Genesis 18:5

Posted on January 18, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 18:5 Ponamque buccellam panis, et confortate cor vestrum, postea transibitis: idcirco enim declinastis ad servum vestrum. Qui dixerunt: Fac ut locutus es.

And I will bring a morsel of bread, and strengthen your heart; afterward you shall pass on, for therefore you have turned aside to your servant.” And they said: “Do as you have spoken.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Ponamque and I will place 1SG.FUT.ACT.IND
2 buccellam morsel ACC.SG.F
3 panis of bread GEN.SG.M
4 et and CONJ
5 confortate strengthen 2PL.PRES.ACT.IMP
6 cor heart ACC.SG.N
7 vestrum your ACC.SG.N.POSS.ADJ
8 postea afterward ADV
9 transibitis you shall pass on 2PL.FUT.ACT.IND
10 idcirco therefore ADV
11 enim for CONJ
12 declinastis you have turned aside 2PL.PERF.ACT.IND
13 ad to / toward PREP+ACC
14 servum servant ACC.SG.M
15 vestrum your ACC.SG.M.POSS.ADJ
16 Qui who NOM.PL.M.REL.PRON
17 dixerunt said 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
18 Fac do 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP
19 ut as CONJ
20 locutus spoken NOM.SG.M.PERF.PASS.PTCP
21 es you have 2SG.PRES.ACT.IND

Syntax

Main Clause 1: Ponamque buccellam panis — Ponamque (“and I will place”) expresses Abraham’s voluntary hospitality; buccellam panis (“a morsel of bread”) forms a partitive genitive phrase indicating modest provision.
Coordinated Clause: et confortate cor vestrum — imperative plural confortate (“strengthen”) invites refreshment; cor vestrum (“your heart”) is an idiom for emotional and physical renewal.
Temporal Clause: postea transibitis — future indicative transibitis (“you shall pass on”) denotes departure after the meal.
Causal Clause: idcirco enim declinastis ad servum vestrum — declinastis (“you have turned aside”) explains their coming, idcirco enim (“for therefore”) introduces motivation, and ad servum vestrum (“to your servant”) expresses humility.
Reported Response: Qui dixerunt: Fac ut locutus es — Qui introduces the plural speakers; Fac (imperative) followed by ut locutus es (“as you have spoken”) signals consent to Abraham’s offer.

Morphology

  1. Ponamque — Lemma: pono; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative, first person singular with enclitic -que; Function: main verb; Translation: “and I will place”; Notes: Expresses Abraham’s intention to provide food as an act of service.
  2. buccellam — Lemma: buccella; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object of “ponam”; Translation: “morsel”; Notes: A small piece of bread, highlighting humility in Abraham’s offer.
  3. panis — Lemma: panis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: partitive genitive modifying “buccellam”; Translation: “of bread”; Notes: Typical Latin genitive construction expressing “a portion of.”
  4. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: connects imperatives; Translation: “and”; Notes: Links successive instructions of hospitality.
  5. confortate — Lemma: conforto; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active imperative, second person plural; Function: command; Translation: “strengthen”; Notes: Encourages physical and moral renewal after rest and nourishment.
  6. cor — Lemma: cor; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object of “confortate”; Translation: “heart”; Notes: A Hebraic expression symbolizing inner being or courage.
  7. vestrum — Lemma: vester; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: modifies “cor”; Translation: “your”; Notes: Refers collectively to Abraham’s guests, maintaining plural address.
  8. postea — Lemma: postea; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: temporal modifier; Translation: “afterward”; Notes: Denotes temporal sequence after hospitality is given.
  9. transibitis — Lemma: transeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative, second person plural; Function: main verb of temporal clause; Translation: “you shall pass on”; Notes: Expresses polite acknowledgment of the travelers’ journey continuation.
  10. idcirco — Lemma: idcirco; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: causal adverb; Translation: “therefore”; Notes: Introduces purpose or justification for the encounter.
  11. enim — Lemma: enim; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: postpositive; Function: causal connector; Translation: “for”; Notes: Provides the reason for the divine visitors’ detour.
  12. declinastis — Lemma: declino; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative, second person plural; Function: main verb; Translation: “you have turned aside”; Notes: Describes the guests’ approach as intentional, inviting hospitality.
  13. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: indicates direction or relation; Translation: “to / toward”; Notes: Marks Abraham as the host receiving the guests.
  14. servum — Lemma: servus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of “ad”; Translation: “servant”; Notes: Abraham’s self-description reflecting humility before divine visitors.
  15. vestrum — Lemma: vester; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: modifies “servum”; Translation: “your”; Notes: Enhances Abraham’s humble tone by affirming his servitude.
  16. Qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject of “dixerunt”; Translation: “who”; Notes: Refers to the three men responding to Abraham’s offer.
  17. dixerunt — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative, third person plural; Function: main verb of response; Translation: “said”; Notes: Indicates the visitors’ verbal consent to Abraham’s proposal.
  18. Fac — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active imperative, second person singular; Function: command; Translation: “do”; Notes: A gracious assent meaning “carry out what you have offered.”
  19. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: subordinating; Function: introduces comparison; Translation: “as”; Notes: Connects the manner of doing to the preceding speech.
  20. locutus — Lemma: loquor; Part of Speech: participle (deponent); Form: nominative singular masculine, perfect; Function: complements “es”; Translation: “spoken”; Notes: Used with “sum” to form the perfect tense of deponent verbs.
  21. es — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative, second person singular; Function: auxiliary; Translation: “you have”; Notes: Forms perfect tense “locutus es,” meaning “you have spoken.”

 

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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