Genesis 18:10

Posted on January 18, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 18:10 Cui dixit: Revertens veniam ad te tempore isto, vita comite, et habebit filium Sara uxor tua. Quo audito, Sara risit post ostium tabernaculi.

And he said: “I will return to you at this time of life, and Sara your wife shall have a son.” When she heard this, Sara laughed behind the door of the tent.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Cui to whom DAT.SG.M.REL.PRON
2 dixit he said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
3 Revertens returning NOM.SG.M.PRES.ACT.PTCP
4 veniam I will come 1SG.FUT.ACT.IND
5 ad to / toward PREP+ACC
6 te you ACC.SG.PRON
7 tempore at the time ABL.SG.N
8 isto this ABL.SG.N.DEMON.ADJ
9 vita life ABL.SG.F
10 comite being companion ABL.SG.F.NOUN
11 et and CONJ
12 habebit she will have 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND
13 filium son ACC.SG.M
14 Sara Sarah NOM.SG.F.PROP.NOUN
15 uxor wife NOM.SG.F
16 tua your NOM.SG.F.POSS.ADJ
17 Quo when / which ABL.SG.N.REL/ADV
18 audito having been heard ABL.SG.N.PERF.PASS.PTCP
19 Sara Sarah NOM.SG.F.PROP.NOUN
20 risit laughed 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
21 post behind PREP+ACC
22 ostium door ACC.SG.N
23 tabernaculi of the tent GEN.SG.N

Syntax

Main Clause: Cui dixit: Revertens veniam ad te tempore isto, vita comite, et habebit filium Sara uxor tua — Cui dixit (“and he said to him”) introduces direct speech addressed to Abraham. The participle Revertens (“returning”) modifies the subject implied in veniam (“I will come”), expressing divine intent to revisit. The ablative phrase tempore isto, vita comite (“at this time, life being companion”) indicates a set future season of fulfillment. et habebit filium Sara uxor tua (“and Sarah your wife shall have a son”) forms the central prophetic promise.
Temporal Clause: Quo audito, Sara risit post ostium tabernaculi — The ablative absolute Quo audito (“when this was heard”) sets up the circumstance; Sara risit (“Sarah laughed”) is the main action; post ostium tabernaculi (“behind the door of the tent”) gives location, implying secrecy and doubt.

Morphology

  1. Cui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: indirect object of “dixit”; Translation: “to whom”; Notes: Refers to Abraham as recipient of divine speech.
  2. dixit — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative, third person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “he said”; Notes: Marks direct divine speech introducing the prophecy.
  3. Revertens — Lemma: revertor; Part of Speech: participle (deponent); Form: nominative singular masculine, present active; Function: modifying the implied speaker; Translation: “returning”; Notes: Expresses the divine intent of a future return.
  4. veniam — Lemma: venio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative, first person singular; Function: main verb of promise; Translation: “I will come”; Notes: Predicts divine visitation at an appointed time.
  5. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: direction toward recipient; Translation: “to”; Notes: Introduces the indirect object “te.”
  6. te — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular; Function: object of “ad”; Translation: “you”; Notes: Refers to Abraham as the one being addressed.
  7. tempore — Lemma: tempus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: ablative of time; Translation: “at the time”; Notes: Specifies the season of the return.
  8. isto — Lemma: iste; Part of Speech: demonstrative adjective; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: modifies “tempore”; Translation: “this”; Notes: Refers to the same period or season mentioned previously.
  9. vita — Lemma: vita; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: part of ablative absolute; Translation: “life”; Notes: Serves as part of idiom “vita comite” meaning “while life remains.”
  10. comite — Lemma: comes; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: ablative absolute; Translation: “as companion”; Notes: Together with “vita,” forms an idiomatic expression “with life as companion.”
  11. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: joins clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Connects the divine promise of return to the promised birth.
  12. habebit — Lemma: habeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative, third person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “she will have”; Notes: Foretells Sarah’s conception and childbirth.
  13. filium — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of “habebit”; Translation: “son”; Notes: Object of promise, fulfilling covenantal prophecy.
  14. Sara — Lemma: Sara; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject of “habebit”; Translation: “Sarah”; Notes: The matriarch and recipient of the covenant’s fulfillment.
  15. uxor — Lemma: uxor; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: apposition to “Sara”; Translation: “wife”; Notes: Clarifies Sarah’s relationship to Abraham within the prophecy.
  16. tua — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: modifies “uxor”; Translation: “your”; Notes: Adds relational and personal emphasis in divine speech.
  17. Quo — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun/adverb; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: introduces ablative absolute; Translation: “when / which”; Notes: Refers to the preceding statement being heard.
  18. audito — Lemma: audio; Part of Speech: participle; Form: ablative singular neuter, perfect passive; Function: part of ablative absolute; Translation: “having been heard”; Notes: Expresses prior completion before Sarah’s reaction.
  19. Sara — Lemma: Sara; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject of “risit”; Translation: “Sarah”; Notes: Identifies the one reacting to the divine announcement.
  20. risit — Lemma: rideo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative, third person singular; Function: main verb of result clause; Translation: “laughed”; Notes: Expresses disbelief mingled with wonder at the promise.
  21. post — Lemma: post; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses location; Translation: “behind”; Notes: Indicates her concealed position of observation.
  22. ostium — Lemma: ostium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of “post”; Translation: “door”; Notes: Symbolizes privacy and distance from the guests.
  23. tabernaculi — Lemma: tabernaculum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter; Function: genitive of possession; Translation: “of the tent”; Notes: Clarifies the physical location of Sarah’s hidden laughter.

 

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.
This entry was posted in Genesis. Bookmark the permalink.

Comments are closed.