Genesis 21:20

Posted on January 21, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 21:20 Et fuit cum eo: qui crevit, et moratus est in solitudine, factusque est iuvenis sagittarius.

And He was with him; and he grew up, and lived in the wilderness, and became a young archer.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Et and CONJ
2 fuit was 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
3 cum with PREP+ABL
4 eo him ABL.SG.M.PRON
5 qui who NOM.SG.M.REL.PRON
6 crevit grew 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
7 et and CONJ
8 moratus stayed / lived NOM.SG.M.PERF.PASS.PART (DEPONENT)
9 est was 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND (AUX)
10 in in PREP+ABL
11 solitudine wilderness ABL.SG.F
12 factusque and became NOM.SG.M.PERF.PASS.PART + -QUE
13 est was 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND (AUX)
14 iuvenis young man NOM.SG.M
15 sagittarius archer NOM.SG.M

Syntax

Main Clause: Et fuit cum eo — The perfect verb fuit expresses continued divine presence: “And He was with him.” The prepositional phrase cum eo highlights divine companionship with Ishmael, echoing covenantal language used elsewhere for patriarchal favor.
Relative Clause: qui crevit, et moratus est in solitudine — Introduced by qui, describing Ishmael’s development and settlement. The deponent verb moratus est indicates dwelling or remaining, emphasizing endurance in the wilderness.
Final Clause: factusque est iuvenis sagittarius — A perfect passive participle with est signifies transformation: “and he became a young archer.” The clause portrays Ishmael’s maturation and self-sufficiency, aligning with divine promises of making him a “great nation.”

Morphology

  1. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: connects narrative clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Continues divine action from the previous verse, linking God’s aid to its results.
  2. fuit — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative active, third person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “was”; Notes: Expresses a state of ongoing divine presence with Ishmael.
  3. cum — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: denotes accompaniment; Translation: “with”; Notes: Implies both protection and fellowship.
  4. eo — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of “cum”; Translation: “him”; Notes: Refers to Ishmael, indicating divine companionship.
  5. qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: introduces relative clause; Translation: “who”; Notes: Refers to Ishmael as the subject of subsequent verbs.
  6. crevit — Lemma: cresco; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative active, third person singular; Function: main verb of relative clause; Translation: “grew”; Notes: Denotes physical and personal maturation under divine favor.
  7. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: connects actions; Translation: “and”; Notes: Adds the next stage of Ishmael’s life: settlement.
  8. moratus — Lemma: moror; Part of Speech: deponent verb; Form: perfect participle, nominative singular masculine; Function: part of periphrastic verb phrase with “est”; Translation: “remained / lived”; Notes: Indicates voluntary dwelling, not exile.
  9. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: auxiliary verb; Form: present indicative active, third person singular; Function: auxiliary for perfect deponent; Translation: “was”; Notes: Helps form perfect tense of deponent “moror.”
  10. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: locative phrase; Translation: “in”; Notes: Indicates location or dwelling context.
  11. solitudine — Lemma: solitudo; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of “in”; Translation: “wilderness”; Notes: Represents the harsh yet formative environment of Ishmael’s independence.
  12. factusque — Lemma: fio; Part of Speech: verb (passive of facio); Form: perfect participle nominative singular masculine + enclitic -que; Function: introduces final clause; Translation: “and became”; Notes: Marks transformation from childhood to skilled youth.
  13. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: auxiliary verb; Form: present indicative active, third person singular; Function: auxiliary for periphrastic perfect; Translation: “was / became”; Notes: Completes compound tense “factus est.”
  14. iuvenis — Lemma: iuvenis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: predicate nominative; Translation: “young man”; Notes: Describes Ishmael’s maturity and strength.
  15. sagittarius — Lemma: sagittarius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: predicate nominative in apposition; Translation: “archer”; Notes: Symbolizes Ishmael’s adaptation and survival skills in the wilderness, fulfilling divine purpose.

 

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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