Genesis 21:1

Posted on January 21, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 21:1 Visitavit autem Dominus Saram, sicut promiserat: et implevit quæ locutus est.

And the LORD visited Sara, as He had promised, and fulfilled what He had spoken.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Visitavit visited 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 autem but / and CONJ
3 Dominus LORD NOM.SG.M
4 Saram Sarah ACC.SG.F
5 sicut as / just as CONJ
6 promiserat had promised 3SG.PLUPERF.ACT.IND
7 et and CONJ
8 implevit fulfilled 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
9 quæ what / the things which ACC.PL.N.REL.PRON
10 locutus spoken NOM.SG.M.PART.PERF.DEP
11 est is / has 3SG.PERF.IND.AUX

Syntax

Main Clause: Visitavit autem Dominus Saram — The verb Visitavit (perfect) expresses divine intervention; Dominus is the subject, Saram the direct object.
Comparative Clause: sicut promiserat — Introduces comparison showing fulfillment of a prior divine promise.
Coordinated Clause: et implevit quæ locutus est — Parallel perfect verbs show completion: implevit corresponds to Visitavit, while quæ locutus est forms a relative clause object meaning “what He had spoken.”

Morphology

  1. Visitavit — Lemma: visito; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative active, third person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “visited”; Notes: In biblical Latin, signifies divine attention, favor, or intervention in human affairs.
  2. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: conjunction/adverb; Form: postpositive; Function: transitional particle; Translation: “and / but”; Notes: Connects the fulfillment narrative with the preceding events in Abimelech’s story.
  3. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of “Visitavit” and “implevit”; Translation: “LORD”; Notes: Refers to YHWH, the covenant God who keeps promises.
  4. Saram — Lemma: Sara; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object of “Visitavit”; Translation: “Sara”; Notes: Recipient of divine visitation that leads to conception.
  5. sicut — Lemma: sicut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces comparative clause; Translation: “as / just as”; Notes: Establishes link between promise and fulfillment.
  6. promiserat — Lemma: promitto; Part of Speech: verb; Form: pluperfect indicative active, third person singular; Function: verb of comparative clause; Translation: “had promised”; Notes: Refers to the earlier divine assurance of Sara’s conception.
  7. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links parallel clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Conjoins the two completed divine actions: visitation and fulfillment.
  8. implevit — Lemma: impleo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative active, third person singular; Function: second main verb; Translation: “fulfilled”; Notes: Completes the thought of divine fidelity to His spoken word.
  9. quæ — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: direct object of “locutus est”; Translation: “what / the things which”; Notes: Refers to the divine promises or words fulfilled.
  10. locutus — Lemma: loquor; Part of Speech: participle (deponent verb); Form: nominative singular masculine, perfect passive in form but active in meaning; Function: participle forming part of periphrastic perfect; Translation: “spoken”; Notes: Used with “est” to form perfect tense meaning “He spoke.”
  11. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: auxiliary verb; Form: perfect indicative, third person singular; Function: auxiliary completing “locutus est”; Translation: “has”; Notes: Forms periphrastic perfect of deponent “loquor.”

 

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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