”; Translation: “every”; Notes: Universal in scope, including all males.
  8. masculinum — Lemma: masculinus; Part of Speech: substantive adjective; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: subject; Translation: “male”; Notes: Refers to all males without exception.
  9. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces locative phrase; Translation: “in”; Notes: Used spatially for generations.
  10. generationibus — Lemma: generatio; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural feminine; Function: object of “in”; Translation: “generations”; Notes: Denotes successive human descent lines.
  11. vestris — Lemma: vester; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: ablative plural feminine; Function: modifies “generationibus”; Translation: “your”; Notes: Refers to Abraham’s posterity.
  12. tam — Lemma: tam; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: forms correlative with “quam”; Translation: “both”; Notes: Balances the paired construction “tam… quam.”
  13. vernaculus — Lemma: vernaculus; Part of Speech: adjective (used substantively); Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of “circumcidetur”; Translation: “homeborn”; Notes: Denotes slaves or servants born within the household.
  14. quam — Lemma: quam; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: correlating; Function: connects to “tam”; Translation: “as / as well as”; Notes: Expresses inclusion of both categories.
  15. emptitius — Lemma: emptitius; Part of Speech: adjective (used substantively); Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of “circumcidetur”; Translation: “bought”; Notes: Refers to purchased servants or foreigners within the household.
  16. circumcidetur — Lemma: circumcido; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future passive indicative, third person singular; Function: repeated main verb; Translation: “shall be circumcised”; Notes: Reiterates universality of the covenant command.
  17. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: introduces relative clause; Translation: “and”; Notes: Adds a further qualifying clause.
  18. quicumque — Lemma: quicumque; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: introduces relative clause; Translation: “whoever”; Notes: Universal relative term including all outside lineage.
  19. non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: negates verb “fuerit”; Translation: “not”; Notes: Emphasizes exclusionary condition.
  20. fuerit — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future perfect active indicative, third person singular; Function: main verb of relative clause; Translation: “shall have been”; Notes: Temporal perfect used for future situation of non-belonging.
  21. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses origin; Translation: “of / from”; Notes: Indicates descent or affiliation.
  22. stirpe — Lemma: stirps; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of “de”; Translation: “lineage”; Notes: Refers to genealogical line or family stock.
  23. vestra — Lemma: vester; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: modifies “stirpe”; Translation: “your”; Notes: Specifies Abraham’s household or genetic line.

 

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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