Genesis 10:25

Posted on January 10, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 10:25 Natique sunt Heber filii duo: nomen uni Phaleg, eo quod in diebus eius divisa sit terra: et nomen fratris eius Iectan.

And to Heber were born two sons: the name of one was Phaleg, because in his days the earth was divided, and the name of his brother was Jectan.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Natique and were born NOM.PL.M.PERF.PASS.PART + ENCLITIC -QUE
2 sunt were 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND.AUX
3 Heber Heber DAT.SG.M
4 filii sons NOM.PL.M
5 duo two NOM.PL.M.NUM
6 nomen name NOM.SG.N
7 uni to one DAT.SG.M
8 Phaleg Phaleg NOM.SG.M
9 eo because ABL.SG.M.DEMON.PRON
10 quod that CONJ
11 in in PREP+ABL
12 diebus days ABL.PL.M
13 eius his GEN.SG.M
14 divisa was divided NOM.SG.F.PERF.PASS.PART
15 sit was 3SG.PRES.SUBJ.ACT
16 terra earth NOM.SG.F
17 et and CONJ
18 nomen name NOM.SG.N
19 fratris of brother GEN.SG.M
20 eius his GEN.SG.M
21 Iectan Jectan NOM.SG.M

Syntax

Main Clause: Natique sunt Heber filii duo — “And to Heber were born two sons.” The participle Nati with sunt forms a perfect passive (“were born”), while Heber in the dative indicates the parent to whom the children were born.
Subordinate Clause 1: Nomen uni Phaleg — “The name of one was Phaleg,” an ellipsis for erat Phaleg.
Causal Clause: eo quod in diebus eius divisa sit terra — “because in his days the earth was divided.” The subjunctive sit expresses result or historical explanation; eo quod introduces the causal reason for his name.
Subordinate Clause 2: et nomen fratris eius Iectan — “and the name of his brother was Jectan,” completing the parallel structure.
The verse links Heber’s two sons to a major historical-theological event: the division of the earth, often connected to the dispersion at Babel (Genesis 11).

Morphology

  1. Natique — Lemma: nascor; Part of Speech: Verb (deponent participle); Form: Perfect participle, nominative plural masculine + enclitic -que; Function: Predicate participle; Translation: “and were born”; Notes: The enclitic -que joins this verse to the preceding genealogy, marking continuity in the lineage of Heber.
  2. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present active indicative, 3rd person plural (auxiliary); Function: Completes perfect passive periphrasis; Translation: “were”; Notes: Standard construction for birth events in genealogical Latin.
  3. Heber — Lemma: Heber; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Dative singular masculine; Function: Dative of reference (the one to whom sons were born); Translation: “to Heber”; Notes: Marks Heber as the patriarch of the Hebrew peoples.
  4. filii — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative plural masculine; Function: Subject of the verb phrase natique sunt; Translation: “sons”; Notes: Consistent with Vulgate genealogical syntax.
  5. duo — Lemma: duo; Part of Speech: Numeral adjective; Form: Nominative plural masculine; Function: Modifier of filii; Translation: “two”; Notes: Specifies Heber’s two male descendants, contrasting with longer lists of other patriarchs.
  6. nomen — Lemma: nomen; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular neuter; Function: Subject of implied erat; Translation: “name”; Notes: Introduces naming clause; nominative subject of elliptical verb.
  7. uni — Lemma: unus; Part of Speech: Adjective/pronoun; Form: Dative singular masculine; Function: Indirect object; Translation: “to one”; Notes: Refers to the first of the two sons (Phaleg).
  8. Phaleg — Lemma: Phaleg; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Predicate nominative; Translation: “Phaleg”; Notes: Hebrew Peleg, meaning “division”; his name commemorates the division of the earth.
  9. eo — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: Demonstrative pronoun; Form: Ablative singular masculine; Function: Used with quod to form causal expression; Translation: “because”; Notes: Literally “for that reason that…” introducing causal clause.
  10. quod — Lemma: quod; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Introduces subordinate causal clause; Translation: “that / because”; Notes: Common in late and Biblical Latin for explanatory cause.
  11. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs ablative; Function: Marks temporal sphere; Translation: “in”; Notes: Introduces time expression.
  12. diebus — Lemma: dies; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative plural masculine; Function: Object of in; Translation: “days”; Notes: Indicates timeframe of event (“in the days of his life”).
  13. eius — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: Genitive singular masculine; Function: Possessive modifier; Translation: “his”; Notes: Refers back to Phaleg, identifying the epoch by his lifetime.
  14. divisa — Lemma: divido; Part of Speech: Verb (participle); Form: Perfect passive participle, nominative singular feminine; Function: Predicate adjective agreeing with terra; Translation: “was divided”; Notes: Indicates division or scattering of the earth’s peoples—interpreted as Babel’s dispersion.
  15. sit — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present subjunctive, 3rd person singular; Function: Auxiliary in subordinate clause; Translation: “was”; Notes: Subjunctive reflects causal or explanatory nuance under eo quod.
  16. terra — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular feminine; Function: Subject of divisa sit; Translation: “earth”; Notes: Refers collectively to humanity or the inhabited world being scattered.
  17. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Connects parallel clause; Translation: “and”; Notes: Continues narrative with naming of second son.
  18. nomen — Lemma: nomen; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular neuter; Function: Subject of implied erat; Translation: “name”; Notes: Parallel to earlier naming clause for Phaleg.
  19. fratris — Lemma: frater; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Genitive singular masculine; Function: Possessive genitive modifying nomen; Translation: “of brother”; Notes: Indicates relational connection to Phaleg.
  20. eius — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: Genitive singular masculine; Function: Possessive; Translation: “his”; Notes: Refers back to Phaleg as antecedent.
  21. Iectan — Lemma: Iectan; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Predicate nominative of implied verb erat; Translation: “Jectan”; Notes: Hebrew Yaqtan (Joktan); founder of South Arabian tribes.

 

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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