Genesis 10:12

Posted on January 10, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 10:12 Resen quoque inter Niniven et Chale: hæc est civitas magna.

Resen also between Niniven and Chale: this is a great city.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Resen Resen NOM.SG.F
2 quoque also ADV
3 inter between PREP+ACC
4 Niniven Nineveh ACC.SG.F
5 et and CONJ
6 Chale Chale ACC.SG.F
7 hæc this NOM.SG.F.DEM.PRON
8 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
9 civitas city NOM.SG.F
10 magna great NOM.SG.F.ADJ

Syntax

Main Clause: Hæc est civitas magna — “This is a great city,” functioning as a copular clause with hæc as the subject, est as the copula, and civitas magna as the predicate nominative phrase.
Prepositional Phrase: inter Niniven et Chale — expresses spatial relation, modifying Resen as “Resen, located between Nineveh and Chale.”
Word Order: The phrase Resen quoque introduces the subject followed by an adverbial particle for emphasis, typical of Vulgate narrative sequencing.

Morphology

  1. Resen — Lemma: Resen; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular feminine; Function: Subject of the clause; Translation: “Resen”; Notes: Proper noun referring to a Mesopotamian city mentioned in Genesis 10:12.
  2. quoque — Lemma: quoque; Part of Speech: Adverb; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Connective adverb meaning “also” or “likewise”; Translation: “also”; Notes: Adds Resen to the list of cities mentioned previously.
  3. inter — Lemma: inter; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs accusative; Function: Indicates spatial relationship; Translation: “between”; Notes: Used with two accusative complements.
  4. Niniven — Lemma: Ninive; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular feminine; Function: Object of the preposition inter; Translation: “Nineveh”; Notes: Refers to the well-known Assyrian capital.
  5. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Coordinating; Function: Connects Niniven and Chale; Translation: “and”; Notes: Simple additive conjunction.
  6. Chale — Lemma: Chale; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular feminine; Function: Second object of inter; Translation: “Chale”; Notes: Likely referring to Calah (modern Nimrud), an ancient Assyrian city.
  7. hæc — Lemma: hic, hæc, hoc; Part of Speech: Demonstrative pronoun; Form: Nominative singular feminine; Function: Subject pronoun; Translation: “this”; Notes: Refers back to Resen.
  8. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present active indicative 3rd person singular; Function: Copula linking subject and predicate; Translation: “is”; Notes: Expresses a state of being, not action.
  9. civitas — Lemma: civitas; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular feminine; Function: Predicate nominative; Translation: “city”; Notes: Describes the subject hæc.
  10. magna — Lemma: magnus; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: Nominative singular feminine; Function: Attribute of civitas; Translation: “great”; Notes: Qualifies the size or importance of the city.

 

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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