Genesis 7:20

Posted on January 7, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 7:20 Quindecim cubitis altior fuit aqua super montes, quos operuerat.

Fifteen cubits higher was the water above the mountains which it had covered.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Quindecim fifteen NUM.INDECL
2 cubitis cubits NOUN.ABL.PL.M
3 altior higher ADJ.COMP.NOM.SG.F
4 fuit was VERB.3SG.PERF.IND.ACT
5 aqua water NOUN.NOM.SG.F
6 super above / over PREP+ACC
7 montes mountains NOUN.ACC.PL.M
8 quos which PRON.REL.ACC.PL.M
9 operuerat had covered VERB.3SG.PLUPERF.IND.ACT

Syntax

The verse expresses a measurement clause emphasizing the depth of the flood.
The ablative of measure Quindecim cubitis modifies the comparative adjective altior (“higher by fifteen cubits”), forming a construction of degree of difference.
The subject aqua (“the water”) governs the perfect verb fuit, with super montes functioning as a prepositional phrase of position (“above the mountains”).
The relative clause quos operuerat modifies montes, referring to those very mountains that had already been covered by the flood.
The pluperfect operuerat denotes anterior action relative to fuit, reinforcing that the waters had already submerged the peaks before rising even higher.

Morphology

  1. Quindecim — Lemma: quindecim; Part of Speech: Numeral; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies cubitis; Translation: fifteen; Notes: used in ablative of measure to express extent of elevation.
  2. cubitis — Lemma: cubitus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: ablative of measure / degree; Translation: cubits; Notes: indicates the exact vertical increase of the water level.
  3. altior — Lemma: altus; Part of Speech: Adjective (comparative); Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: predicate adjective agreeing with aqua; Translation: higher; Notes: comparative form denoting relative height of floodwaters.
  4. fuit — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: 3rd person singular perfect indicative active; Function: main verb; Translation: was; Notes: describes resultant state of elevation.
  5. aqua — Lemma: aqua; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject of fuit; Translation: water; Notes: denotes floodwaters as the acting subject.
  6. super — Lemma: super; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: spatial relation; Translation: above / over; Notes: defines water’s position relative to the mountains.
  7. montes — Lemma: mons; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object of super; Translation: mountains; Notes: the submerged peaks of the earth.
  8. quos — Lemma: qui, quæ, quod; Part of Speech: Relative pronoun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object of operuerat; Translation: which; Notes: refers to the same mountains previously covered.
  9. operuerat — Lemma: operio; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: 3rd person singular pluperfect indicative active; Function: verb of the relative clause; Translation: had covered; Notes: indicates prior submersion before further rise of waters.

 

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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