Genesis 35:28

Posted on February 4, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 35:28 Et completi sunt dies Isaac centum octoginta annorum.

And the days of Isaac were completed, one hundred and eighty years.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Et and CONJ
2 completi completed PART.PERF.PASS.NOM.PL.M
3 sunt were 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND (AUX)
4 dies days NOUN.NOM.PL.M
5 Isaac of Isaac PROP.NOUN.GEN.SG.M
6 centum one hundred NUM.CARD.INDECL
7 octoginta eighty NUM.CARD.INDECL
8 annorum of years NOUN.GEN.PL.M

Syntax

Main Clause: Et completi sunt dies Isaac — “And the days of Isaac were completed.” The verb completi sunt (perfect passive) indicates the fulfillment or completion of his lifespan; dies Isaac serves as the nominative subject phrase.
Numerical Apposition: centum octoginta annorum — genitive of measure specifying the duration of life: “of one hundred and eighty years.”

Morphology

  1. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: coordinates with previous narrative; Translation: “and”; Notes: Links this statement to the preceding genealogical account.
  2. completi — Lemma: compleō; Part of Speech: participle (verb); Form: perfect passive participle nominative plural masculine; Function: predicate adjective with “sunt”; Translation: “were completed”; Notes: Describes completion of lifespan, not an action by Isaac.
  3. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: auxiliary verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd plural; Function: auxiliary with “completi”; Translation: “were”; Notes: Forms periphrastic perfect passive construction.
  4. dies — Lemma: diēs; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject of the clause; Translation: “days”; Notes: Refers to the span or duration of Isaac’s life.
  5. Isaac — Lemma: Isaac; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessive genitive modifying “dies”; Translation: “of Isaac”; Notes: Indicates whose life-span was completed.
  6. centum — Lemma: centum; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: indeclinable cardinal; Function: part of numeric phrase modifying “annorum”; Translation: “one hundred”; Notes: Used in genitive of measure construction.
  7. octoginta — Lemma: octōgintā; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: indeclinable cardinal; Function: completes numeric phrase; Translation: “eighty”; Notes: Joins with “centum” to express 180.
  8. annorum — Lemma: annus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: genitive of measure / duration; Translation: “of years”; Notes: Indicates the total years lived.

 

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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