Genesis 17:16

Posted on January 17, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 17:16 Et benedicam ei, et ex illa dabo tibi filium cui benedicturus sum, eritque in nationes, et reges populorum orientur ex eo.

And I will bless her, and from her I will give you a son whom I will bless; and he shall become nations, and kings of peoples shall arise from him.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Et and CONJ
2 benedicam I will bless 1SG.FUT.ACT.IND
3 ei her DAT.SG.PRON
4 et and CONJ
5 ex from PREP+ABL
6 illa her ABL.SG.F.DEMON.PRON
7 dabo I will give 1SG.FUT.ACT.IND
8 tibi to you DAT.SG.PRON
9 filium son ACC.SG.M
10 cui whom REL.PRON.DAT.SG.M
11 benedicturus about to bless NOM.SG.M.FUT.ACT.PART
12 sum I am 1SG.PRES.ACT.IND
13 eritque and he shall be 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND + CONJ
14 in into / among PREP+ACC
15 nationes nations ACC.PL.F
16 et and CONJ
17 reges kings NOM.PL.M
18 populorum of peoples GEN.PL.M
19 orientur shall arise 3PL.FUT.DEP.IND
20 ex from PREP+ABL
21 eo him ABL.SG.M.PRON

Syntax

Main Clause 1: Et benedicam ei — benedicam (“I will bless”) is the main verb; ei (“her”) is the dative indirect object referring to Sarah.
Main Clause 2: et ex illa dabo tibi filium — dabo (“I will give”) expresses divine promise; ex illa (“from her”) marks origin, and tibi filium forms an indirect and direct object pair (“I will give you a son”).
Relative Clause: cui benedicturus sum — cui refers to the son, benedicturus sum (“I am about to bless”) uses a periphrastic future active construction to indicate intent.
Main Clause 3: eritque in nationes — erit (“he shall be”) predicts the son’s destiny; in nationes (“into nations”) denotes transformation into a multitude.
Final Clause: et reges populorum orientur ex eo — orientur (“shall arise”) is deponent in form, indicating emergence; reges populorum (“kings of peoples”) serves as the plural subject; ex eo (“from him”) indicates descent from the promised son.

Morphology

  1. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: connects clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Introduces another divine action following the previous speech.
  2. benedicam — Lemma: benedico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative, first person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “I will bless”; Notes: Expresses divine favor and empowerment of Sarah.
  3. ei — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular; Function: indirect object; Translation: “her”; Notes: Refers to Sarah, the recipient of blessing.
  4. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: joins next clause; Translation: “and”; Notes: Connects the subsequent promissory statement to the preceding blessing without altering emphasis or syntax.
  5. ex — Lemma: ex; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: indicates source; Translation: “from”; Notes: Introduces Sarah as the maternal source of the promised child.
  6. illa — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of “ex”; Translation: “her”; Notes: Demonstrates emphasis on Sarah as the mother of promise.
  7. dabo — Lemma: do; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative, first person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “I will give”; Notes: Promissory declaration emphasizing divine generosity.
  8. tibi — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to you”; Notes: Refers to Abraham as recipient of the child.
  9. filium — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object; Translation: “son”; Notes: The promised heir central to the Abrahamic covenant.
  10. cui — Lemma: qui, quae, quod; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: indirect object of “benedicturus sum”; Translation: “whom”; Notes: Refers to the son who will also be blessed.
  11. benedicturus — Lemma: benedico; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular masculine, future active participle; Function: with “sum” forms periphrastic future; Translation: “about to bless”; Notes: Expresses divine intent and future action.
  12. sum — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative, first person singular; Function: auxiliary; Translation: “I am”; Notes: Completes periphrastic construction of intent.
  13. eritque — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb + conjunction; Form: future active indicative, third person singular with enclitic “-que”; Function: main verb; Translation: “and he shall be”; Notes: Predicts transformation of the promised son into many nations.
  14. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses result; Translation: “into / among”; Notes: Denotes change of state or identity.
  15. nationes — Lemma: natio; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: object of “in”; Translation: “nations”; Notes: Signifies the widespread expansion of Abraham’s lineage.
  16. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links final clause; Translation: “and.”
  17. reges — Lemma: rex; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject of “orientur”; Translation: “kings”; Notes: Represents royal descendants from the promised lineage.
  18. populorum — Lemma: populus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: genitive of possession; Translation: “of peoples”; Notes: Indicates the domains over which these kings will reign.
  19. orientur — Lemma: orior; Part of Speech: deponent verb; Form: future indicative, third person plural; Function: main verb; Translation: “shall arise”; Notes: Predicts emergence and exaltation of future rulers.
  20. ex — Lemma: ex; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: indicates origin; Translation: “from”; Notes: Shows Abraham’s seed as the genealogical source.
  21. eo — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of “ex”; Translation: “him”; Notes: Refers to the promised son (Isaac) as ancestor of future nations and kings.

 

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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