Genesis 5:16

Posted on January 5, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 5:16 Et vixit Malaleel postquam genuit Iared, octingentis triginta annis: et genuit filios et filias.

And Malaleel lived, after he had begotten Jared, eight hundred and thirty years, and he begot sons and daughters.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Et and CONJ
2 vixit lived VERB.3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
3 Malaleel Malaleel PROPN.NOM.SG.M
4 postquam after CONJ.SUBORD
5 genuit had begotten VERB.3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
6 Iared Jared PROPN.ACC.SG.M
7 octingentis eight hundred NUM.ABL.PL.M
8 triginta thirty NUM.INDECL
9 annis years NOUN.ABL.PL.M
10 et and CONJ
11 genuit begot VERB.3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
12 filios sons NOUN.ACC.PL.M
13 et and CONJ
14 filias daughters NOUN.ACC.PL.F

Syntax

The structure parallels the genealogical pattern of Genesis 5. The first clause, Et vixit Malaleel postquam genuit Iared, uses vixit as the main verb with Malaleel as subject and postquam genuit Iared as a temporal clause indicating sequence (“after he had begotten Iared”).
The ablative phrase octingentis triginta annis expresses duration of life (“for eight hundred and thirty years”).
The coordinating clause et genuit filios et filias completes the genealogical formula — genuit being the main verb, with filios and filias as direct objects joined by et.

Morphology

  1. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links with previous verse; Translation: and; Notes: continues genealogical flow.
  2. vixit — Lemma: vivo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: third person singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: lived; Notes: denotes continued life after the birth of Iared.
  3. Malaleel — Lemma: Malaleel; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of “vixit” and “genuit”; Translation: Malaleel; Notes: patriarchal name maintaining genealogical sequence.
  4. postquam — Lemma: postquam; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: subordinating; Function: introduces temporal clause; Translation: after; Notes: followed by perfect indicative expressing completed prior action.
  5. genuit — Lemma: gigno; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: third person singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb of subordinate clause; Translation: had begotten; Notes: denotes completed birth event before the subsequent life span.
  6. Iared — Lemma: Iared; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of “genuit”; Translation: Jared; Notes: identifies the son born to Malaleel.
  7. octingentis — Lemma: octingenti; Part of Speech: Numeral; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: modifies “annis”; Translation: eight hundred; Notes: indicates first part of compound numeral expressing duration.
  8. triginta — Lemma: triginta; Part of Speech: Numeral; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies “annis”; Translation: thirty; Notes: completes the numeric expression eight hundred and thirty.
  9. annis — Lemma: annus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: ablative of time how long; Translation: years; Notes: denotes total duration of post-parental life.
  10. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: joins second clause; Translation: and; Notes: links to next genealogical action.
  11. genuit — Lemma: gigno; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: third person singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb of the second clause; Translation: begot; Notes: continues genealogical formula.
  12. filios — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: direct object of “genuit”; Translation: sons; Notes: specifies offspring, paired with “filias.”
  13. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: connects two direct objects; Translation: and; Notes: unites masculine and feminine offspring terms.
  14. filias — Lemma: filia; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: direct object of “genuit”; Translation: daughters; Notes: completes mention of total descendants.

 

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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