Genesis 22:12

Posted on January 22, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 22:12 Dixitque ei: Non extendas manum tuam super puerum, neque facias illi quidquam: nunc cognovi quod times Deum, et non pepercisti unigenito filio tuo propter me.

And he said to him: “Do not stretch out your hand upon the boy, nor do anything to him; now I know that you fear God, and have not spared your only son for my sake.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Dixitque and he said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 ei to him PRON.DAT.SG.M
3 Non not ADV
4 extendas you stretch out 2SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
5 manum hand ACC.SG.F
6 tuam your ADJ.POSS.ACC.SG.F
7 super upon PREP+ACC
8 puerum boy ACC.SG.M
9 neque nor CONJ
10 facias you do 2SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
11 illi to him PRON.DAT.SG.M
12 quidquam anything INDEF.PRON.ACC.SG.N
13 nunc now ADV
14 cognovi I have known 1SG.PERF.ACT.IND
15 quod that CONJ
16 times you fear 2SG.PRES.ACT.IND
17 Deum God ACC.SG.M
18 et and CONJ
19 non not ADV
20 pepercisti you have spared 2SG.PERF.ACT.IND
21 unigenito only ADJ.DAT.SG.M
22 filio son DAT.SG.M
23 tuo your ADJ.POSS.DAT.SG.M
24 propter for / because of PREP+ACC
25 me me PRON.ACC.SG

Syntax

Main Clause: Dixitque ei — subject implied (the Angel of the LORD); indirect object ei (“to him”) marks Abraham as the addressee.
Prohibition Clauses: Non extendas manum tuam super puerum, neque facias illi quidquam — coordinated negative subjunctives expressing prohibition (“Do not… nor…”).
Causal Clause: nunc cognovi quod times Deum — expresses divine acknowledgment of Abraham’s faith; quod introduces indirect statement.
Concluding Clause: et non pepercisti unigenito filio tuo propter me — coordinates with previous clause; the dative phrase unigenito filio tuo depends on pepercisti, expressing “you have not spared your only son for my sake.”

Morphology

  1. Dixitque — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative active third person singular with enclitic “-que”; Function: main verb; Translation: “and he said”; Notes: Introduces divine command following Abraham’s readiness.
  2. ei — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative masculine singular; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to him”; Notes: Refers to Abraham.
  3. Non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: negates verb; Translation: “not”; Notes: Used for prohibition with subjunctive.
  4. extendas — Lemma: extendo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present subjunctive active second person singular; Function: prohibitive verb; Translation: “you stretch out”; Notes: Subjunctive used after negative particle for command.
  5. manum — Lemma: manus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative feminine singular; Function: direct object of extendas; Translation: “hand”; Notes: Instrument of intended action.
  6. tuam — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: adjective (possessive); Form: accusative feminine singular; Function: modifies manum; Translation: “your”; Notes: Indicates personal agency.
  7. super — Lemma: super; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses direction; Translation: “upon”; Notes: Marks target of prohibited act.
  8. puerum — Lemma: puer; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative masculine singular; Function: object of preposition super; Translation: “boy”; Notes: Refers to Isaac, the intended victim.
  9. neque — Lemma: neque; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: joins two negative clauses; Translation: “nor”; Notes: Used for additional prohibition.
  10. facias — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present subjunctive active second person singular; Function: prohibitive verb; Translation: “you do”; Notes: Coordinates with extendas under same negative command.
  11. illi — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative masculine singular; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to him”; Notes: Refers again to Isaac.
  12. quidquam — Lemma: quidquam; Part of Speech: indefinite pronoun; Form: accusative neuter singular; Function: direct object of facias; Translation: “anything”; Notes: Means “anything at all.”
  13. nunc — Lemma: nunc; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: temporal marker; Translation: “now”; Notes: Marks present recognition of Abraham’s faith.
  14. cognovi — Lemma: cognosco; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative active first person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “I have known”; Notes: Indicates realization or confirmation of knowledge.
  15. quod — Lemma: quod; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces indirect statement; Translation: “that”; Notes: Follows verbs of perception or knowledge.
  16. times — Lemma: timeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present indicative active second person singular; Function: verb in subordinate clause; Translation: “you fear”; Notes: Expresses reverent awe, not mere dread.
  17. Deum — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative masculine singular; Function: object of times; Translation: “God”; Notes: Direct object showing reverence toward deity.
  18. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: joins clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Links divine recognition with Abraham’s act.
  19. non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: negates verb pepercisti; Translation: “not”; Notes: Emphasizes Abraham’s complete obedience.
  20. pepercisti — Lemma: parco; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative active second person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “you have spared”; Notes: Takes dative of the person spared.
  21. unigenito — Lemma: unigenitus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: dative masculine singular; Function: modifies filio; Translation: “only”; Notes: Indicates Isaac’s unique status as the sole heir.
  22. filio — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative masculine singular; Function: indirect object with pepercisti; Translation: “son”; Notes: Recipient of action withheld.
  23. tuo — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: adjective (possessive); Form: dative masculine singular; Function: modifies filio; Translation: “your”; Notes: Possessive referring to Abraham.
  24. propter — Lemma: propter; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses cause or purpose; Translation: “for / because of”; Notes: Indicates motivation of obedience.
  25. me — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular; Function: object of propter; Translation: “me”; Notes: Refers to God speaking through the Angel.

 

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.
This entry was posted in Genesis. Bookmark the permalink.

Comments are closed.