Genesis 11:15

Posted on January 11, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 11:15 Vixitque Sale postquam genuit Heber, quadringentis tribus annis: et genuit filios et filias.

And Sale lived, after he begot Heber, four hundred and three years; and he begot sons and daughters.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Vixitque and lived 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND + ENCLITIC
2 Sale Sale NOM.SG.M
3 postquam after CONJ.TEMP
4 genuit begot 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
5 Heber Heber ACC.SG.M
6 quadringentis four hundred ABL.PL.M
7 tribus and three ABL.PL.M
8 annis years ABL.PL.M
9 et and CONJ
10 genuit begot 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
11 filios sons ACC.PL.M
12 et and CONJ
13 filias daughters ACC.PL.F

Syntax

Main Clause: Vixitque Sale — the subject Sale and verb vixit express the continuation of life after fatherhood.
Temporal Clause: postquam genuit Heber — introduced by postquam, referring to the time following the birth of Heber.
Ablative Phrase: quadringentis tribus annis — ablative of duration meaning “for four hundred and three years.”
Coordinate Clause: et genuit filios et filias — continues the genealogical formula with the typical expression of offspring plurality.

Morphology

  1. Vixitque — Lemma: vivo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect active indicative 3rd person singular + enclitic “-que”; Function: Main verb; Translation: “and lived”; Notes: The enclitic “-que” joins this verse to the previous narrative in genealogical sequence.
  2. Sale — Lemma: Sale; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Subject; Translation: “Sale”; Notes: The subject of both verbs vixit and genuit.
  3. postquam — Lemma: postquam; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Temporal; Function: Introduces a clause denoting a prior event; Translation: “after”; Notes: Common temporal connective in genealogical style.
  4. genuit — Lemma: gigno; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect active indicative 3rd person singular; Function: Verb in temporal clause; Translation: “begot”; Notes: Describes an earlier action relative to vixit.
  5. Heber — Lemma: Heber; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Accusative singular masculine; Function: Direct object of genuit; Translation: “Heber”; Notes: The significant ancestor from whom the term “Hebrew” originates.
  6. quadringentis — Lemma: quadringenti; Part of Speech: Numeral adjective; Form: Ablative plural masculine; Function: Modifies annis; Translation: “four hundred”; Notes: Used with ablative of duration.
  7. tribus — Lemma: tres; Part of Speech: Numeral adjective; Form: Ablative plural masculine; Function: Completes compound numeral; Translation: “and three”; Notes: Forms total of 403.
  8. annis — Lemma: annus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative plural masculine; Function: Ablative of duration; Translation: “years”; Notes: Indicates the span of Sale’s continued life.
  9. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Coordinating; Function: Connects clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Introduces second genealogical formula.
  10. genuit — Lemma: gigno; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect active indicative 3rd person singular; Function: Main verb of second clause; Translation: “he begot”; Notes: Indicates additional descendants.
  11. filios — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative plural masculine; Function: Object of genuit; Translation: “sons”; Notes: Typical of genealogical phrasing.
  12. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Coordinating; Function: Connects parallel objects; Translation: “and”; Notes: Links filios and filias.
  13. filias — Lemma: filia; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative plural feminine; Function: Direct object of genuit; Translation: “daughters”; Notes: Completes the genealogical expression, emphasizing fullness of family line.

 

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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