Genesis 10:20

Posted on January 10, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 10:20 Hi sunt filii Cham in cognationibus, et linguis, et generationibus, terrisque et gentibus suis.

These are the sons of Cham, in their families, and tongues, and generations, and in their lands and their nations.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Hi these NOM.PL.M.DEM.PRON
2 sunt are 3PL.PRES.ACT.IND
3 filii sons NOM.PL.M
4 Cham Cham GEN.SG.M
5 in in PREP+ABL
6 cognationibus families ABL.PL.F
7 et and CONJ
8 linguis tongues ABL.PL.F
9 et and CONJ
10 generationibus generations ABL.PL.F
11 terrisque and lands ABL.PL.F + ENCLITIC -QUE
12 et and CONJ
13 gentibus nations ABL.PL.F
14 suis their ABL.PL.F.REFL.POSS.ADJ

Syntax

Main Clause: Hi sunt filii Cham — “These are the sons of Cham.” The demonstrative pronoun Hi serves as subject, sunt as copula, and filii Cham as predicate nominative phrase identifying the lineage.
Prepositional Phrases: in cognationibus, et linguis, et generationibus, terrisque et gentibus suis — series of ablatives governed by in, expressing the organizational and geographical divisions among the descendants of Cham.
The verse serves as a concluding summary to the “Table of Nations” section for Cham’s lineage, emphasizing the diversity of languages, families, and territories.

Morphology

  1. Hi — Lemma: hic, haec, hoc; Part of Speech: Demonstrative pronoun; Form: Nominative plural masculine; Function: Subject; Translation: “these”; Notes: Refers to the collective list of Cham’s descendants previously named.
  2. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present active indicative, 3rd person plural; Function: Copula linking subject and predicate; Translation: “are”; Notes: Identifies existence or classification, closing the genealogical list.
  3. filii — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative plural masculine; Function: Predicate nominative; Translation: “sons”; Notes: Indicates immediate descendants; parallels formula used for the lines of Japheth and Shem.
  4. Cham — Lemma: Cham; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Genitive singular masculine; Function: Possessive genitive modifying filii; Translation: “of Cham”; Notes: Refers to one of the three sons of Noah, progenitor of African and Near Eastern nations.
  5. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs ablative; Function: Expresses manner or classification; Translation: “in”; Notes: Introduces prepositional series describing sociolinguistic divisions.
  6. cognationibus — Lemma: cognatio; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative plural feminine; Function: Object of in; Translation: “families” or “kinships”; Notes: Refers to extended family groups or clans, foundational social units.
  7. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Connects coordinate elements; Translation: “and”; Notes: Serves repetitive linking function in formulaic genealogical summary.
  8. linguis — Lemma: lingua; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative plural feminine; Function: Object of in; Translation: “tongues”; Notes: Refers to distinct languages or dialects, anticipating the theme of Babel (Genesis 11).
  9. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Coordinates nouns; Translation: “and”; Notes: Continues the list of classifications.
  10. generationibus — Lemma: generatio; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative plural feminine; Function: Object of in; Translation: “generations”; Notes: Indicates genealogical descent or successive lines of posterity.
  11. terrisque — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: Noun with enclitic; Form: Ablative plural feminine + enclitic -que; Function: Object of in, joined to previous list; Translation: “and lands”; Notes: Denotes geographical territories inhabited by descendants; -que replaces preceding et for stylistic variation.
  12. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Links final element in the series; Translation: “and”; Notes: Introduces the concluding coordinate noun.
  13. gentibus — Lemma: gens; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative plural feminine; Function: Object of in; Translation: “nations”; Notes: Refers to larger ethnic or political groupings; culmination of social structure terms.
  14. suis — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: Reflexive possessive adjective; Form: Ablative plural feminine; Function: Modifies gentibus (and collectively all prior nouns); Translation: “their”; Notes: Indicates that each branch of Cham’s lineage had its own distinct family, language, and territory.

 

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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