Genesis 11:32

Posted on January 11, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 11:32 Et facti sunt dies Thare ducentorum quinque annorum, et mortuus est in Haran.

And the days of Thare were two hundred and five years, and he died in Haran.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Et and CONJ
2 facti were made PPP.NOM.PL.M
3 sunt were 3PL.PERF.IND.AUX
4 dies days NOM.PL.M
5 Thare of Thare GEN.SG.M
6 ducentorum of two hundred GEN.PL.M
7 quinque five NUM.CARD.INDECL
8 annorum of years GEN.PL.M
9 et and CONJ
10 mortuus died PPP.NOM.SG.M
11 est was 3SG.PERF.IND.AUX
12 in in PREP+ABL
13 Haran Haran ABL.SG.M

Syntax

Main Clause 1: Et facti sunt dies Thare ducentorum quinque annorum — subject dies Thare with periphrastic verb facti sunt, meaning “the days of Thare were (made) two hundred and five years.” Genitive phrase ducentorum quinque annorum expresses measure of time.
Main Clause 2: et mortuus est in Haran — perfect periphrastic form with mortuus est describes the completed action of death; in Haran marks the place.

Morphology

  1. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Coordinating; Function: Connects this genealogical statement to the preceding verse; Translation: “and”; Notes: Common connective in Vulgate narrative.
  2. facti — Lemma: fio; Part of Speech: Verb (deponent passive); Form: Perfect participle nominative plural masculine; Function: With sunt, forms a perfect periphrastic construction; Translation: “were made / became”; Notes: Expresses the completed total of Thare’s years.
  3. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect indicative 3rd person plural; Function: Auxiliary verb completing the periphrastic predicate; Translation: “were”; Notes: Helps form the verbal idea “were made.”
  4. dies — Lemma: dies; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative plural masculine; Function: Subject; Translation: “days”; Notes: Metonymic for “lifespan.”
  5. Thare — Lemma: Thare; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Genitive singular masculine; Function: Possessive genitive; Translation: “of Thare”; Notes: Identifies whose lifespan is described.
  6. ducentorum — Lemma: ducenti; Part of Speech: Numeral (cardinal); Form: Genitive plural masculine; Function: Part of numeric genitive phrase modifying annorum; Translation: “of two hundred”; Notes: Expresses part of the total number of years.
  7. quinque — Lemma: quinque; Part of Speech: Numeral (cardinal); Form: Indeclinable; Function: Completes the numeral; Translation: “five”; Notes: Together with ducentorum = 205.
  8. annorum — Lemma: annus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Genitive plural masculine; Function: Genitive of measure; Translation: “of years”; Notes: Specifies the length of Thare’s life.
  9. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Coordinating; Function: Links two main clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Joins the lifespan statement with the death record.
  10. mortuus — Lemma: morior; Part of Speech: Deponent verb (participle form); Form: Perfect participle nominative singular masculine; Function: Predicate adjective with est; Translation: “died”; Notes: Deponent participle used passively to indicate completed death.
  11. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect indicative 3rd person singular; Function: Auxiliary; Translation: “was / has”; Notes: Forms the periphrastic perfect with mortuus.
  12. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs ablative; Function: Introduces location; Translation: “in”; Notes: Expresses the place of Thare’s death.
  13. Haran — Lemma: Haran; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Ablative singular masculine (indeclinable in Latin usage); Function: Object of in; Translation: “Haran”; Notes: The Mesopotamian city where Thare died.

 

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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