Genesis 17:19

Posted on January 17, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 17:19 Et ait Deus ad Abraham: Sara uxor tua pariet tibi filium, vocabisque nomen eius Isaac, et constituam pactum meum illi in fœdus sempiternum, et semini eius post eum.

And God said to Abraham: “Sara your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac, and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his offspring after him.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Et and CONJ
2 ait said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
3 Deus God NOM.SG.M
4 ad to PREP+ACC
5 Abraham Abraham ACC.SG.M.PROP.NOUN
6 Sara Sarah NOM.SG.F.PROP.NOUN
7 uxor wife NOM.SG.F
8 tua your NOM.SG.F.POSS.ADJ
9 pariet shall bear 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND
10 tibi to you DAT.SG.PRON
11 filium son ACC.SG.M
12 vocabisque and you shall call 2SG.FUT.ACT.IND + CONJ
13 nomen name ACC.SG.N
14 eius his GEN.SG.M.PRON
15 Isaac Isaac ACC.SG.M.PROP.NOUN
16 et and CONJ
17 constituam I will establish 1SG.FUT.ACT.IND
18 pactum covenant ACC.SG.N
19 meum my ACC.SG.N.POSS.ADJ
20 illi to him DAT.SG.M.PRON
21 in for / into PREP+ACC
22 fœdus covenant ACC.SG.N
23 sempiternum everlasting ACC.SG.N.ADJ
24 et and CONJ
25 seminī offspring DAT.SG.N
26 eius his GEN.SG.M.PRON
27 post after PREP+ACC
28 eum him ACC.SG.M.PRON

Syntax

Introductory Clause: Et ait Deus ad Abraham — ait is the main verb (“said”); Deus is the subject; ad Abraham marks the recipient of divine address.
Primary Clause: Sara uxor tua pariet tibi filium — Sara uxor tua is the compound subject (“Sarah your wife”); pariet (“shall bear”) is the future indicative verb; tibi filium combines indirect and direct objects (“to you a son”).
Command Clause: vocabisque nomen eius Isaac — vocabis is future active indicative functioning imperatively (“you shall call”); nomen eius Isaac gives direct object and appositive (“his name Isaac”).
Covenant Clause: et constituam pactum meum illi in fœdus sempiternum — constituam (“I will establish”) is divine promise; pactum meum the direct object; illi marks the dative of advantage (“with him”); in fœdus sempiternum expresses the covenant’s enduring purpose.
Final Clause: et semini eius post eum — prepositional phrase denoting continuation of covenant “with his offspring after him.”

Morphology

  1. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links divine utterance; Translation: “and”; Notes: Connects this revelation with the previous divine dialogue.
  2. ait — Lemma: aio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative, third person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “said”; Notes: Common narrative verb introducing divine or prophetic speech.
  3. Deus — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “God”; Notes: The speaker of the covenantal pronouncement.
  4. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces indirect object; Translation: “to”; Notes: Directs the speech toward Abraham.
  5. Abraham — Lemma: Abraham; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of “ad”; Translation: “Abraham”; Notes: Recipient of the divine revelation.
  6. Sara — Lemma: Sara; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject; Translation: “Sarah”; Notes: Abraham’s wife, focal point of the miraculous promise.
  7. uxor — Lemma: uxor; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: apposition to “Sara”; Translation: “wife”; Notes: Identifies her relationship to Abraham.
  8. tua — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: modifies “uxor”; Translation: “your”; Notes: Denotes personal relationship and covenantal intimacy.
  9. pariet — Lemma: pario; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative, third person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “shall bear”; Notes: Predictive statement of Sarah’s miraculous conception.
  10. tibi — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to you”; Notes: Indicates Abraham as the recipient of the promised son.
  11. filium — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object; Translation: “son”; Notes: The heir who will carry forth the covenantal blessing.
  12. vocabisque — Lemma: voco; Part of Speech: verb + conjunction; Form: future active indicative, second person singular with enclitic “-que”; Function: expresses divine command; Translation: “and you shall call”; Notes: Specifies the name as an act of obedience to divine instruction.
  13. nomen — Lemma: nomen; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object; Translation: “name”; Notes: Identifies the object of the naming command.
  14. eius — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessive modifier; Translation: “his”; Notes: Refers to the son Isaac’s name.
  15. Isaac — Lemma: Isaac; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: apposition to “nomen”; Translation: “Isaac”; Notes: Means “he laughs,” commemorating Abraham’s laughter of faith and wonder.
  16. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: connects next divine promise; Translation: “and”; Notes: Links the covenantal establishment to the naming.
  17. constituam — Lemma: constituo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative, first person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “I will establish”; Notes: Expresses divine determination to formalize the covenant.
  18. pactum — Lemma: pactum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object of “constituam”; Translation: “covenant”; Notes: Denotes formal divine agreement with lasting implications.
  19. meum — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: modifies “pactum”; Translation: “my”; Notes: Emphasizes divine ownership and initiative of the covenant.
  20. illi — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to him”; Notes: Refers to Isaac as the covenant’s recipient.
  21. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses purpose; Translation: “for / into”; Notes: Marks transformation of covenant into permanent relationship.
  22. fœdus — Lemma: fœdus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of “in”; Translation: “covenant”; Notes: Reinforces the idea of an enduring divine-human bond.
  23. sempiternum — Lemma: sempiternus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: modifies “fœdus”; Translation: “everlasting”; Notes: Indicates permanence and unending validity of the divine promise.
  24. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: connects final phrase; Translation: “and”; Notes: Extends covenant to Isaac’s descendants.
  25. seminī — Lemma: semen; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative singular neuter; Function: indirect object; Translation: “offspring”; Notes: Refers to Isaac’s descendants as beneficiaries of the covenant.
  26. eius — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessive modifier; Translation: “his”; Notes: Specifies the offspring as belonging to Isaac.
  27. post — Lemma: post; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: temporal preposition; Translation: “after”; Notes: Denotes continuation through future generations.
  28. eum — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of “post”; Translation: “him”; Notes: Refers to Isaac as progenitor of covenant heirs.

 

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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