Genesis 11:28

Posted on January 11, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 11:28 Mortuusque est Aran ante Thare patrem suum, in terra nativitatis suæ in Ur Chaldæorum.

And Aran died before Thare his father, in the land of his birth, in Ur of the Chaldeans.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Mortuusque and died PPP.NOM.SG.M + ENCLITIC
2 est is / was 3SG.PERF.IND.AUX
3 Aran Aran NOM.SG.M
4 ante before PREP+ACC
5 Thare Thare ACC.SG.M
6 patrem father ACC.SG.M
7 suum his own ADJ.POSS.ACC.SG.M
8 in in PREP+ABL
9 terra land ABL.SG.F
10 nativitatis of birth GEN.SG.F
11 suæ his ADJ.POSS.GEN.SG.F
12 in in PREP+ABL
13 Ur Ur ABL.SG.F
14 Chaldæorum of the Chaldeans GEN.PL.M

Syntax

Main Clause: Mortuusque est Aran — compound perfect passive form with mortuus (participle) and est (auxiliary), subject Aran; the enclitic “-que” connects this event to the prior genealogy.
Prepositional Phrase 1: ante Thare patrem suum — ante governs the accusative; the phrase means “before Thare his father,” specifying sequence of death.
Prepositional Phrase 2: in terra nativitatis suæ — “in the land of his birth,” genitival relationship between terra and nativitatis.
Prepositional Phrase 3: in Ur Chaldæorum — locative specification, identifying the birthplace as Ur of the Chaldeans.

Morphology

  1. Mortuusque — Lemma: morior; Part of Speech: Verb (deponent); Form: Perfect participle nominative singular masculine + enclitic “-que”; Function: Predicate participle with auxiliary est; Translation: “and died”; Notes: The enclitic “-que” links this verse with the preceding narrative.
  2. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect indicative 3rd person singular; Function: Auxiliary verb; Translation: “is” or “was”; Notes: Forms the perfect passive construction with mortuus.
  3. Aran — Lemma: Aran; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Subject; Translation: “Aran”; Notes: The son of Thare who dies prematurely.
  4. ante — Lemma: ante; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs accusative; Function: Expresses precedence; Translation: “before”; Notes: Marks temporal priority.
  5. Thare — Lemma: Thare; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Accusative singular masculine; Function: Object of ante; Translation: “Thare”; Notes: Refers to Aran’s father.
  6. patrem — Lemma: pater; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular masculine; Function: Appositive to Thare; Translation: “father”; Notes: Specifies familial relation.
  7. suum — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: Adjective (possessive); Form: Accusative singular masculine; Function: Modifies patrem; Translation: “his own”; Notes: Reflexive, agreeing with Aran.
  8. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs ablative; Function: Introduces location; Translation: “in”; Notes: Used spatially here.
  9. terra — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative singular feminine; Function: Object of in; Translation: “land”; Notes: Refers to his homeland.
  10. nativitatis — Lemma: nativitas; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Genitive singular feminine; Function: Possessive genitive modifying terra; Translation: “of birth”; Notes: Denotes the land’s defining characteristic.
  11. suæ — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: Adjective (possessive); Form: Genitive singular feminine; Function: Modifies nativitatis; Translation: “his”; Notes: Agrees in gender, number, and case with nativitatis.
  12. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs ablative; Function: Marks location; Translation: “in”; Notes: Introduces a proper place name.
  13. Ur — Lemma: Ur; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Ablative singular feminine; Function: Object of in; Translation: “Ur”; Notes: The ancient Mesopotamian city, Aran’s homeland.
  14. Chaldæorum — Lemma: Chaldæi; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Genitive plural masculine; Function: Dependent genitive on Ur; Translation: “of the Chaldeans”; Notes: Identifies the cultural/geographical region of Ur.

 

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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