Genesis 4:10

Posted on January 4, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 4:10 Dixitque ad eum: Quid fecisti? vox sanguinis fratris tui clamat ad me de terra.

And He said to him: “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Dixitque and said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND + ENCLITIC.CONJ
2 ad to / toward PREP+ACC
3 eum him ACC.SG.M.PRON
4 Quid what PRON.INTERROG.ACC.SG.N
5 fecisti have you done 2SG.PERF.ACT.IND
6 vox voice NOM.SG.F
7 sanguinis of blood GEN.SG.M
8 fratris of brother GEN.SG.M
9 tui your GEN.SG.M.POSS
10 clamat cries out 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
11 ad to / toward PREP+ACC
12 me me ACC.SG.PRON
13 de from PREP+ABL
14 terra earth / ground ABL.SG.F

Syntax

Main Clause 1: Dixitque ad eum — an elided subject (Dominus) governs dixit with ad eum marking Cain as addressee.
Direct Question: Quid fecisti? — interrogative pronoun Quid (accusative) functions as object of fecisti; rhetorical question exposing guilt.
Main Clause 2: vox sanguinis fratris tui clamat ad me de terra — vox as subject, clamat as present indicative verb, sanguinis fratris tui as genitive chain specifying whose voice, ad me as goal, and de terra as source. The clause personifies blood as a moral witness demanding justice.

Morphology

  1. Dixitque — Lemma: dico + que; Part of Speech: Verb + enclitic conjunction; Form: Perfect active indicative, 3rd person singular; Function: Main verb introducing divine speech; Translation: “and said”; Notes: Continues direct dialogue from prior verse.
  2. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs accusative; Function: Marks direction or recipient; Translation: “to”; Notes: Introduces addressee eum.
  3. eum — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: Accusative singular masculine; Function: Object of ad; Translation: “him”; Notes: Refers to Cain as interlocutor.
  4. Quid — Lemma: quis, quid; Part of Speech: Interrogative pronoun; Form: Accusative singular neuter; Function: Object of fecisti; Translation: “what”; Notes: Introduces accusatory question.
  5. fecisti — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect active indicative, 2nd person singular; Function: Predicate of question; Translation: “have you done”; Notes: Indicates completed act with moral weight.
  6. vox — Lemma: vox; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular feminine; Function: Subject of clamat; Translation: “voice”; Notes: Metaphor for testimony or cry for justice.
  7. sanguinis — Lemma: sanguis; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Genitive singular masculine; Function: Possessive genitive modifying vox; Translation: “of blood”; Notes: Symbolic of life force lost.
  8. fratris — Lemma: frater; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Genitive singular masculine; Function: Dependent genitive modifying sanguinis; Translation: “of brother”; Notes: Deepens the familial tragedy.
  9. tui — Lemma: tuus, -a, -um; Part of Speech: Possessive adjective; Form: Genitive singular masculine; Function: Modifies fratris; Translation: “your”; Notes: Highlights Cain’s personal guilt.
  10. clamat — Lemma: clamo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present active indicative, 3rd person singular; Function: Main verb of clause; Translation: “cries out”; Notes: Ongoing action signifying divine awareness.
  11. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs accusative; Function: Indicates direction or recipient; Translation: “to / toward”; Notes: Directs the cry “to Me.”
  12. me — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: Accusative singular; Function: Object of ad; Translation: “Me”; Notes: The LORD as recipient of the moral outcry.
  13. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs ablative; Function: Marks origin or source; Translation: “from”; Notes: Indicates place of testimony—earth receiving the blood.
  14. terra — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative singular feminine; Function: Object of de; Translation: “ground”; Notes: The earth personified as witness to bloodshed.

 

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.