Genesis 21:16

Posted on January 21, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 21:16 Et abiit, seditque e regione procul quantum potest arcus iacere. dixit enim: Non videbo morientem puerum: et sedens contra, levavit vocem suam et flevit.

And she went away and sat down at a distance, as far off as a bowshot can reach; for she said: “I will not see the boy dying.” And sitting opposite, she lifted up her voice and wept.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Et and CONJ
2 abiit went away 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
3 seditque and sat down 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND + -QUE
4 e from PREP+ABL
5 regione at a distance / opposite ABL.SG.F
6 procul far away ADV
7 quantum as far as ADV / REL.ADV
8 potest is able 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
9 arcus bow NOM.SG.M
10 iacere to throw / shoot PRES.ACT.INF
11 dixit said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
12 enim for CONJ
13 Non not ADV
14 videbo I will see 1SG.FUT.ACT.IND
15 morientem dying ACC.SG.M.PRES.ACT.PART
16 puerum boy ACC.SG.M
17 et and CONJ
18 sedens sitting NOM.SG.F.PRES.ACT.PART
19 contra opposite PREP+ACC
20 levavit lifted up 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
21 vocem voice ACC.SG.F
22 suam her ACC.SG.F.POSS.ADJ
23 et and CONJ
24 flevit wept 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND

Syntax

Coordinated Actions: Et abiit, seditque e regione procul quantum potest arcus iacere — Two perfect verbs (abiit and sedit) narrate consecutive actions: Hagar’s withdrawal and seating herself at a distance. The prepositional phrase e regione means “opposite” or “facing,” with procul quantum potest arcus iacere functioning adverbially to express distance (“as far as a bowshot”).
Direct Discourse: dixit enim: Non videbo morientem puerum — Introduces Hagar’s internal speech explaining her retreat; the future tense videbo expresses resolve or refusal to witness her son’s death.
Final Clause: et sedens contra, levavit vocem suam et flevit — The participle sedens denotes simultaneous action (“while sitting”), leading to the emotional climax of the verse with the verbs levavit and flevit.

Morphology

  1. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: joins narrative verbs; Translation: “and”; Notes: Begins the new narrative action following Hagar’s despair.
  2. abiit — Lemma: abeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative active, third person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “went away”; Notes: Describes Hagar’s movement away from Ishmael, signaling emotional and physical separation.
  3. seditque — Lemma: sedeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative active, third person singular + enclitic -que; Function: connects sequential action; Translation: “and sat down”; Notes: Indicates pause and resignation after departure.
  4. e — Lemma: e / ex; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses separation or position; Translation: “from / at”; Notes: Used idiomatically with “regione” to mean “opposite” or “facing.”
  5. regione — Lemma: regio; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: complement of “e”; Translation: “region / place”; Notes: In this idiom, means “a facing area” — hence “opposite.”
  6. procul — Lemma: procul; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies “sedit”; Translation: “far away”; Notes: Emphasizes physical distance and emotional pain.
  7. quantum — Lemma: quantus; Part of Speech: adverb / relative adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: expresses degree; Translation: “as far as”; Notes: Introduces the measure of distance with “potest.”
  8. potest — Lemma: possum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present indicative active, third person singular; Function: governs infinitive “iacere”; Translation: “is able”; Notes: Denotes potential range (“as far as a bow can shoot”).
  9. arcus — Lemma: arcus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of “potest iacere”; Translation: “bow”; Notes: Used metaphorically for measure of distance (“a bowshot”).
  10. iacere — Lemma: iacio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active infinitive; Function: complementary infinitive; Translation: “to shoot”; Notes: Expresses the range or limit of the bow’s action.
  11. dixit — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative active, third person singular; Function: introduces direct speech; Translation: “said”; Notes: Marks a shift from narrative to inner dialogue.
  12. enim — Lemma: enim; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: gives explanatory force; Translation: “for”; Notes: Explains Hagar’s reasoning for keeping distance.
  13. Non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: negates “videbo”; Translation: “not”; Notes: Expresses refusal born from grief.
  14. videbo — Lemma: video; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future indicative active, first person singular; Function: main verb of her statement; Translation: “I will see”; Notes: Indicates willful avoidance of a painful sight.
  15. morientem — Lemma: morior; Part of Speech: participle; Form: accusative singular masculine, present active (deponent); Function: modifies “puerum”; Translation: “dying”; Notes: Conveys immediacy and tragedy of Ishmael’s state.
  16. puerum — Lemma: puer; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of “videbo”; Translation: “boy”; Notes: Refers to Ishmael, the son Hagar cannot bear to see perish.
  17. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: connects clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Links her action of sitting and her subsequent lamentation.
  18. sedens — Lemma: sedeo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular feminine, present active; Function: circumstantial participle; Translation: “sitting”; Notes: Describes her posture during the emotional act of weeping.
  19. contra — Lemma: contra; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces position opposite to the boy; Translation: “opposite”; Notes: Indicates visual alignment yet emotional distance.
  20. levavit — Lemma: levo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative active, third person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “lifted up”; Notes: Introduces her lamentation, symbolizing appeal to heaven.
  21. vocem — Lemma: vox; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object of “levavit”; Translation: “voice”; Notes: Often denotes both prayer and lamentation in biblical idiom.
  22. suam — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: modifies “vocem”; Translation: “her”; Notes: Reflexive, identifying the voice as Hagar’s own.
  23. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Function: links “levavit” and “flevit”; Translation: “and”; Notes: Continues emotional sequence from cry to tears.
  24. flevit — Lemma: fleo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative active, third person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “wept”; Notes: Concludes the verse with grief and vulnerability, expressing maternal despair.

 

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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