Genesis 20:18

Posted on January 20, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 20:18 concluserat enim Dominus omnem vulvam domus Abimelech propter Saram uxorem Abrahæ.

For the LORD had closed every womb of the house of Abimelech because of Sara, Abraham’s wife.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 concluserat had closed 3SG.PLUPERF.ACT.IND
2 enim for / indeed CONJ
3 Dominus LORD NOM.SG.M
4 omnem every ACC.SG.F
5 vulvam womb ACC.SG.F
6 domus of the house GEN.SG.F
7 Abimelech of Abimelech GEN.SG.M
8 propter because of PREP+ACC
9 Saram Sarah ACC.SG.F
10 uxorem wife ACC.SG.F
11 Abrahæ of Abraham GEN.SG.M

Syntax

Main Clause: concluserat enim Dominus omnem vulvam domus Abimelech — The pluperfect verb concluserat expresses an action preceding the healing of the previous verse. Dominus (subject) governs the direct object omnem vulvam, with domus Abimelech forming a genitive phrase modifying vulvam.
Prepositional Phrase: propter Saram uxorem Abrahæ — Introduces the causal reason for divine intervention, “because of Sara, Abraham’s wife.”

Morphology

  1. concluserat — Lemma: concludo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: pluperfect indicative active, third person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “had closed”; Notes: Denotes a prior completed divine act before the events of verse 17; emphasizes total infertility imposed.
  2. enim — Lemma: enim; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: causal connector explaining the prior verse; Translation: “for / indeed”; Notes: Provides reason for the preceding healing.
  3. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of “concluserat”; Translation: “LORD”; Notes: Refers to YHWH, who acts in sovereign judgment.
  4. omnem — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: modifies “vulvam”; Translation: “every”; Notes: Emphasizes completeness — no womb left unaffected.
  5. vulvam — Lemma: vulva; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object of “concluserat”; Translation: “womb”; Notes: Refers metonymically to fertility or ability to conceive.
  6. domus — Lemma: domus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: genitive of possession modifying “vulvam”; Translation: “of the house”; Notes: Signifies all the women within Abimelech’s household.
  7. Abimelech — Lemma: Abimelech; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: modifies “domus”; Translation: “of Abimelech”; Notes: Identifies whose household suffered divine judgment.
  8. propter — Lemma: propter; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses cause; Translation: “because of”; Notes: Indicates direct reason for divine action.
  9. Saram — Lemma: Sara; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of “propter”; Translation: “Sara”; Notes: Center of the narrative’s moral cause — her being taken unjustly by Abimelech.
  10. uxorem — Lemma: uxor; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: appositive to “Saram”; Translation: “wife”; Notes: Clarifies Sara’s marital relationship to Abraham.
  11. Abrahæ — Lemma: Abraham; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessive genitive modifying “uxorem”; Translation: “of Abraham”; Notes: Marks Sara’s rightful marital bond, underscoring Abimelech’s unintentional transgression.

 

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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