Genesis 4:9

Posted on January 4, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 4:9 Et ait Dominus ad Cain: Ubi est Abel frater tuus? Qui respondit: Nescio: Num custos fratris mei sum ego?

And the LORD said to Cain: “Where is Abel your brother?” He answered: “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Et and CONJ
2 ait said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
3 Dominus LORD NOM.SG.M
4 ad to / toward PREP+ACC
5 Cain Cain ACC.SG.M
6 Ubi where ADV.INTERROG
7 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
8 Abel Abel NOM.SG.M
9 frater brother NOM.SG.M
10 tuus your NOM.SG.M.POSS
11 Qui who NOM.SG.M.PRON
12 respondit answered 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
13 Nescio I do not know 1SG.PRES.ACT.IND
14 Num surely not? PART.INTERROG
15 custos keeper NOM.SG.M
16 fratris of brother GEN.SG.M
17 mei my GEN.SG.M.POSS
18 sum am 1SG.PRES.ACT.IND
19 ego I NOM.SG.PRON

Syntax

Main Clause 1: Et ait Dominus ad Cain — subject Dominus, verb ait (perfect), and prepositional phrase ad Cain marking the addressee.
Direct Question 1: Ubi est Abel frater tuus? — interrogative adverb Ubi introduces question, with Abel frater tuus forming nominative predicate structure (“Where is Abel your brother?”).
Response: Qui respondit: Nescio — relative pronoun Qui referring to Cain, verb respondit introduces direct discourse. Nescio functions as a complete independent clause.
Rhetorical Question: Num custos fratris mei sum ego? — interrogative particle Num expects a negative answer; custos fratris mei forms predicate nominative, with sum ego expressing incredulous denial.

Morphology

  1. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Invariable; Function: Links narrative clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Smoothly connects dialogue to preceding event.
  2. ait — Lemma: aio; Part of Speech: Verb (defective); Form: Perfect active indicative, 3rd person singular; Function: Main verb of speech; Translation: “said”; Notes: Frequently introduces direct quotations.
  3. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Subject; Translation: “LORD”; Notes: Denotes YHWH as speaker.
  4. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs accusative; Function: Indicates direction or recipient; Translation: “to”; Notes: Introduces the addressee.
  5. Cain — Lemma: Cain; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Accusative singular masculine; Function: Object of ad; Translation: “Cain”; Notes: Addressee of divine inquiry.
  6. Ubi — Lemma: ubi; Part of Speech: Adverb; Form: Interrogative; Function: Introduces question; Translation: “where”; Notes: Spatial interrogative particle.
  7. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present active indicative, 3rd person singular; Function: Copula; Translation: “is”; Notes: Links subject Abel with predicate nominative frater tuus.
  8. Abel — Lemma: Abel; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Subject; Translation: “Abel”; Notes: Identifies missing brother.
  9. frater — Lemma: frater; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Predicate nominative; Translation: “brother”; Notes: Defines familial relationship.
  10. tuus — Lemma: tuus, -a, -um; Part of Speech: Possessive adjective; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Modifies frater; Translation: “your”; Notes: Emphasizes relational responsibility.
  11. Qui — Lemma: qui, quae, quod; Part of Speech: Relative pronoun; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Subject of respondit; Translation: “who”; Notes: Refers back to Cain.
  12. respondit — Lemma: respondeo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect active indicative, 3rd person singular; Function: Main verb of response; Translation: “answered”; Notes: Marks transition to dialogue reply.
  13. Nescio — Lemma: nescio; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present active indicative, 1st person singular; Function: Independent statement; Translation: “I do not know”; Notes: Denial masking guilt.
  14. Num — Lemma: num; Part of Speech: Interrogative particle; Form: Invariable; Function: Introduces a question expecting “no”; Translation: “surely not?”; Notes: Adds sarcasm to Cain’s denial.
  15. custos — Lemma: custos; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Predicate nominative; Translation: “keeper”; Notes: Indicates moral duty denied by Cain.
  16. fratris — Lemma: frater; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Genitive singular masculine; Function: Possessive genitive; Translation: “of (my) brother”; Notes: Establishes object of responsibility.
  17. mei — Lemma: meus, -a, -um; Part of Speech: Possessive adjective; Form: Genitive singular masculine; Function: Modifies fratris; Translation: “my”; Notes: Reflexive possession.
  18. sum — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present active indicative, 1st person singular; Function: Main verb of question; Translation: “am”; Notes: Part of rhetorical denial.
  19. ego — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: Nominative singular; Function: Subject of sum; Translation: “I”; Notes: Expressed for emphasis; Cain stresses self over responsibility.

 

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.