Genesis 21:9

Posted on January 21, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 21:9 Cumque vidisset Sara filium Agar Ægyptiæ ludentem cum Isaac filio suo, dixit ad Abraham:

And when Sara saw the son of Agar the Egyptian playing with her son Isaac, she said to Abraham:

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Cumque and when CONJ + ENCLITIC -que
2 vidisset had seen 3SG.PLUPERF.ACT.SUBJ
3 Sara Sarah NOM.SG.F
4 filium son ACC.SG.M
5 Agar Hagar GEN.SG.F
6 Ægyptiæ the Egyptian GEN.SG.F.ADJ
7 ludentem playing ACC.SG.M.PRES.ACT.PART
8 cum with PREP+ABL
9 Isaac Isaac ABL.SG.M
10 filio son ABL.SG.M
11 suo her ABL.SG.M.POSS.ADJ
12 dixit said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
13 ad to PREP+ACC
14 Abraham Abraham ACC.SG.M

Syntax

Temporal Clause: Cumque vidisset Sara filium Agar Ægyptiæ ludentem cum Isaac filio suo — “And when Sara had seen the son of Hagar the Egyptian playing with her son Isaac.”
The conjunction Cumque introduces a subordinate temporal clause, with vidisset in the pluperfect subjunctive marking prior action. filium Agar Ægyptiæ identifies Ishmael as the subject of the participle ludentem, while cum Isaac filio suo forms an ablative phrase of accompaniment.
Main Clause: dixit ad Abraham — “she said to Abraham,” introducing the ensuing direct discourse.

Morphology

  1. Cumque — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: conjunction + enclitic; Form: subordinating; Function: introduces temporal clause; Translation: “and when”; Notes: The enclitic -que links this episode to the preceding narrative, emphasizing continuity of events.
  2. vidisset — Lemma: video; Part of Speech: verb; Form: pluperfect subjunctive active, third person singular; Function: verb of the temporal clause; Translation: “had seen”; Notes: Subjunctive marks dependent temporal relation within narrative sequence.
  3. Sara — Lemma: Sara; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject of “vidisset”; Translation: “Sara”; Notes: Identifies the matriarch as the observer, reacting protectively to her son’s situation.
  4. filium — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of “vidisset”; Translation: “son”; Notes: Refers to Ishmael, the son of Hagar.
  5. Agar — Lemma: Agar; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: possessive genitive modifying “filium”; Translation: “of Hagar”; Notes: Identifies the child’s mother, tying Ishmael to his Egyptian lineage.
  6. Ægyptiæ — Lemma: Ægyptius; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: modifies “Agar”; Translation: “the Egyptian”; Notes: Indicates Hagar’s nationality, emphasizing distinction from Sara’s lineage.
  7. ludentem — Lemma: ludo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: accusative singular masculine, present active; Function: modifies “filium”; Translation: “playing”; Notes: Describes Ishmael’s action; possibly implying mocking or rivalry, as seen in later interpretations (cf. Gal. 4:29).
  8. cum — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces accompaniment phrase; Translation: “with”; Notes: Marks association between the two boys.
  9. Isaac — Lemma: Isaac; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of “cum”; Translation: “Isaac”; Notes: Sara’s son, the heir of promise, here contrasted with Ishmael.
  10. filio — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: appositive to “Isaac”; Translation: “son”; Notes: Reinforces relationship between Sara and Isaac within the prepositional phrase.
  11. suo — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: modifies “filio”; Translation: “her”; Notes: Reflexively refers back to Sara as the possessor of Isaac.
  12. dixit — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative active, third person singular; Function: main verb of the sentence; Translation: “said”; Notes: Introduces direct speech; the pivotal moment leading to the expulsion of Hagar and Ishmael.
  13. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: marks direction of speech; Translation: “to”; Notes: Indicates the addressee of Sara’s command.
  14. Abraham — Lemma: Abraham; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of “ad”; Translation: “Abraham”; Notes: The patriarch and husband addressed by Sara, whose decision will shape covenantal lineage.

 

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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