Genesis 17:17

Posted on January 17, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 17:17 Cecidit Abraham in faciem suam, et risit, dicens in corde suo: Putasne centenario nascetur filius? et Sara nonagenaria pariet?

And Abraham fell on his face and laughed, saying in his heart: “Do you think that a son shall be born to a man of a hundred years? and shall Sara, ninety years old, give birth?”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Cecidit fell 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 Abraham Abraham NOM.SG.M.PROP.NOUN
3 in upon / on PREP+ACC
4 faciem face ACC.SG.F
5 suam his ACC.SG.F.REFL.ADJ
6 et and CONJ
7 risit laughed 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
8 dicens saying NOM.SG.M.PRES.ACT.PART
9 in in PREP+ABL
10 corde heart ABL.SG.N
11 suo his ABL.SG.N.REFL.ADJ
12 Putasne Do you think? 2SG.PRES.ACT.IND + ENCLITIC
13 centenario to a hundred-year-old man DAT.SG.M
14 nascetur shall be born 3SG.FUT.DEP.IND
15 filius son NOM.SG.M
16 et and CONJ
17 Sara Sarah NOM.SG.F.PROP.NOUN
18 nonagenaria ninety years old NOM.SG.F.ADJ
19 pariet shall give birth 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND

Syntax

Main Clause: Cecidit Abraham in faciem suam, et risit — Cecidit (“fell”) is the main verb expressing Abraham’s physical reaction; Abraham is the subject; in faciem suam (“upon his face”) indicates position of reverence; et risit joins a second verb with et (“and”), describing his emotional response.
Participial Phrase: dicens in corde suo — dicens (“saying”) is a nominative masculine singular present participle agreeing with Abraham; in corde suo (“in his heart”) expresses inward speech or contemplation.
Direct Speech: Putasne centenario nascetur filius? — rhetorical question: Putasne (“Do you think?”) introduces a question with ne as interrogative particle; centenario is dative of reference (“to a hundred-year-old man”); nascetur is deponent future (“shall be born”), with filius as subject.
Second Question: et Sara nonagenaria pariet? — coordinated by et; Sara is subject, nonagenaria predicate adjective, and pariet (“shall give birth”) the main verb. The repetition of et mirrors Hebrew parallelism emphasizing incredulity and wonder.

Morphology

  1. Cecidit — Lemma: cado; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative, third person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “fell”; Notes: Indicates completed action showing humility or awe before divine revelation.
  2. Abraham — Lemma: Abraham; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “Abraham”; Notes: Patriarchal figure acting both reverently and reflectively in the narrative.
  3. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: indicates direction; Translation: “upon / on”; Notes: Introduces phrase describing physical position.
  4. faciem — Lemma: facies; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of “in”; Translation: “face”; Notes: Refers metaphorically to personal posture in submission.
  5. suam — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: reflexive adjective; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: modifies “faciem”; Translation: “his”; Notes: Indicates possession referring back to Abraham.
  6. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: connects the two finite verbs “Cecidit” and “risit”; Translation: “and”; Notes: Links sequential actions of reverence and laughter in a single narrative flow.
  7. risit — Lemma: rideo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative, third person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “laughed”; Notes: Expresses incredulity mixed with awe at divine promise.
  8. dicens — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular masculine, present active; Function: participle of attendant circumstance; Translation: “saying”; Notes: Connects physical action to inner thought.
  9. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces location; Translation: “in”; Notes: Specifies internal sphere of reflection.
  10. corde — Lemma: cor; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: object of “in”; Translation: “heart”; Notes: Symbol of inner emotion and thought.
  11. suo — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: reflexive adjective; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: modifies “corde”; Translation: “his”; Notes: Refers back to Abraham’s own heart, emphasizing personal contemplation.
  12. Putasne — Lemma: puto; Part of Speech: verb + enclitic; Form: present active indicative, second person singular with “-ne”; Function: introduces rhetorical question; Translation: “Do you think?”; Notes: The enclitic “-ne” turns the verb into a direct question expressing astonishment.
  13. centenario — Lemma: centenarius; Part of Speech: adjective functioning substantively; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: dative of reference; Translation: “to a hundred-year-old man”; Notes: Emphasizes Abraham’s age and perceived impossibility.
  14. nascetur — Lemma: nascor; Part of Speech: deponent verb; Form: future indicative, third person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “shall be born”; Notes: Predictive deponent form describing future birth of the promised son.
  15. filius — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of “nascetur”; Translation: “son”; Notes: Refers to the promised heir, Isaac.
  16. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links second rhetorical question; Translation: “and”; Notes: Maintains parallel structure with preceding question.
  17. Sara — Lemma: Sara; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject; Translation: “Sarah”; Notes: Wife of Abraham, recipient of miraculous promise.
  18. nonagenaria — Lemma: nonagenarius; Part of Speech: adjective used substantively; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: predicate adjective; Translation: “ninety years old”; Notes: Highlights Sarah’s advanced age and the impossibility of childbirth by natural means.
  19. pariet — Lemma: pario; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative, third person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “shall give birth”; Notes: Expresses future certainty in the divine plan despite human impossibility.

 

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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