Genesis 25:7

Posted on January 25, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 25:7 Fuerunt autem dies vitæ Abrahæ, centum septuaginta quinque anni.

And the days of the life of Abraham were one hundred seventy-five years.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Fuerunt were 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
2 autem but / and CONJ
3 dies days NOM.PL.M
4 vitæ of life GEN.SG.F
5 Abrahæ of Abraham GEN.SG.M
6 centum one hundred NUM.INDECL
7 septuaginta seventy NUM.INDECL
8 quinque five NUM.INDECL
9 anni years NOM.PL.M

Syntax

Main Clause: dies vitæ Abrahæ (Subject) + fuerunt (Verb) + centum septuaginta quinque anni (Predicate Nominative).
Phrase: vitæ Abrahæ — Genitive phrase modifying dies, expressing possession (“days of the life of Abraham”).
Clause Function: Declares the total duration of Abraham’s life in a biographical summary typical of genealogical style.

Morphology

  1. Fuerunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect active indicative, third person plural; Function: Main verb of the clause; Translation: “were”; Notes: Expresses completed state — the life span that has ended.
  2. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Transitional connective, often “and” or “but”; Translation: “and” / “but”; Notes: Marks continuity with the preceding narrative.
  3. dies — Lemma: dies; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative plural masculine; Function: Subject of fuerunt; Translation: “days”; Notes: In Semitic idiom, “days” can represent the total lifespan.
  4. vitæ — Lemma: vita; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Genitive singular feminine; Function: Possessive genitive modifying dies; Translation: “of life”; Notes: Expresses the life belonging to Abraham.
  5. Abrahæ — Lemma: Abraham; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Genitive singular masculine; Function: Possessive modifier of vitæ; Translation: “of Abraham”; Notes: Indicates whose life is referred to.
  6. centum — Lemma: centum; Part of Speech: Numeral; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Quantifier modifying anni; Translation: “one hundred”; Notes: Cardinal number, invariant in form.
  7. septuaginta — Lemma: septuaginta; Part of Speech: Numeral; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Numerical modifier; Translation: “seventy”; Notes: Combined with centum and quinque to express 175.
  8. quinque — Lemma: quinque; Part of Speech: Numeral; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Final element of composite numeral; Translation: “five”; Notes: Adds final value to the compound number.
  9. anni — Lemma: annus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative plural masculine; Function: Predicate nominative with fuerunt; Translation: “years”; Notes: Indicates the measure of the subject’s duration.

 

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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