Genesis 21:5

Posted on January 21, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 21:5 cum centum esset annorum: hac quippe ætate patris, natus est Isaac.

when he was one hundred years old — for in this age of his father, Isaac was born.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 cum when CONJ
2 centum one hundred NUM.INDECL
3 esset was 3SG.IMPF.ACT.SUBJ
4 annorum of years GEN.PL.M
5 hac this ABL.SG.F.DEM.ADJ
6 quippe indeed / for ADV
7 ætate age ABL.SG.F
8 patris of (his) father GEN.SG.M
9 natus born NOM.SG.M.PERF.PASS.PART
10 est was 3SG.PERF.IND.AUX
11 Isaac Isaac NOM.SG.M

Syntax

Temporal Clause: cum centum esset annorum — Introduced by cum + subjunctive, meaning “when he was one hundred years old.” The genitive annorum expresses measure of age.
Main Clause: hac quippe ætate patris natus est Isaac — A causal and explanatory main clause, with quippe emphasizing certainty: “for indeed, in this age of the father, Isaac was born.” The ablative hac ætate denotes time or circumstance; patris specifies whose age.

Morphology

  1. cum — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: subordinating; Function: introduces temporal clause; Translation: “when”; Notes: Used with subjunctive esset to mark temporal context.
  2. centum — Lemma: centum; Part of Speech: numeral (indeclinable); Form: indeclinable; Function: numeral modifier of “annorum”; Translation: “one hundred”; Notes: Quantifies the genitive of age.
  3. esset — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperfect subjunctive active, third person singular; Function: verb of temporal clause; Translation: “was”; Notes: Subjunctive governed by temporal conjunction cum.
  4. annorum — Lemma: annus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: genitive of measure or quality; Translation: “of years”; Notes: Expresses duration or age in Latin idiom.
  5. hac — Lemma: hic; Part of Speech: demonstrative adjective; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: modifies “ætate”; Translation: “this”; Notes: Refers back to the specific time (Abraham’s old age).
  6. quippe — Lemma: quippe; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces explanatory statement; Translation: “indeed / for”; Notes: Strengthens the explanatory clause, confirming divine fulfillment.
  7. ætate — Lemma: aetas; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: ablative of time or circumstance; Translation: “age”; Notes: Expresses the temporal context of Isaac’s birth.
  8. patris — Lemma: pater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessive genitive modifying “ætate”; Translation: “of (his) father”; Notes: Refers to Abraham, contextualizing Isaac’s miraculous birth in his advanced age.
  9. natus — Lemma: nascor; Part of Speech: participle (deponent); Form: nominative singular masculine, perfect passive in form but active in meaning; Function: subject complement with “est”; Translation: “born”; Notes: Used with “est” to form perfect periphrasis expressing completed birth.
  10. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: auxiliary verb; Form: perfect indicative, third person singular; Function: auxiliary completing “natus est”; Translation: “was”; Notes: Forms perfect tense with the deponent participle “natus.”
  11. Isaac — Lemma: Isaac; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: grammatical subject of “natus est”; Translation: “Isaac”; Notes: The promised son, born in Abraham’s hundredth year, signifies covenantal fulfillment.

 

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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