Genesis 10:10

Posted on January 10, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 10:10 Fuit autem principium regni eius Babylon, et Arach, et Achad, et Chalanne, in terra Sennaar.

Now the beginning of his kingdom was Babylon, and Arach, and Achad, and Chalanne, in the land of Sennaar.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Fuit was 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 autem now / however CONJ.ADV
3 principium beginning NOM.SG.N
4 regni of the kingdom GEN.SG.N
5 eius his GEN.SG.M.PRON
6 Babylon Babylon NOM.SG.F
7 et and CONJ
8 Arach Arach NOM.SG.F
9 et and CONJ
10 Achad Achad NOM.SG.F
11 et and CONJ
12 Chalanne Chalanne NOM.SG.F
13 in in PREP+ABL
14 terra land ABL.SG.F
15 Sennaar Sennaar GEN.SG.F

Syntax

Main Clause: Fuit autem principium regni eius Babylon — “Now the beginning of his kingdom was Babylon.” The verb fuit links the subject principium regni eius with the predicate nominative Babylon.
Coordinated Nouns: et Arach, et Achad, et Chalanne expand the predicate nominative, listing additional cities within Nemrod’s dominion.
Prepositional Phrase: in terra Sennaar specifies location, indicating the geographical context of this early Mesopotamian empire.
Word Order: The sentence begins with the verb fuit for emphasis, followed by a genealogical narrative structure. Autem introduces a transitional note, linking to the previous statement about Nemrod.

Morphology

  1. Fuit — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect active indicative, 3rd person singular; Function: Main verb; Translation: “was”; Notes: Indicates completed state — the establishment of a kingdom.
  2. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: Conjunction/adverb; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Transitional marker; Translation: “now” or “however”; Notes: Smoothly connects this narrative statement with the previous one.
  3. principium — Lemma: principium; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular neuter; Function: Subject; Translation: “beginning”; Notes: Refers to the first establishment or foundation of Nemrod’s kingdom.
  4. regni — Lemma: regnum; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Genitive singular neuter; Function: Possessive genitive dependent on principium; Translation: “of the kingdom”; Notes: Indicates that the beginning pertains to his realm.
  5. eius — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: Genitive singular masculine; Function: Possessive pronoun modifying regni; Translation: “his”; Notes: Refers back to Nemrod.
  6. Babylon — Lemma: Babylon; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Nominative singular feminine; Function: Predicate nominative; Translation: “Babylon”; Notes: Principal city in Mesopotamia, identified as the first center of Nemrod’s rule.
  7. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Coordinating; Function: Connects subsequent predicate nouns; Translation: “and”; Notes: Marks the additive sequence of cities.
  8. Arach — Lemma: Arach; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Nominative singular feminine; Function: Predicate nominative; Translation: “Arach”; Notes: One of the ancient Mesopotamian cities attributed to Nemrod’s kingdom.
  9. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Coordinating; Function: Links following name; Translation: “and”; Notes: Common additive conjunction.
  10. Achad — Lemma: Achad; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Nominative singular feminine; Function: Predicate nominative; Translation: “Achad”; Notes: Ancient city possibly connected with Akkad in Assyro-Babylonian region.
  11. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Coordinating; Function: Links the final name; Translation: “and”; Notes: Sequential connector in the enumeration.
  12. Chalanne — Lemma: Chalanne; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Nominative singular feminine; Function: Predicate nominative; Translation: “Chalanne”; Notes: Also known as Calneh, another city attributed to Nemrod’s rule.
  13. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs ablative; Function: Expresses location; Translation: “in”; Notes: Indicates territorial setting.
  14. terra — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative singular feminine; Function: Object of in; Translation: “land”; Notes: Specifies the geographical area of Sennaar.
  15. Sennaar — Lemma: Sennaar; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Genitive singular feminine; Function: Genitive of place dependent on terra; Translation: “of Sennaar”; Notes: Refers to the land of Shinar, the plain region of Babylon in southern Mesopotamia.

 

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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