Genesis 21:2

Posted on January 21, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 21:2 Concepitque et peperit filium in senectute sua, tempore quo prædixerat ei Deus.

And she conceived and bore a son in her old age, at the time which God had foretold to her.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Concepitque and conceived 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND + ENCLITIC -que
2 et and CONJ
3 peperit bore 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
4 filium son ACC.SG.M
5 in in PREP+ABL
6 senectute old age ABL.SG.F
7 sua her ABL.SG.F.POSS.ADJ
8 tempore time ABL.SG.N
9 quo when / which ABL.SG.N.REL.PRON
10 prædixerat had foretold 3SG.PLUPERF.ACT.IND
11 ei to her DAT.SG.F.PRON
12 Deus God NOM.SG.M

Syntax

Main Clause: Concepitque et peperit filium — Two perfect verbs joined by -que and et indicate sequential and complementary actions: conception followed by birth. filium is the shared direct object.
Temporal Phrase: in senectute sua — Ablative of time or circumstance, specifying “in her old age.”
Relative Clause: tempore quo prædixerat ei Deus — “At the time which God had foretold to her”; tempore is the antecedent of quo, with prædixerat as the verb of divine prediction.

Morphology

  1. Concepitque — Lemma: concipio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative active, third person singular + enclitic -que; Function: first main verb; Translation: “and she conceived”; Notes: -que connects it closely to peperit, forming a unified expression of divine fulfillment.
  2. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links actions; Translation: “and”; Notes: Simple conjunction emphasizing addition or sequence.
  3. peperit — Lemma: pario; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative active, third person singular; Function: second main verb; Translation: “bore”; Notes: Denotes childbirth as the climax of divine promise; perfect aspect signals completed fulfillment.
  4. filium — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of both “concepit” and “peperit”; Translation: “son”; Notes: Refers to Isaac, the promised child.
  5. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces prepositional phrase; Translation: “in”; Notes: Indicates temporal or circumstantial setting.
  6. senectute — Lemma: senectus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of “in”; Translation: “old age”; Notes: Marks Sara’s advanced years, underscoring miraculous nature of conception.
  7. sua — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: ablative singular feminine agreeing with “senectute”; Function: shows possession; Translation: “her”; Notes: Reflects personal circumstance of Sara’s age.
  8. tempore — Lemma: tempus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: ablative of time within the relative clause; Translation: “at the time”; Notes: Refers to the divinely appointed moment.
  9. quo — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: relates to “tempore”; Translation: “when / which”; Notes: Introduces relative clause defining time of fulfillment.
  10. prædixerat — Lemma: praedico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: pluperfect indicative active, third person singular; Function: verb of relative clause; Translation: “had foretold”; Notes: Refers to God’s prior prophecy of Isaac’s birth.
  11. ei — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular feminine; Function: indirect object of “prædixerat”; Translation: “to her”; Notes: Refers to Sara, the recipient of the divine promise.
  12. Deus — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of “prædixerat”; Translation: “God”; Notes: YHWH as the fulfiller of His prophetic word and covenant faithfulness.

 

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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