Genesis 18:9

Posted on January 18, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 18:9 Cumque comedissent, dixerunt ad eum: Ubi est Sara uxor tua? ille respondit: Ecce in tabernaculo est.

And when they had eaten, they said to him: “Where is Sara your wife?” He answered: “Behold, she is in the tent.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Cumque and when CONJ
2 comedissent they had eaten 3PL.PLUPERF.ACT.SUBJ
3 dixerunt they said 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
4 ad to / toward PREP+ACC
5 eum him ACC.SG.M.PRON
6 Ubi where ADV.INTERROG
7 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
8 Sara Sarah NOM.SG.F.PROP.NOUN
9 uxor wife NOM.SG.F
10 tua your NOM.SG.F.POSS.ADJ
11 ille he NOM.SG.M.PRON
12 respondit answered 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
13 Ecce behold INTERJ
14 in in PREP+ABL
15 tabernaculo tent ABL.SG.N
16 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND

Syntax

Temporal Clause: Cumque comedissent — Cumque (“and when”) introduces a temporal clause with the pluperfect subjunctive comedissent (“they had eaten”), indicating completion before the next action.
Main Clause: dixerunt ad eum — dixerunt (“they said”) takes ad eum (“to him”) as indirect object, introducing direct speech.
Direct Question: Ubi est Sara uxor tua? — Ubi (“where”) is an interrogative adverb; Sara uxor tua (“Sarah your wife”) is the subject phrase.
Response Clause: ille respondit: Ecce in tabernaculo est — ille (“he”) refers to Abraham; Ecce (“behold”) draws attention; in tabernaculo est (“she is in the tent”) identifies Sarah’s location, emphasizing modesty and seclusion.

Morphology

  1. Cumque — Lemma: cum + que; Part of Speech: conjunction with enclitic; Form: temporal conjunction; Function: introduces subordinate clause; Translation: “and when”; Notes: Combines temporal and connective force linking previous narrative with new dialogue.
  2. comedissent — Lemma: comedo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: pluperfect active subjunctive, third person plural; Function: verb in temporal clause; Translation: “they had eaten”; Notes: Marks completed action prior to speaking, typical of narrative sequencing.
  3. dixerunt — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative, third person plural; Function: main verb; Translation: “they said”; Notes: Introduces the first direct conversation after the meal.
  4. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: shows direction of speech; Translation: “to”; Notes: Marks the object of address, Abraham.
  5. eum — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of “ad”; Translation: “him”; Notes: Refers to Abraham as recipient of divine inquiry.
  6. Ubi — Lemma: ubi; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: interrogative; Function: introduces direct question; Translation: “where”; Notes: Seeks Sarah’s location to set up the promise scene.
  7. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative, third person singular; Function: copula; Translation: “is”; Notes: Links Sarah’s name with predicate nominative “uxor tua.”
  8. Sara — Lemma: Sara; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject of “est”; Translation: “Sarah”; Notes: Identifies the matriarch being addressed indirectly through Abraham.
  9. uxor — Lemma: uxor; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: apposition to “Sara”; Translation: “wife”; Notes: Clarifies Sarah’s relationship to Abraham in the inquiry.
  10. tua — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: modifies “uxor”; Translation: “your”; Notes: Agrees with “uxor” and personalizes the divine address.
  11. ille — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of “respondit”; Translation: “he”; Notes: Refers to Abraham as speaker in the response.
  12. respondit — Lemma: respondeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative, third person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “answered”; Notes: Marks Abraham’s immediate, respectful reply.
  13. Ecce — Lemma: ecce; Part of Speech: interjection; Form: indeclinable; Function: draws attention; Translation: “behold”; Notes: A deictic expression highlighting Sarah’s position and presence.
  14. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses location; Translation: “in”; Notes: Introduces the place where Sarah remains.
  15. tabernaculo — Lemma: tabernaculum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: object of “in”; Translation: “tent”; Notes: Symbol of domestic space, showing Sarah’s modest seclusion. Here tabernaculo does not mean the sanctuary of Israel, but simply a dwelling tent in the patriarchal setting. Jerome consistently uses tabernaculum for Hebrew ohel (“tent”), so the word can mean either the sacred tabernacle or an ordinary tent depending on context. The ablative ending ‑o is required because of the preposition in (location).
  16. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative, third person singular; Function: copula; Translation: “is”; Notes: Concludes Abraham’s factual, respectful reply regarding Sarah’s location.

 

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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