Genesis 17:8

Posted on January 17, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 17:8 Daboque tibi et semini tuo terram peregrinationis tuæ, omnem terram Chanaan in possessionem æternam, eroque Deus eorum.

And I will give to you and to your offspring the land of your sojourning, all the land of Chanaan, for an everlasting possession, and I will be their God.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Daboque and I will give 1SG.FUT.ACT.IND + CONJ
2 tibi to you DAT.SG.PRON
3 et and CONJ
4 semini to offspring DAT.SG.N
5 tuo your DAT.SG.N.POSS.ADJ
6 terram land ACC.SG.F
7 peregrinationis of sojourning GEN.SG.F
8 tuæ your GEN.SG.F.POSS.ADJ
9 omnem all ACC.SG.F.ADJ
10 terram land ACC.SG.F
11 Chanaan Canaan GEN.SG.M.PROP.NOUN
12 in for / into PREP+ACC
13 possessionem possession ACC.SG.F
14 æternam everlasting ACC.SG.F.ADJ
15 eroque and I will be 1SG.FUT.ACT.IND + CONJ
16 Deus God NOM.SG.M
17 eorum of them / their GEN.PL.PRON

Syntax

Main Clause 1: Daboque tibi et semini tuo terram peregrinationis tuæ — Dabo is the first-person future active indicative (“I will give”); tibi et semini tuo are the indirect objects; terram peregrinationis tuæ serves as the direct object, meaning “the land of your sojourning.”
Expanded Object: omnem terram Chanaan in possessionem æternam — omnem terram is the full extent of the land being given; Chanaan (Kena’an) identifies the specific territory; in possessionem æternam expresses purpose or result (“for an everlasting possession”).
Main Clause 2: eroque Deus eorum — ero (“I will be”) introduces the divine relational clause; Deus eorum serves as predicate and genitive complement (“their God”), signifying covenantal belonging.

Morphology

  1. Daboque — Lemma: do; Part of Speech: verb + conjunction; Form: future active indicative, first person singular with enclitic “-que”; Function: main verb; Translation: “and I will give”; Notes: Expresses divine promise of land inheritance.
  2. tibi — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to you”; Notes: Refers to Abraham as covenant recipient.
  3. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links indirect objects; Translation: “and”; Notes: Connects Abraham and his seed.
  4. semini — Lemma: semen; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative singular neuter; Function: indirect object of “dabo”; Translation: “to offspring”; Notes: Collective singular denoting posterity.
  5. tuo — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: dative singular neuter; Function: modifies “semini”; Translation: “your”; Notes: Marks Abraham’s lineage.
  6. terram — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object; Translation: “land”; Notes: Refers to the promised territory.
  7. peregrinationis — Lemma: peregrinatio; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: dependent genitive; Translation: “of sojourning”; Notes: Denotes temporary residence or wandering.
  8. tuæ — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: modifies “peregrinationis”; Translation: “your”; Notes: Specifies Abraham’s sojourning.
  9. omnem — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: modifies “terram”; Translation: “all”; Notes: Emphasizes totality of the land promise.
  10. terram — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object repeated for emphasis; Translation: “land”; Notes: Stresses the territorial inheritance.
  11. Chanaan — Lemma: Chanaan; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: genitive of possession; Translation: “of Kena’an”; Notes: Traditional biblical region given to Abraham’s descendants.
  12. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses purpose or end; Translation: “for / into”; Notes: Indicates the intended result of the gift.
  13. possessionem — Lemma: possessio; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of “in”; Translation: “possession”; Notes: Legal term for property ownership.
  14. æternam — Lemma: æternus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: modifies “possessionem”; Translation: “everlasting”; Notes: Denotes perpetual duration of inheritance.
  15. eroque — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb + conjunction; Form: future active indicative, first person singular with enclitic “-que”; Function: main verb of second clause; Translation: “and I will be”; Notes: Expresses divine relationship.
  16. Deus — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: predicate nominative; Translation: “God”; Notes: The subject’s new relational identity to the descendants.
  17. eorum — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive plural; Function: dependent genitive; Translation: “of them / their”; Notes: Refers to Abraham’s seed, the collective recipients of the covenant.

 

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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