Genesis 18:11

Posted on January 18, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 18:11 Erant autem ambo senes, provectæque ætatis, et desierant Saræ fieri muliebria.

Now they were both old and advanced in years, and Sara had ceased to have the manner of women.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Erant they were 3PL.IMPF.ACT.IND
2 autem now / moreover CONJ
3 ambo both NOM.DU.M
4 senes old NOM.PL.M.ADJ
5 provectæque and advanced NOM.PL.F.PERF.PASS.PTCP+QUE
6 ætatis in age / of age GEN.SG.F
7 et and CONJ
8 desierant had ceased 3PL.PLUPERF.ACT.IND
9 Saræ of Sarah DAT.SG.F.PROP.NOUN
10 fieri to happen / to be PRES.INF.PASS
11 muliebria things of women / womanly functions NOM/ACC.PL.N

Syntax

Main Clause: Erant autem ambo senes, provectæque ætatis — Erant (“they were”) introduces the main statement; ambo (“both”) is the subject referring to Abraham and Sarah; senes and provectæ ætatis describe their advanced age, the latter being an idiomatic genitive meaning “of advanced years.”
Second Clause: et desierant Saræ fieri muliebria — desierant (“had ceased”) governs the infinitive fieri (“to occur”), with muliebria (“the things of women”) as the subject and Saræ (“to Sarah”) as a dative of reference. The phrase describes menopause, showing that conception seemed naturally impossible.

Morphology

  1. Erant — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperfect active indicative, third person plural; Function: main verb; Translation: “they were”; Notes: Establishes the descriptive background for the miracle narrative.
  2. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: connective particle; Translation: “now / moreover”; Notes: Smoothly continues the narrative with explanatory emphasis.
  3. ambo — Lemma: ambo; Part of Speech: numeral adjective; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “both”; Notes: Refers jointly to Abraham and Sarah.
  4. senes — Lemma: senex; Part of Speech: adjective / noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: predicate complement; Translation: “old”; Notes: Describes physical age and human limitation in contrast to divine promise.
  5. provectæque — Lemma: provectus (from proveho); Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative plural feminine, perfect passive; Function: modifies implied feminine noun “personæ” or refers back to “ambo”; Translation: “and advanced”; Notes: With enclitic -que, links to “senes” emphasizing both being well advanced in age.
  6. ætatis — Lemma: ætas; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: genitive of description; Translation: “of age / in years”; Notes: Genitive phrase literally means “advanced of age.”
  7. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: joins clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Connects description of age with the physiological observation about Sarah.
  8. desierant — Lemma: desino; Part of Speech: verb; Form: pluperfect active indicative, third person plural; Function: main verb; Translation: “had ceased”; Notes: Indicates the prior cessation of natural processes before divine intervention.
  9. Saræ — Lemma: Sara; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: dative singular feminine; Function: dative of reference; Translation: “for Sarah”; Notes: Specifies the person to whom the physiological condition applies.
  10. fieri — Lemma: fio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present infinitive passive; Function: complementary infinitive with “desierant”; Translation: “to happen / to be done”; Notes: Describes the ongoing process that had ceased.
  11. muliebria — Lemma: muliebris (as substantive plural neuter); Part of Speech: noun (substantivized adjective); Form: nominative/accusative plural neuter; Function: subject of infinitive “fieri”; Translation: “the things of women / womanly functions”; Notes: Euphemism for menstruation, indicating the impossibility of conception by natural means.

 

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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