Genesis 4:22

Posted on January 4, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 4:22 Sella quoque genuit Tubalcain, qui fuit malleator et faber in cuncta opera æris et ferri. Soror vero Tubalcain, Noema.

And Sella also bore Tubalcain, who was a hammerer and craftsman in every work of brass and iron; and the sister of Tubalcain was Noema.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Sella Sella NOM.SG.F (INDECL)
2 quoque also ADV
3 genuit bore 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
4 Tubalcain Tubalcain ACC.SG.M (INDECL)
5 qui who NOM.SG.M.REL.PRON
6 fuit was 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
7 malleator hammerer / smith NOM.SG.M
8 et and CONJ
9 faber craftsman NOM.SG.M
10 in in PREP+ABL
11 cuncta every / all ABL.SG.F.ADJ
12 opera work / craftsmanship ABL.SG.N
13 æris of brass / bronze GEN.SG.N
14 et and CONJ
15 ferri of iron GEN.SG.N
16 Soror sister NOM.SG.F
17 vero indeed / however ADV
18 Tubalcain Tubalcain GEN.SG.M (INDECL)
19 Noema Noema NOM.SG.F (INDECL)

Syntax

Main Clause 1: Sella quoque genuit Tubalcain — Sella (subject) + genuit (perfect active verb) + Tubalcain (direct object). The adverb quoque (“also”) links to the preceding genealogical statement about Ada.
Relative Clause: qui fuit malleator et faber in cuncta opera æris et ferri — qui refers to Tubalcain; fuit serves as copula; malleator and faber act as coordinated predicate nominatives; prepositional phrase in cuncta opera æris et ferri defines his craftsmanship domain (“in every work of brass and iron”).
Main Clause 2: Soror vero Tubalcain, Noema — A verbless nominal clause with Soror as subject, Tubalcain in genitive (“of Tubalcain”), and Noema as predicate nominative; vero adds contrastive emphasis (“and the sister of Tubalcain was Noema”).

Morphology

  1. Sella — Lemma: Sella; Part of Speech: Proper noun (indeclinable); Form: Nominative singular feminine; Function: Subject of genuit; Translation: “Sella”; Notes: Second wife of Lamech.
  2. quoque — Lemma: quoque; Part of Speech: Adverb; Form: Invariable; Function: Additive adverb; Translation: “also”; Notes: Adds Sella’s lineage alongside Ada’s.
  3. genuit — Lemma: gigno; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect active indicative, 3rd person singular; Function: Main verb; Translation: “bore”; Notes: Common genealogical formula.
  4. Tubalcain — Lemma: Tubalcain; Part of Speech: Proper noun (indeclinable); Form: Accusative singular masculine (by context); Function: Direct object of genuit; Translation: “Tubalcain”; Notes: Treated as indeclinable Hebrew name.
  5. qui — Lemma: qui, quae, quod; Part of Speech: Relative pronoun; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Subject of relative clause; Translation: “who”; Notes: Refers back to Tubalcain.
  6. fuit — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect active indicative, 3rd person singular; Function: Copula; Translation: “was”; Notes: Connects subject and predicate nominatives.
  7. malleator — Lemma: malleator; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Predicate nominative; Translation: “hammerer / metalworker”; Notes: Denotes specialized craft.
  8. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Invariable; Function: Coordinates malleator and faber; Translation: “and”; Notes: Connects parallel nouns in predicate.
  9. faber — Lemma: faber; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Predicate nominative; Translation: “craftsman”; Notes: Describes Tubalcain’s occupation.
  10. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs ablative; Function: Locative preposition; Translation: “in”; Notes: Introduces area of skill or domain.
  11. cuncta — Lemma: cunctus, -a, -um; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: Ablative singular feminine; Function: Modifies opera; Translation: “every”; Notes: Universalizes scope of craftsmanship.
  12. opera — Lemma: opus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative singular neuter; Function: Object of preposition in; Translation: “work / craftsmanship”; Notes: Refers to metalwork or craft.
  13. æris — Lemma: aes; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Genitive singular neuter; Function: Genitive of material; Translation: “of brass / bronze”; Notes: Specifies one metal of craftsmanship.
  14. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Invariable; Function: Connects genitives; Translation: “and”; Notes: Links æris and ferri.
  15. ferri — Lemma: ferrum; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Genitive singular neuter; Function: Genitive of material; Translation: “of iron”; Notes: Pairs with æris to indicate metals worked by Tubalcain.
  16. Soror — Lemma: soror; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular feminine; Function: Subject of nominal clause; Translation: “sister”; Notes: Begins new clause describing Tubalcain’s sister.
  17. vero — Lemma: vero; Part of Speech: Adverb; Form: Invariable; Function: Contrastive particle; Translation: “however / indeed”; Notes: Introduces a distinct but related statement.
  18. Tubalcain — Lemma: Tubalcain; Part of Speech: Proper noun (indeclinable); Form: Genitive singular masculine (by syntax); Function: Possessive genitive; Translation: “of Tubalcain”; Notes: Indicates kinship relation.
  19. Noema — Lemma: Noema; Part of Speech: Proper noun (indeclinable); Form: Nominative singular feminine; Function: Predicate nominative; Translation: “Noema”; Notes: Subject complement identifying Tubalcain’s sister.

 

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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