Genesis 4:15

Posted on January 4, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 4:15 Dixitque ei Dominus: Nequaquam ita fiet: sed omnis qui occiderit Cain, septuplum punietur. Posuitque Dominus Cain signum, ut non interficeret eum omnis qui invenisset eum.

And the LORD said to him: “Not so shall it be; but whoever kills Cain shall be punished sevenfold.” And the LORD set a sign for Cain, that no one finding him should kill him.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Dixitque and said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND + ENCLITIC.CONJ
2 ei to him DAT.SG.M.PRON
3 Dominus the LORD NOM.SG.M
4 Nequaquam by no means ADV
5 ita so / thus ADV
6 fiet shall it be 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND
7 sed but CONJ
8 omnis everyone NOM.SG.M
9 qui who NOM.SG.M.REL.PRON
10 occiderit kills / will kill 3SG.FUT.PERF.ACT.IND
11 Cain Cain ACC.SG.M
12 septuplum sevenfold ACC.SG.N.ADV.ACC
13 punietur shall be punished 3SG.FUT.PASS.IND
14 Posuitque and set 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND + ENCLITIC.CONJ
15 Dominus the LORD NOM.SG.M
16 Cain Cain DAT.SG.M
17 signum sign ACC.SG.N
18 ut that / so that CONJ.SUBJ
19 non not ADV
20 interficeret might kill 3SG.IMPF.ACT.SUBJ
21 eum him ACC.SG.M.PRON
22 omnis everyone NOM.SG.M
23 qui who NOM.SG.M.REL.PRON
24 invenisset had found 3SG.PLUPERF.ACT.SUBJ
25 eum him ACC.SG.M.PRON

Syntax

Main Clause 1: Dixitque ei Dominus — Dixit (main verb) introduces divine speech; ei (indirect object) identifies the recipient (Cain); Dominus is the subject in nominative.
Divine Speech: Nequaquam ita fiet — the emphatic adverb Nequaquam (“by no means”) negates ita fiet (“so shall it be”); God rejects Cain’s fearful expectation.
Conditional-like Clause: sed omnis qui occiderit Cain, septuplum punietur — qui occiderit (future perfect relative clause) expresses potential future act (“whoever kills Cain”); septuplum serves as an adverbial accusative of measure; punietur is the passive verb (“shall be punished”).
Consequential Clause: Posuitque Dominus Cain signum — Posuit (main verb) with double accusative construction: Cain (indirect object) and signum (direct object); describes God’s protective act.
Final Clause: ut non interficeret eum omnis qui invenisset eum — ut introduces purpose clause with subjunctive interficeret; omnis qui invenisset eum is the subject (“that no one who might find him should kill him”).

Morphology

  1. Dixitque — Lemma: dico + que; Part of Speech: Verb + enclitic conjunction; Form: Perfect active indicative, 3rd person singular; Function: Introduces divine response; Translation: “and said”; Notes: Links directly with preceding dialogue.
  2. ei — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: Dative singular masculine; Function: Indirect object; Translation: “to him”; Notes: Refers to Cain.
  3. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Subject; Translation: “the LORD”; Notes: Represents YHWH as divine speaker.
  4. Nequaquam — Lemma: nequaquam; Part of Speech: Adverb; Form: Invariable; Function: Negative emphatic particle; Translation: “by no means”; Notes: Intensifies denial.
  5. ita — Lemma: ita; Part of Speech: Adverb; Form: Invariable; Function: Adverbial modifier; Translation: “so / thus”; Notes: Refers to Cain’s expressed fear in previous verse.
  6. fiet — Lemma: fio; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Future active indicative, 3rd person singular; Function: Main verb of clause; Translation: “shall it be”; Notes: Passive-like in sense, equivalent to “will happen.”
  7. sed — Lemma: sed; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Invariable; Function: Adversative connector; Translation: “but”; Notes: Introduces contrastive divine decree.
  8. omnis — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: Adjective used substantively; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Subject; Translation: “whoever / everyone”; Notes: Refers to any human avenger.
  9. qui — Lemma: qui, quae, quod; Part of Speech: Relative pronoun; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Subject of relative clause; Translation: “who”; Notes: Introduces relative condition.
  10. occiderit — Lemma: occido; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Future perfect active indicative, 3rd person singular; Function: Verb of relative clause; Translation: “kills / will kill”; Notes: Marks hypothetical but future condition.
  11. Cain — Lemma: Cain; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Accusative singular masculine; Function: Direct object of occiderit; Translation: “Cain”; Notes: The protected subject of divine warning.
  12. septuplum — Lemma: septuplum; Part of Speech: Adverbial accusative (numeral); Form: Accusative singular neuter; Function: Accusative of measure modifying punietur; Translation: “sevenfold”; Notes: Denotes completeness or intensified penalty.
  13. punietur — Lemma: punio; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Future passive indicative, 3rd person singular; Function: Main verb; Translation: “shall be punished”; Notes: Expresses divine retributive justice.
  14. Posuitque — Lemma: pono + que; Part of Speech: Verb + enclitic conjunction; Form: Perfect active indicative, 3rd person singular; Function: Main verb; Translation: “and set / placed”; Notes: Introduces divine action of protection.
  15. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Subject; Translation: “the LORD”; Notes: Reiterates the divine actor in contrast to Cain’s fear.
  16. Cain — Lemma: Cain; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Dative singular masculine; Function: Indirect object of Posuit; Translation: “for Cain”; Notes: Recipient of divine protection.
  17. signum — Lemma: signum; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular neuter; Function: Direct object of Posuit; Translation: “sign / mark”; Notes: A tangible or symbolic mark ensuring preservation.
  18. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Invariable; Function: Introduces purpose clause; Translation: “that / so that”; Notes: Governs subjunctive interficeret.
  19. non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: Adverb; Form: Invariable; Function: Negation; Translation: “not”; Notes: Negates verb in the subordinate clause.
  20. interficeret — Lemma: interficio; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Imperfect active subjunctive, 3rd person singular; Function: Verb of purpose clause; Translation: “might kill”; Notes: Subjunctive expresses divine intention preventing harm.
  21. eum — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: Accusative singular masculine; Function: Direct object of interficeret; Translation: “him”; Notes: Refers to Cain, protected individual.
  22. omnis — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: Adjective used substantively; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Subject of relative clause; Translation: “everyone”; Notes: Generic reference to potential avengers.
  23. qui — Lemma: qui, quae, quod; Part of Speech: Relative pronoun; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Subject of subordinate clause; Translation: “who”; Notes: Introduces relative clause modifying omnis.
  24. invenisset — Lemma: invenio; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Pluperfect active subjunctive, 3rd person singular; Function: Verb of subordinate clause; Translation: “had found”; Notes: Subordinate to interficeret under ut clause, marking hypothetical discovery.
  25. eum — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: Accusative singular masculine; Function: Object of invenisset; Translation: “him”; Notes: Refers again to Cain as object of potential violence.

 

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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