Genesis 25:17

Posted on January 25, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 25:17 Et facti sunt anni vitæ Ismaelis centum triginta septem, deficiensque mortuus est, et appositus ad populum suum.

And the years of Ismael’s life were one hundred and thirty-seven, and failing, he died and was gathered to his people.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Et and CONJ
2 facti were made PART.PERF.PASS.NOM.PL.M
3 sunt were 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
4 anni years NOUN.NOM.PL.M
5 vitæ of life NOUN.GEN.SG.F
6 Ismaelis of Ishmael PROPN.GEN.SG.M
7 centum one hundred NUM.CARD.INDECL
8 triginta thirty NUM.CARD.INDECL
9 septem seven NUM.CARD.INDECL
10 deficiensque and failing PART.PRES.ACT.NOM.SG.M + CONJ
11 mortuus died PART.PERF.PASS.NOM.SG.M
12 est was 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
13 et and CONJ
14 appositus was gathered PART.PERF.PASS.NOM.SG.M
15 ad to PREP+ACC
16 populum people NOUN.ACC.SG.M
17 suum his PRON.REFL.ACC.SG.M

Syntax

Main Clause 1: Et facti sunt anni vitæ Ismaelis centum triginta septem — anni (subject) + facti sunt (verb, perfect passive) forms a copular expression meaning “were (a total of).” The phrase centum triginta septem is a numeric predicate giving the total years of Ismael’s life.
Main Clause 2: deficiensque mortuus est — participial clause meaning “and failing, he died,” expressing sequence of decline and death.
Main Clause 3: et appositus ad populum suum — passive periphrasis meaning “and he was gathered to his people,” a biblical idiom for death and joining one’s ancestors.

Morphology

  1. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating conjunction; Function: connects clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Links sequential narrative actions.
  2. facti — Lemma: fio; Part of Speech: verb (deponent/passive); Form: perfect passive participle nominative plural masculine; Function: part of compound predicate with “sunt”; Translation: “were made / became”; Notes: Expresses totalization of years.
  3. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd person plural; Function: auxiliary verb; Translation: “were”; Notes: Combines with participle to indicate a completed state.
  4. anni — Lemma: annus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “years”; Notes: Refers to Ismael’s lifespan.
  5. vitæ — Lemma: vita; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: genitive of possession; Translation: “of life”; Notes: Specifies the type of years—those of life.
  6. Ismaelis — Lemma: Ismael; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessive genitive; Translation: “of Ismael”; Notes: Identifies the subject’s owner of life.
  7. centum — Lemma: centum; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: indeclinable; Function: numeric modifier; Translation: “one hundred”; Notes: First numeral of the age total.
  8. triginta — Lemma: triginta; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: indeclinable; Function: numeric modifier; Translation: “thirty”; Notes: Second numeral component of total.
  9. septem — Lemma: septem; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: indeclinable; Function: numeric modifier; Translation: “seven”; Notes: Final numeral completing “137.”
  10. deficiensque — Lemma: deficio; Part of Speech: participle + conjunction; Form: present active participle nominative singular masculine + enclitic -que; Function: adverbial modifier of “mortuus est”; Translation: “and failing”; Notes: Indicates physical decline preceding death.
  11. mortuus — Lemma: morior; Part of Speech: participle (deponent); Form: perfect passive nominative singular masculine; Function: predicate; Translation: “died”; Notes: Used periphrastically with “est.”
  12. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd person singular; Function: auxiliary; Translation: “was”; Notes: Completes perfect periphrastic of “morior.”
  13. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: connects “mortuus est” and “appositus”; Translation: “and”; Notes: Marks continuation.
  14. appositus — Lemma: appono; Part of Speech: participle; Form: perfect passive nominative singular masculine; Function: predicate with implied “est”; Translation: “was gathered”; Notes: Common idiom for being united with one’s ancestors.
  15. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses direction; Translation: “to”; Notes: Marks destination of gathering.
  16. populum — Lemma: populus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of “ad”; Translation: “people”; Notes: Refers to Ismael’s kin or nation.
  17. suum — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: reflexive possessive pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: modifies “populum”; Translation: “his”; Notes: Reflects familial belonging in the ancestral idiom.

 

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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