Genesis 9:19

Posted on January 9, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 9:19 Tres isti filii sunt Noe: et ab his disseminatum est omne genus hominum super universam terram.

These three are the sons of Noe, and from them was spread every kind of human race over the whole earth.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Tres three ADJ.NOM.PL.M
2 isti these PRON.DEM.NOM.PL.M
3 filii sons N.NOM.PL.M
4 sunt are 3PL.PRES.IND.ACT
5 Noe Noah N.GEN.SG.M
6 et and CONJ
7 ab from PREP+ABL
8 his these PRON.DEM.ABL.PL.M
9 disseminatum was spread PART.PERF.PASS.NOM.SG.N
10 est was 3SG.PRES.IND.ACT
11 omne every ADJ.NOM.SG.N
12 genus race N.NOM.SG.N
13 hominum of men N.GEN.PL.M
14 super upon PREP+ACC
15 universam entire ADJ.ACC.SG.F
16 terram earth N.ACC.SG.F

Syntax

Main Clause 1: Tres isti filii sunt Noe — identifies the three sons belonging to Noah.
Main Clause 2: et ab his disseminatum est omne genus hominum super universam terram — states the universal spread of humanity from these sons.
Word Order: The demonstrative isti emphasizes immediacy and recognition; ab his stresses origin, highlighting Noah’s sons as the progenitors of all nations.

Morphology

  1. Tres — Lemma: tres; Part of Speech: Adjective (numeral); Form: Nominative plural masculine; Function: Quantifier modifying filii; Translation: “three”; Notes: Denotes exact count of Noah’s sons.
  2. isti — Lemma: iste; Part of Speech: Demonstrative pronoun; Form: Nominative plural masculine; Function: Demonstrative modifier of filii; Translation: “these”; Notes: Adds deictic emphasis, pointing to the known individuals.
  3. filii — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative plural masculine; Function: Subject of sunt; Translation: “sons”; Notes: Refers to the direct descendants of Noah.
  4. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present indicative active 3rd person plural; Function: Copula; Translation: “are”; Notes: Establishes identification rather than action.
  5. Noe — Lemma: Noe; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Genitive singular masculine; Function: Possessive genitive; Translation: “of Noah”; Notes: Marks lineage relationship.
  6. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Invariable; Function: Connects clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Links statement of identification with outcome.
  7. ab — Lemma: ab; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs ablative; Function: Expresses origin or source; Translation: “from”; Notes: Indicates point of beginning or descent.
  8. his — Lemma: hic, hæc, hoc; Part of Speech: Demonstrative pronoun; Form: Ablative plural masculine; Function: Object of ab; Translation: “these”; Notes: Refers back to the three sons of Noah.
  9. disseminatum — Lemma: dissēmino; Part of Speech: Participle (perfect passive); Form: Nominative singular neuter; Function: Predicate with est; Translation: “was spread”; Notes: Describes diffusion of humankind as a completed act.
  10. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present indicative active 3rd person singular; Function: Auxiliary forming perfect passive; Translation: “was”; Notes: Works with disseminatum to express completed distribution.
  11. omne — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: Nominative singular neuter; Function: Modifies genus; Translation: “every”; Notes: Expresses totality of human diversity.
  12. genus — Lemma: genus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular neuter; Function: Subject of disseminatum est; Translation: “race” or “kind”; Notes: Denotes lineage or kind of humankind.
  13. hominum — Lemma: homo; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Genitive plural masculine; Function: Partitive genitive modifying genus; Translation: “of men”; Notes: Clarifies the category of beings spread.
  14. super — Lemma: super; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs accusative; Function: Indicates spatial relation; Translation: “upon”; Notes: Marks territorial extent.
  15. universam — Lemma: universus; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: Accusative singular feminine; Function: Modifies terram; Translation: “whole” or “entire”; Notes: Reinforces the global reach of humanity.
  16. terram — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular feminine; Function: Object of super; Translation: “earth”; Notes: Represents inhabited world under divine providence.

 

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.