Genesis 21:17

Posted on January 21, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 21:17 Exaudivit autem Deus vocem pueri: vocavitque Angelus Dei Agar de cælo, dicens: Quid agis Agar? noli timere: exaudivit enim Deus vocem pueri de loco in quo est.

But God heard the voice of the boy, and the Angel of God called to Agar from heaven, saying: “What are you doing, Agar? Do not fear, for God has heard the voice of the boy from the place where he is.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Exaudivit heard 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 autem but / moreover CONJ
3 Deus God NOM.SG.M
4 vocem voice ACC.SG.F
5 pueri of the boy GEN.SG.M
6 vocavitque and called 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND + -QUE
7 Angelus Angel NOM.SG.M
8 Dei of God GEN.SG.M
9 Agar Hagar ACC.SG.F
10 de from PREP+ABL
11 cælo heaven ABL.SG.N
12 dicens saying NOM.SG.M.PRES.ACT.PART
13 Quid what INTERROG.PRON.NOM/ACC.SG.N
14 agis are you doing 2SG.PRES.ACT.IND
15 Agar Hagar VOC.SG.F
16 noli do not 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMPERATIVE (NEGATIVE + INF)
17 timere to fear PRES.ACT.INF
18 exaudivit has heard 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
19 enim for CONJ
20 Deus God NOM.SG.M
21 vocem voice ACC.SG.F
22 pueri of the boy GEN.SG.M
23 de from PREP+ABL
24 loco place ABL.SG.M
25 in in / where PREP+ABL
26 quo where ABL.SG.M.REL.PRON
27 est he is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND

Syntax

Main Clause 1: Exaudivit autem Deus vocem pueri — The conjunction autem introduces contrast with Hagar’s despair. The verb exaudivit (perfect active) indicates divine responsiveness to Ishmael’s cry, not to Hagar’s lament.
Main Clause 2: vocavitque Angelus Dei Agar de cælo — The Angel of God (messenger) calls from heaven, implying divine initiative. The perfect verb vocavit with -que ties the event to the previous divine action.
Direct Speech: Quid agis, Agar? noli timere — An interrogative and imperative show divine reassurance. The imperative noli timere is a fixed idiom for “do not be afraid.”
Explanatory Clause: exaudivit enim Deus vocem pueri de loco in quo est — The conjunction enim introduces explanation. The prepositional phrase de loco in quo est emphasizes divine omniscience: God hears Ishmael “from the place where he is,” showing compassion and presence even in distance.

Morphology

  1. Exaudivit — Lemma: exaudio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative active, third person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “heard”; Notes: Stronger than audivit, implies attentive or merciful hearing.
  2. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: introduces contrast; Translation: “but”; Notes: Marks divine response contrasting Hagar’s silence.
  3. Deus — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “God”; Notes: The subject of merciful intervention.
  4. vocem — Lemma: vox; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object of “exaudivit”; Translation: “voice”; Notes: Represents the plea of the boy Ishmael.
  5. pueri — Lemma: puer; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessive genitive; Translation: “of the boy”; Notes: Indicates the voice belonging to Ishmael.
  6. vocavitque — Lemma: voco; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative active, third person singular + enclitic -que; Function: connects divine calling to prior hearing; Translation: “and called”; Notes: Expresses immediate divine response.
  7. Angelus — Lemma: angelus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of “vocavit”; Translation: “Angel”; Notes: Likely a theophany or messenger acting with divine authority.
  8. Dei — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessive genitive; Translation: “of God”; Notes: Specifies divine origin of the messenger.
  9. Agar — Lemma: Agar; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object of “vocavit”; Translation: “Hagar”; Notes: Egyptian servant and mother of Ishmael.
  10. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: indicates source; Translation: “from”; Notes: Expresses the heavenly origin of the voice.
  11. cælo — Lemma: caelum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: object of “de”; Translation: “heaven”; Notes: Locative ablative describing the divine source of communication.
  12. dicens — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular masculine, present active; Function: introduces direct speech; Translation: “saying”; Notes: Links the angel’s voice to his message.
  13. Quid — Lemma: quis; Part of Speech: interrogative pronoun; Form: nominative/accusative singular neuter; Function: object of “agis”; Translation: “what”; Notes: Opens divine interrogation highlighting compassion.
  14. agis — Lemma: ago; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present indicative active, second person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “are you doing”; Notes: Reflects both question and mild rebuke.
  15. Agar — Lemma: Agar; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: vocative singular feminine; Function: direct address; Translation: “Hagar”; Notes: Personalizes divine concern and comfort.
  16. noli — Lemma: nolo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person singular present imperative active; Function: negative command; Translation: “do not”; Notes: Forms a polite prohibition with infinitive “timere.”
  17. timere — Lemma: timeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active infinitive; Function: dependent infinitive of “noli”; Translation: “to fear”; Notes: Common divine reassurance formula (“Fear not”).
  18. exaudivit — Lemma: exaudio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative active, third person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “has heard”; Notes: Repeats verb from v.17, emphasizing divine attentiveness.
  19. enim — Lemma: enim; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: gives reason; Translation: “for”; Notes: Introduces theological explanation of comfort.
  20. Deus — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of “exaudivit”; Translation: “God”; Notes: The repeated subject intensifies divine agency.
  21. vocem — Lemma: vox; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object of “exaudivit”; Translation: “voice”; Notes: The same cry that moves heaven to act.
  22. pueri — Lemma: puer; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessive genitive; Translation: “of the boy”; Notes: Again underlines Ishmael’s innocence.
  23. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: indicates origin; Translation: “from”; Notes: Locative nuance — “from the place where he is.”
  24. loco — Lemma: locus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of “de”; Translation: “place”; Notes: The precise setting of Ishmael’s cry, known to God.
  25. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces relative phrase; Translation: “in”; Notes: Used locatively with “quo est.”
  26. quo — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: relative complement of “in”; Translation: “where”; Notes: Connects to “loco.”
  27. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present indicative active, third person singular; Function: copula; Translation: “is”; Notes: Describes Ishmael’s stationary state — God hears him in situ.

 

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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