Genesis 20:17

Posted on January 20, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 20:17 Orante autem Abraham, sanavit Deus Abimelech et uxorem, ancillasque eius, et pepererunt:

But as Abraham prayed, God healed Abimelech and his wife, and his maidservants, and they bore children.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Orante while praying ABL.SG.M.PART.PRES.ACT
2 autem but CONJ
3 Abraham Abraham ABL.SG.M
4 sanavit he healed 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
5 Deus God NOM.SG.M
6 Abimelech Abimelech ACC.SG.M
7 et and CONJ
8 uxorem wife ACC.SG.F
9 ancillasque and maidservants ACC.PL.F + ENCLITIC -que
10 eius his GEN.SG.M.PRON
11 et and CONJ
12 pepererunt they bore (children) 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND

Syntax

Temporal Clause: Orante autem Abraham — Ablative absolute construction meaning “while Abraham was praying.” The participle Orante denotes simultaneous action with sanavit.
Main Clause: sanavit Deus Abimelech et uxorem, ancillasque eius — Deus is the subject; sanavit the main verb; Abimelech, uxorem, and ancillas eius are coordinated direct objects. The enclitic -que connects the last object.
Result Clause: et pepererunt — Sequential clause expressing the result of divine healing: “and they bore children.”

Morphology

  1. Orante — Lemma: oro; Part of Speech: participle; Form: ablative singular masculine, present active; Function: part of ablative absolute with “Abraham”; Translation: “while praying”; Notes: Denotes time or circumstance concurrent with the divine action.
  2. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: conjunction/adverb; Form: postpositive; Function: mild connective contrast; Translation: “but”; Notes: Links this verse to the preceding narrative where Abraham intercedes.
  3. Abraham — Lemma: Abraham; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: noun in ablative absolute with “Orante”; Translation: “Abraham”; Notes: Agent of intercessory prayer on behalf of Abimelech’s household.
  4. sanavit — Lemma: sano; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative active, third person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “he healed”; Notes: Perfect tense indicates completed divine act of restoration.
  5. Deus — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of “sanavit”; Translation: “God”; Notes: Refers to YHWH as the agent responding to Abraham’s prayer.
  6. Abimelech — Lemma: Abimelech; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of “sanavit”; Translation: “Abimelech”; Notes: King of Gerar, healed after repentance.
  7. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: joins objects; Translation: “and”; Notes: Connects “Abimelech” with “uxorem.”
  8. uxorem — Lemma: uxor; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object of “sanavit”; Translation: “wife”; Notes: Refers to Abimelech’s wife, also afflicted and healed.
  9. ancillasque — Lemma: ancilla; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine + enclitic -que; Function: additional object; Translation: “and maidservants”; Notes: -que connects closely to previous noun; indicates total household restoration.
  10. eius — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessive genitive modifying “uxorem” and “ancillas”; Translation: “his”; Notes: Refers back to Abimelech.
  11. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: connects the main clause and result clause; Translation: “and.”
  12. pepererunt — Lemma: pario; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative active, third person plural; Function: main verb of result clause; Translation: “they bore (children)”; Notes: Perfect tense shows outcome of divine healing; resumes fertility in Abimelech’s household.

 

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.
This entry was posted in Genesis. Bookmark the permalink.

Comments are closed.