Genesis 18:19

Posted on January 18, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 18:19 Scio enim quod præcepturus sit filiis suis, et domui suæ post se ut custodiant viam Domini, et faciant iudicium et iustitiam: ut adducat Dominus propter Abraham omnia quæ locutus est ad eum.

For I know that he will command his sons and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD and to do judgment and righteousness, so that the LORD may bring upon Abraham all that He has spoken to him.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Scio I know 1SG.PRES.ACT.IND
2 enim for CONJ
3 quod that CONJ.SUBORD
4 præcepturus about to command NOM.SG.M.FUT.ACT.PTCP
5 sit he is / will be 3SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
6 filiis to his sons DAT.PL.M
7 suis his DAT.PL.M.POSS.ADJ
8 et and CONJ
9 domui to his household DAT.SG.F
10 suæ his DAT.SG.F.POSS.ADJ
11 post after PREP+ACC
12 se himself ACC.SG.REFL.PRON
13 ut so that CONJ.PURP
14 custodiant they may keep 3PL.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
15 viam way ACC.SG.F
16 Domini of the LORD GEN.SG.M
17 et and CONJ
18 faciant they may do 3PL.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
19 iudicium judgment ACC.SG.N
20 et and CONJ
21 iustitiam righteousness ACC.SG.F
22 ut so that CONJ.PURP
23 adducat he may bring 3SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
24 Dominus the LORD NOM.SG.M
25 propter because of PREP+ACC
26 Abraham Abraham ACC.SG.M.PROP.NOUN
27 omnia all things ACC.PL.N
28 quæ which ACC.PL.N.REL.PRON
29 locutus spoken NOM.SG.M.PERF.PASS.PTCP
30 est he has 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
31 ad to PREP+ACC
32 eum him ACC.SG.M.PRON

Syntax

Main Clause: Scio enim quod præcepturus sit… — Scio is the main verb (“I know”), followed by quod introducing a subordinate clause. The periphrastic construction præcepturus sit conveys Abraham’s destined or future action (“he will command”).
Indirect Object Construction: filiis suis et domui suæ post se — Dative recipients of Abraham’s instruction (“his sons and his household after him”).
Purpose Clause 1: ut custodiant viam Domini et faciant iudicium et iustitiam — Introduced by ut, expressing purpose: “so that they may keep the way of the LORD and do judgment and righteousness.” custodiant and faciant are parallel subjunctives.
Purpose Clause 2: ut adducat Dominus propter Abraham… — Another ut-clause expresses the ultimate divine purpose: “that the LORD may bring upon Abraham all that He has spoken to him.” propter Abraham (with accusative) shows cause, and omnia quæ locutus est ad eum specifies the promise’s content.

Morphology

  1. Scio — Lemma: scio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative, first person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “I know”; Notes: Introduces divine reasoning about Abraham’s character.
  2. enim — Lemma: enim; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: explanatory; Translation: “for”; Notes: Connects this sentence causally to the preceding divine deliberation.
  3. quod — Lemma: quod; Part of Speech: subordinating conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces a content clause; Translation: “that”; Notes: Common with verbs of knowing and saying.
  4. præcepturus — Lemma: præcipio; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular masculine, future active; Function: predicate adjective with “sit”; Translation: “about to command”; Notes: Expresses intended or destined action in periphrastic future.
  5. sit — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active subjunctive, third person singular; Function: auxiliary; Translation: “he will be”; Notes: Subjunctive of indirect discourse after “scio quod.”
  6. filiis — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative plural masculine; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to his sons”; Notes: Denotes Abraham’s descendants as recipients of command.
  7. suis — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: dative plural masculine; Function: modifies “filiis”; Translation: “his”; Notes: Reflexive, agreeing with Abraham as antecedent.
  8. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: joins coordinate elements; Translation: “and”; Notes: Connects “filiis suis” with “domui suæ.”
  9. domui — Lemma: domus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative singular feminine; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to his household”; Notes: Refers to the larger domestic sphere beyond immediate descendants.
  10. suæ — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: dative singular feminine; Function: modifies “domui”; Translation: “his”; Notes: Reflexive, emphasizing Abraham’s authority over his house.
  11. post — Lemma: post; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: temporal relation; Translation: “after”; Notes: Indicates succession after Abraham’s life.
  12. se — Lemma: sui; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular reflexive; Function: object of “post”; Translation: “himself”; Notes: Refers reflexively to Abraham.
  13. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces purpose clause; Translation: “so that”; Notes: Marks divine purpose for Abraham’s leadership.
  14. custodiant — Lemma: custodio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active subjunctive, third person plural; Function: verb of purpose clause; Translation: “they may keep”; Notes: Indicates moral obedience to the divine way.
  15. viam — Lemma: via; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of “custodiant”; Translation: “way”; Notes: Symbolic of covenantal conduct under divine law.
  16. Domini — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: genitive of possession; Translation: “of the LORD”; Notes: Refers to YHWH, indicating moral and covenantal authority.
  17. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: connects verbs; Translation: “and”; Notes: Joins two divine imperatives: obedience and justice.
  18. faciant — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active subjunctive, third person plural; Function: second verb of purpose; Translation: “they may do”; Notes: Parallels “custodiant,” emphasizing practical righteousness.
  19. iudicium — Lemma: iudicium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of “faciant”; Translation: “judgment”; Notes: Refers to just decision-making in moral or civic matters.
  20. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: connects coordinate nouns; Translation: “and”; Notes: Links “iudicium” with “iustitiam.”
  21. iustitiam — Lemma: iustitia; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of “faciant”; Translation: “righteousness”; Notes: Complements “iudicium” to express both justice and ethical living.
  22. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces final purpose clause; Translation: “so that”; Notes: Marks the divine goal of Abraham’s obedience.
  23. adducat — Lemma: adduco; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active subjunctive, third person singular; Function: main verb of purpose; Translation: “he may bring”; Notes: Expresses divine fulfillment of promises contingent on obedience.
  24. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of “adducat”; Translation: “the LORD”; Notes: Refers to YHWH, the covenantal executor of the promise.
  25. propter — Lemma: propter; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses cause or reason; Translation: “because of”; Notes: Indicates Abraham as the reason or occasion for divine favor.
  26. Abraham — Lemma: Abraham; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of “propter”; Translation: “Abraham”; Notes: The covenantal patriarch whose obedience justifies divine blessing.
  27. omnia — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective / pronoun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: object of “adducat”; Translation: “all things”; Notes: Refers to the totality of divine promises.
  28. quæ — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: introduces relative clause modifying “omnia”; Translation: “which”; Notes: Refers to all the promises or declarations of YHWH toward Abraham.
  29. locutus — Lemma: loquor; Part of Speech: deponent verb (participle); Form: nominative singular masculine, perfect passive participle (active meaning); Function: forms part of periphrastic perfect; Translation: “has spoken”; Notes: Deponent form of *loquor*, functioning actively: “has spoken.”
  30. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative, third person singular; Function: auxiliary with participle; Translation: “he has”; Notes: Completes the periphrastic perfect of *loquor*, referring to the LORD’s prior speech to Abraham.
  31. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: indicates direction; Translation: “to”; Notes: Introduces the indirect object of divine communication.
  32. eum — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of “ad”; Translation: “him”; Notes: Refers to Abraham as the recipient of God’s promises and covenantal words.

 

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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