Genesis 11:6

Posted on January 11, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 11:6 et dixit: Ecce, unus est populus, et unum labium omnibus: cœperuntque hoc facere, nec desistent a cogitationibus suis, donec eas opere compleant.

And He said: “Behold, the people are one, and one language is to all of them; and they have begun to do this, and they will not cease from their thoughts until they complete them by work.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 et and CONJ
2 dixit said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
3 Ecce behold INTERJ
4 unus one NOM.SG.M
5 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
6 populus people NOM.SG.M
7 et and CONJ
8 unum one NOM.SG.N
9 labium language NOM.SG.N
10 omnibus to all DAT.PL.M
11 cœperuntque and they began 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND + ENCLITIC
12 hoc this ACC.SG.N
13 facere to do INF.PRES.ACT
14 nec nor, and not CONJ
15 desistent they will cease 3PL.FUT.ACT.IND
16 a from PREP+ABL
17 cogitationibus thoughts ABL.PL.F
18 suis their REFL.PRON.ABL.PL.F
19 donec until CONJ
20 eas them PRON.ACC.PL.F
21 opere by work ABL.SG.N
22 compleant they may complete 3PL.PRES.ACT.SUBJ

Syntax

Main Clause: dixit (main verb) introduces direct speech by the LORD.
Subordinate Clauses:

  • unus est populus — Subject (populus) + Predicate (unus est), describing unity of mankind.
  • et unum labium omnibus — Parallel statement indicating shared language (labium) among all (omnibus).
  • cœperuntque hoc facere — Compound verb phrase: cœperunt + infinitive facere, expressing inception of an action.
  • nec desistent a cogitationibus suis — Future statement of persistence, “they will not cease from their thoughts.”
  • donec eas opere compleant — Final clause of completion, introduced by donec, expressing an endpoint or goal.

Morphology

  1. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Coordinating; Function: Connects clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Links narrative sequences.
  2. dixit — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect active indicative 3rd person singular; Function: Main verb of speech; Translation: “said”; Notes: Completed speech act of YHWH.
  3. Ecce — Lemma: ecce; Part of Speech: Interjection; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Introduces exclamation; Translation: “Behold”; Notes: Calls attention to divine observation.
  4. unus — Lemma: unus; Part of Speech: Numeral/Adjective; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Predicate adjective; Translation: “one”; Notes: Emphasizes unity of humankind.
  5. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present active indicative 3rd person singular; Function: Copula; Translation: “is”; Notes: Links subject and predicate nominal.
  6. populus — Lemma: populus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Subject; Translation: “people”; Notes: Refers collectively to humanity.
  7. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Coordinating; Function: Connects parallels; Translation: “and”; Notes: Adds a second description.
  8. unum — Lemma: unus; Part of Speech: Numeral/Adjective; Form: Nominative singular neuter; Function: Predicate adjective; Translation: “one”; Notes: Agrees with labium.
  9. labium — Lemma: labium; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular neuter; Function: Subject complement; Translation: “language”; Notes: Figuratively denotes speech or tongue.
  10. omnibus — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: Adjective/Pronoun; Form: Dative plural masculine; Function: Indirect object; Translation: “to all”; Notes: Expresses universality.
  11. cœperuntque — Lemma: cœpi; Part of Speech: Verb (defective); Form: Perfect active indicative 3rd person plural + enclitic “-que”; Function: Main verb; Translation: “and they began”; Notes: Marks initiation of the act.
  12. hoc — Lemma: hic, haec, hoc; Part of Speech: Demonstrative pronoun; Form: Accusative singular neuter; Function: Object of facere; Translation: “this”; Notes: Refers to the building project.
  13. facere — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present active infinitive; Function: Complement of cœperunt; Translation: “to do”; Notes: Denotes the action begun by humankind.
  14. nec — Lemma: nec; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Negative coordinating; Function: Expresses negation and addition; Translation: “nor”; Notes: Links negative statement.
  15. desistent — Lemma: desisto; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Future active indicative 3rd person plural; Function: Main verb of future clause; Translation: “they will cease”; Notes: Indicates persistence in purpose.
  16. a — Lemma: a/ab; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs ablative; Function: Expresses separation; Translation: “from”; Notes: Used with cogitationibus.
  17. cogitationibus — Lemma: cogitatio; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative plural feminine; Function: Object of preposition; Translation: “thoughts”; Notes: Refers to human plans or intentions.
  18. suis — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: Reflexive adjective; Form: Ablative plural feminine; Function: Modifies cogitationibus; Translation: “their”; Notes: Refers to the builders’ own thoughts.
  19. donec — Lemma: donec; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Subordinating; Function: Introduces temporal clause; Translation: “until”; Notes: Denotes limit or endpoint.
  20. eas — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: Accusative plural feminine; Function: Object of compleant; Translation: “them”; Notes: Refers back to cogitationes.
  21. opere — Lemma: opus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative singular neuter; Function: Instrumental ablative; Translation: “by work”; Notes: Indicates the means of completion.
  22. compleant — Lemma: compleo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present active subjunctive 3rd person plural; Function: Verb in dependent clause; Translation: “they may complete”; Notes: Subjunctive used in temporal clause dependent on donec.

 

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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