Genesis 17:7

Posted on January 17, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 17:7 Et statuam pactum meum inter me et te, et inter semen tuum post te in generationibus suis fœdere sempiterno: ut sim Deus tuus, et seminis tui post te.

And I will establish my covenant between me and you, and between your offspring after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant: to be your God, and the God of your offspring after you.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Et and CONJ
2 statuam I will establish 1SG.FUT.ACT.IND
3 pactum covenant ACC.SG.N
4 meum my ACC.SG.N.POSS.ADJ
5 inter between PREP+ACC
6 me me ACC.SG.PRON
7 et and CONJ
8 te you ACC.SG.PRON
9 et and CONJ
10 inter between PREP+ACC
11 semen offspring ACC.SG.N
12 tuum your ACC.SG.N.POSS.ADJ
13 post after PREP+ACC
14 te you ACC.SG.PRON
15 in in PREP+ABL
16 generationibus generations ABL.PL.F
17 suis their ABL.PL.F.REFL.ADJ
18 fœdere by covenant ABL.SG.N
19 sempiterno everlasting ABL.SG.N.ADJ
20 ut so that / to CONJ.SUBORD
21 sim I may be 1SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
22 Deus God NOM.SG.M
23 tuus your NOM.SG.M.POSS.ADJ
24 et and CONJ
25 seminis of offspring GEN.SG.N
26 tui your GEN.SG.N.POSS.ADJ
27 post after PREP+ACC
28 te you ACC.SG.PRON

Syntax

Main Clause: Et statuam pactum meum inter me et te — statuam is the first-person future active indicative (“I will establish”); pactum meum functions as the direct object; inter me et te expresses the parties of the covenant.
Coordinate Phrase: et inter semen tuum post te in generationibus suis fœdere sempiterno — repeats the preposition inter for emphasis, expanding the covenant to Abraham’s descendants; fœdere sempiterno is an ablative of means (“by an everlasting covenant”).
Final Clause: ut sim Deus tuus, et seminis tui post te — purpose clause introduced by ut (“so that”); sim is the subjunctive verb expressing divine intent; Deus tuus (“your God”) and seminis tui post te express possession and continuity of relationship across generations.

Morphology

  1. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: introduces continuation; Translation: “and”; Notes: Links this verse to the preceding promise.
  2. statuam — Lemma: statuo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative, first person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “I will establish”; Notes: Refers to firm establishment or confirmation of a covenant.
  3. pactum — Lemma: pactum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object of “statuam”; Translation: “covenant”; Notes: Legal and religious agreement between God and Abraham.
  4. meum — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: modifies “pactum”; Translation: “my”; Notes: Indicates divine ownership of the covenant.
  5. inter — Lemma: inter; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses relationship between covenantal parties; Translation: “between”; Notes: Used with both God and Abraham to denote bilateral relationship.
  6. me — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular; Function: first of the covenant’s parties; Translation: “me”; Notes: Refers to God Himself.
  7. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: connects covenant parties; Translation: “and”; Notes: Simple connection.
  8. te — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular; Function: second party of covenant; Translation: “you”; Notes: Refers to Abraham.
  9. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: introduces next phrase; Translation: “and”; Notes: Adds Abraham’s offspring to the agreement.
  10. inter — Lemma: inter; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: repeats the preposition for emphasis; Translation: “between”; Notes: Parallel structure emphasizing continuation of the covenant.
  11. semen — Lemma: semen; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of “inter”; Translation: “offspring”; Notes: Collective singular referring to descendants.
  12. tuum — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: modifies “semen”; Translation: “your”; Notes: Denotes lineage belonging to Abraham.
  13. post — Lemma: post; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses temporal sequence; Translation: “after”; Notes: Refers to later generations.
  14. te — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular; Function: object of “post”; Translation: “you”; Notes: Refers again to Abraham.
  15. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces prepositional phrase; Translation: “in”; Notes: Denotes location or sphere.
  16. generationibus — Lemma: generatio; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural feminine; Function: object of “in”; Translation: “generations”; Notes: Refers to successive posterity.
  17. suis — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: reflexive adjective; Form: ablative plural feminine; Function: modifies “generationibus”; Translation: “their”; Notes: Points to the generations of Abraham’s descendants.
  18. fœdere — Lemma: foedus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: ablative of means; Translation: “by covenant”; Notes: Expresses means or manner of establishment.
  19. sempiterno — Lemma: sempiternus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: modifies “fœdere”; Translation: “everlasting”; Notes: Qualifies the enduring nature of the covenant.
  20. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: subordinating; Function: introduces final clause; Translation: “so that / to”; Notes: Expresses divine purpose.
  21. sim — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active subjunctive, first person singular; Function: verb of purpose clause; Translation: “I may be”; Notes: Subjunctive indicates intent or goal.
  22. Deus — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: predicate nominative; Translation: “God”; Notes: Denotes covenantal relationship.
  23. tuus — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: modifies “Deus”; Translation: “your”; Notes: Possessive indicating divine relationship with Abraham.
  24. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: connects additional phrase; Translation: “and”; Notes: Continues the purpose clause.
  25. seminis — Lemma: semen; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter; Function: dependent genitive; Translation: “of offspring”; Notes: Refers to descendants of Abraham.
  26. tui — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: genitive singular neuter; Function: modifies “seminis”; Translation: “your”; Notes: Specifies that the offspring belong to Abraham.
  27. post — Lemma: post; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses succession; Translation: “after”; Notes: Refers to time following Abraham’s life.
  28. te — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular; Function: object of “post”; Translation: “you”; Notes: Completes the expression “after you.”

 

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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