Genesis 11:4

Posted on January 11, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 11:4 et dixerunt: Venite, faciamus nobis civitatem et turrim, cuius culmen pertingat ad cælum: et celebremus nomen nostrum antequam dividamur in universas terras.

And they said: “Come, let us build for ourselves a city and a tower, whose top may reach to heaven; and let us make our name famous before we are scattered over the whole earth.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 et and CONJ
2 dixerunt they said 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
3 Venite come 2PL.PRES.ACT.IMP
4 faciamus let us make 1PL.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
5 nobis for ourselves DAT.PL.PRON
6 civitatem city ACC.SG.F
7 et and CONJ
8 turrim tower ACC.SG.F
9 cuius whose GEN.SG.F.REL.PRON
10 culmen top NOM.SG.N
11 pertingat may reach 3SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
12 ad to PREP+ACC
13 cælum heaven ACC.SG.N
14 et and CONJ
15 celebremus let us make famous 1PL.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
16 nomen name ACC.SG.N
17 nostrum our ACC.SG.N.POSS.PRON
18 antequam before SUB.CONJ
19 dividamur we are divided 1PL.PRES.SUBJ.PASS
20 in into PREP+ACC
21 universas all ACC.PL.F
22 terras lands / earth ACC.PL.F

Syntax

The verse is a single unified statement of human intent, consisting of a main clause (“et dixerunt”) introducing a chain of hortatory subjunctives and dependent clauses.
– Main verb: dixerunt introduces speech.
– Imperative + hortatory subjunctives: “Venite, faciamus nobis civitatem et turrim” express cooperative intent.
– Relative clause: “cuius culmen pertingat ad cælum” functions adverbially with purpose or aspiration.
– Purpose clause: “et celebremus nomen nostrum” marks the builders’ self-glorifying motive.
– Temporal clause: “antequam dividamur in universas terras” anticipates divine dispersion.

Morphology

  1. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Connects clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Signals continuation of collective speech.
  2. dixerunt — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect active indicative, 3rd person plural; Function: Main verb of narration; Translation: “they said”; Notes: Perfect tense marks completed speech act introducing dialogue.
  3. Venite — Lemma: venio; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present active imperative, 2nd person plural; Function: Imperative call to action; Translation: “come”; Notes: Expresses invitation to collective cooperation.
  4. faciamus — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present active subjunctive, 1st person plural; Function: Hortatory subjunctive of deliberation; Translation: “let us make / build”; Notes: Conveys a shared initiative and human unity in purpose.
  5. nobis — Lemma: nos; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: Dative plural; Function: Dative of advantage; Translation: “for ourselves”; Notes: Highlights self-interest and self-promotion.
  6. civitatem — Lemma: civitas; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular feminine; Function: Direct object of faciamus; Translation: “city”; Notes: Represents human organization and permanence.
  7. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Connects coordinated objects; Translation: “and”; Notes: Links civitatem and turrim as joint goals.
  8. turrim — Lemma: turris; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular feminine; Function: Second direct object of faciamus; Translation: “tower”; Notes: Symbol of human pride and ambition toward heaven.
  9. cuius — Lemma: qui, quae, quod; Part of Speech: Relative pronoun; Form: Genitive singular feminine; Function: Introduces a relative clause modifying turrim; Translation: “whose”; Notes: Expresses possession (“whose top…”).
  10. culmen — Lemma: culmen; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular neuter; Function: Subject of pertingat; Translation: “top / summit”; Notes: Denotes the highest point, emblem of reaching heaven.
  11. pertingat — Lemma: pertingo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present active subjunctive, 3rd person singular; Function: Verb of relative clause (purpose/result); Translation: “may reach”; Notes: Subjunctive expresses intended outcome or aspiration.
  12. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs accusative; Function: Marks direction or goal; Translation: “to”; Notes: Indicates upward aim toward heaven.
  13. cælum — Lemma: caelum; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular neuter; Function: Object of ad; Translation: “heaven”; Notes: Represents the divine domain humans aspire to reach.
  14. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Connects main clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Links the aspiration (height) with the motive (fame).
  15. celebremus — Lemma: celebro; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present active subjunctive, 1st person plural; Function: Hortatory subjunctive of purpose; Translation: “let us make famous / celebrate”; Notes: Expresses intention to secure renown and permanence.
  16. nomen — Lemma: nomen; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular neuter; Function: Direct object of celebremus; Translation: “name”; Notes: Symbol of reputation and identity.
  17. nostrum — Lemma: noster, nostra, nostrum; Part of Speech: Possessive adjective; Form: Accusative singular neuter; Function: Modifier of nomen; Translation: “our”; Notes: Emphasizes self-exaltation distinct from divine glory.
  18. antequam — Lemma: antequam; Part of Speech: Subordinating conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Introduces a temporal clause; Translation: “before”; Notes: Marks anticipation or prevention of an event.
  19. dividamur — Lemma: divido; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present subjunctive passive, 1st person plural; Function: Verb of subordinate clause; Translation: “we are divided / scattered”; Notes: Passive anticipates divine scattering; subjunctive conveys apprehension.
  20. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs accusative; Function: Expresses motion toward; Translation: “into”; Notes: Marks direction of dispersal across the earth.
  21. universas — Lemma: universus; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: Accusative plural feminine; Function: Modifier of terras; Translation: “all”; Notes: Denotes totality of the inhabited world.
  22. terras — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative plural feminine; Function: Object of in; Translation: “lands / earth”; Notes: Refers to all regions destined for human dispersion.

 

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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