Genesis 18:12

Posted on January 18, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 18:12 Quæ risit occulte dicens: Postquam consenui, et dominus meus vetulus est, voluptati operam dabo?

And she laughed secretly, saying: “After I have grown old, and my lord is aged, shall I give myself to pleasure?”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Quæ who / she NOM.SG.F.REL.PRON
2 risit laughed 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
3 occulte secretly ADV
4 dicens saying NOM.SG.F.PRES.ACT.PTCP
5 Postquam after CONJ
6 consenui I have grown old 1SG.PERF.ACT.IND
7 et and CONJ
8 dominus lord NOM.SG.M
9 meus my NOM.SG.M.POSS.ADJ
10 vetulus old / aged NOM.SG.M.ADJ
11 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
12 voluptati to pleasure DAT.SG.F
13 operam effort / service ACC.SG.F
14 dabo I will give 1SG.FUT.ACT.IND

Syntax

Main Clause: Quæ risit occulte — Quæ (“who”) refers to Sarah; risit (“laughed”) expresses her quiet disbelief, and occulte (“secretly”) adds the nuance of inner thought, contrasting divine omniscience with human concealment.
Participial Phrase: dicens (“saying”) introduces her inner monologue, functioning as a participle of manner or accompanying circumstance.
Subordinate Clause: Postquam consenui (“after I have grown old”) provides the temporal premise for her incredulous reaction.
Coordinate Clause: et dominus meus vetulus est (“and my lord is aged”) underscores the natural impossibility of conception, with dominus meus referring to Abraham.
Question Clause: voluptati operam dabo? (“shall I give myself to pleasure?”) is a rhetorical question expressing disbelief at the prospect of renewed fertility and conjugal pleasure.

Morphology

  1. Quæ — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject referring to Sarah; Translation: “who / she”; Notes: Introduces the clause describing Sarah’s private reaction.
  2. risit — Lemma: rideo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative, third person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “laughed”; Notes: Indicates incredulity mixed with modest disbelief.
  3. occulte — Lemma: occulte; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: adverbial modifier; Translation: “secretly”; Notes: Emphasizes the hidden nature of Sarah’s laughter, reflecting her inner thoughts.
  4. dicens — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular feminine, present active; Function: introduces indirect discourse; Translation: “saying”; Notes: Links Sarah’s laughter to her internal reasoning.
  5. Postquam — Lemma: postquam; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: temporal; Function: introduces a clause of time; Translation: “after”; Notes: Connects Sarah’s disbelief with her awareness of aging.
  6. consenui — Lemma: consenesco; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative, first person singular; Function: verb of the subordinate clause; Translation: “I have grown old”; Notes: Expresses completion of aging, implying sterility.
  7. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Joins the statements about Sarah and Abraham.
  8. dominus — Lemma: dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of “est”; Translation: “lord”; Notes: Sarah’s respectful reference to Abraham, consistent with Hebrew אֲדֹנִי (*adoní*).
  9. meus — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: modifies “dominus”; Translation: “my”; Notes: Demonstrates reverence and submission typical of ancient marital address.
  10. vetulus — Lemma: vetulus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: predicate adjective; Translation: “old / aged”; Notes: Diminutive of “vetus,” carrying a tone of affection and realism.
  11. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative, third person singular; Function: copula; Translation: “is”; Notes: Links Abraham’s title with his physical state.
  12. voluptati — Lemma: voluptas; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative singular feminine; Function: dative of purpose; Translation: “to pleasure”; Notes: Refers euphemistically to conjugal intimacy.
  13. operam — Lemma: opera; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object of “dabo”; Translation: “effort / service”; Notes: Idiomatic in the phrase “operam dare,” meaning “to engage in” or “to devote oneself to.”
  14. dabo — Lemma: do; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative, first person singular; Function: main verb of rhetorical question; Translation: “shall I give / shall I engage”; Notes: Expresses incredulity at the idea of physical renewal or fertility.

 

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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