Genesis 17:5

Posted on January 17, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 17:5 Nec ultra vocabitur nomen tuum Abram: sed appellaberis Abraham: quia patrem multarum gentium constitui te.

And your name shall no longer be called Abram, but you shall be called Abraham, because I have made you the father of many nations.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Nec nor / and not CONJ
2 ultra any longer ADV
3 vocabitur shall be called 3SG.FUT.PASS.IND
4 nomen name NOM.SG.N
5 tuum your NOM.SG.N.POSS.ADJ
6 Abram Abram NOM.SG.M.PROP.NOUN
7 sed but CONJ
8 appellaberis you shall be called 2SG.FUT.PASS.IND
9 Abraham Abraham NOM.SG.M.PROP.NOUN
10 quia because CONJ.SUBORD
11 patrem father ACC.SG.M
12 multarum of many GEN.PL.F
13 gentium nations GEN.PL.F
14 constitui I have made 1SG.PERF.ACT.IND
15 te you ACC.SG.PRON

Syntax

Main Clause 1: Nec ultra vocabitur nomen tuum Abram — a passive future form; vocabitur is the main verb (“shall be called”); nomen tuum is the subject (“your name”); Abram serves as the predicate nominative, the name being replaced.
Main Clause 2: sed appellaberis Abraham — contrastive clause introduced by sed (“but”); appellaberis is a future passive (“you shall be called”); Abraham is predicate nominative marking the new divinely given name.
Subordinate Clause: quia patrem multarum gentium constitui te — causal clause introduced by quia (“because”); constitui is the perfect indicative verb; te is direct object; patrem multarum gentium expresses the role or office bestowed.

Morphology

  1. Nec — Lemma: nec; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating negative; Function: links negative clauses; Translation: “nor / and not”; Notes: Adds continuity to the prohibition.
  2. ultra — Lemma: ultra; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies “vocabitur”; Translation: “any longer”; Notes: Temporal adverb emphasizing cessation of the old name.
  3. vocabitur — Lemma: voco; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future passive indicative, third person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “shall be called”; Notes: Predictive passive construction.
  4. nomen — Lemma: nomen; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: subject of “vocabitur”; Translation: “name”; Notes: The grammatical subject undergoing renaming.
  5. tuum — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: modifies “nomen”; Translation: “your”; Notes: Personal possession indicator.
  6. Abram — Lemma: Abram; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: predicate nominative; Translation: “Abram”; Notes: Original name meaning “exalted father.”
  7. sed — Lemma: sed; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: introduces contrast; Translation: “but”; Notes: Marks the divine renaming.
  8. appellaberis — Lemma: appello; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future passive indicative, second person singular; Function: main verb of second clause; Translation: “you shall be called”; Notes: Divine passive indicating God as the agent.
  9. Abraham — Lemma: Abraham; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: predicate nominative; Translation: “Abraham”; Notes: Name meaning “father of many.”
  10. quia — Lemma: quia; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: subordinating; Function: introduces causal clause; Translation: “because”; Notes: Gives reason for the name change.
  11. patrem — Lemma: pater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: predicate accusative with “constitui”; Translation: “father”; Notes: Predicate object denoting Abraham’s new status.
  12. multarum — Lemma: multus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: genitive plural feminine; Function: modifies “gentium”; Translation: “of many”; Notes: Describes multitude of nations.
  13. gentium — Lemma: gens; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural feminine; Function: dependent genitive; Translation: “nations”; Notes: Refers to peoples descended from Abraham.
  14. constitui — Lemma: constituo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative, first person singular; Function: main verb of subordinate clause; Translation: “I have made”; Notes: Indicates divine appointment or designation.
  15. te — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular; Function: direct object of “constitui”; Translation: “you”; Notes: Refers to Abraham as the one appointed father of many nations.

 

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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