Genesis 18:13

Posted on January 18, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 18:13 Dixit autem Dominus ad Abraham: Quare risit Sara, dicens: Num vere paritura sum anus?

And the LORD said to Abraham: “Why did Sarah laugh, saying: ‘Shall I truly bear, being old?’

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Dixit said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 autem but / and CONJ
3 Dominus the LORD NOM.SG.M
4 ad to PREP+ACC
5 Abraham Abraham ACC.SG.M.PROP.NOUN
6 Quare why ADV.INTERROG
7 risit laughed 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
8 Sara Sarah NOM.SG.F.PROP.NOUN
9 dicens saying NOM.SG.F.PRES.ACT.PTCP
10 Num whether / surely not INTERROG.PART
11 vere truly ADV
12 paritura about to bear NOM.SG.F.FUT.ACT.PTCP
13 sum I am 1SG.PRES.ACT.IND
14 anus old woman NOM.SG.F

Syntax

Main Clause: Dixit autem Dominus ad Abraham — The subject Dominus (“the LORD”) performs the act of speaking, with ad Abraham indicating the indirect object. The conjunction autem links this divine response to Sarah’s previous laughter.
Direct Question: Quare risit Sara (“Why did Sarah laugh?”) introduces a rhetorical divine inquiry highlighting disbelief.
Indirect Speech: dicens: Num vere paritura sum anus? represents Sarah’s inner words, quoting her incredulous thought. The particle Num anticipates a negative answer (“Surely I shall not bear?”), paritura sum is a periphrastic future (“am about to bear”), and anus serves as predicate nominative (“an old woman”).

Morphology

  1. Dixit — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative, third person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “said”; Notes: Marks divine speech introducing a rhetorical question.
  2. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: transitional connective; Translation: “but / and”; Notes: Connects to prior narrative, marking contrast or continuation.
  3. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “the LORD”; Notes: Refers to YHWH, the divine speaker in this context.
  4. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: shows direction; Translation: “to”; Notes: Introduces indirect object “Abraham.”
  5. Abraham — Lemma: Abraham; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: indirect object; Translation: “Abraham”; Notes: The patriarch addressed directly by YHWH.
  6. Quare — Lemma: quare; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: interrogative; Function: introduces question of reason; Translation: “why”; Notes: Expresses divine challenge regarding disbelief.
  7. risit — Lemma: rideo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative, third person singular; Function: main verb of question; Translation: “laughed”; Notes: Highlights Sarah’s inner doubt upon hearing the promise.
  8. Sara — Lemma: Sara; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject of “risit”; Translation: “Sarah”; Notes: The matriarch whose laughter prompts divine response.
  9. dicens — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular feminine, present active; Function: introduces indirect discourse; Translation: “saying”; Notes: Links Sarah’s inner speech to the divine quotation.
  10. Num — Lemma: num; Part of Speech: interrogative particle; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces rhetorical question expecting “no”; Translation: “surely not / whether”; Notes: Expresses disbelief or irony in Sarah’s words.
  11. vere — Lemma: vere; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: intensifier; Translation: “truly”; Notes: Adds incredulous emphasis to the question.
  12. paritura — Lemma: pario; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular feminine, future active; Function: predicate adjective with “sum”; Translation: “about to bear”; Notes: Used periphrastically to form the future (“I am to bear”).
  13. sum — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative, first person singular; Function: auxiliary verb in periphrastic construction; Translation: “I am”; Notes: Completes the periphrastic future tense expressing disbelief.
  14. anus — Lemma: anus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: predicate nominative; Translation: “old woman”; Notes: Self-description expressing the apparent impossibility of conception in advanced age.

 

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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