Genesis 11:5

Posted on January 11, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 11:5 Descendit autem Dominus ut videret civitatem et turrim, quam ædificabant filii Adam,

And the LORD descended to see the city and the tower which the sons of Adam were building.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Descendit descended 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 autem however CONJ
3 Dominus LORD NOM.SG.M
4 ut that, in order to CONJ.PURPOSE
5 videret might see 3SG.IMPF.ACT.SUBJ
6 civitatem city ACC.SG.F
7 et and CONJ
8 turrim tower ACC.SG.F
9 quam which REL.PRON.ACC.SG.F
10 ædificabant they were building 3PL.IMPF.ACT.IND
11 filii sons NOM.PL.M
12 Adam Adam GEN.SG.M

Syntax

Main Clause: Dominus (subject) + descendit (main verb) — expresses divine action of descent.
Purpose Clause: Introduced by ut + videret (subjunctive) — “in order to see.”
Objects: civitatem and turrim serve as direct objects of videret.
Relative Clause: quam ædificabant filii Adam modifies turrim, with filii Adam as the subject of ædificabant.

Morphology

  1. Descendit — Lemma: descendo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect active indicative 3rd person singular; Function: Main verb; Translation: “descended”; Notes: Indicates a completed divine action, anthropomorphically describing YHWH’s inspection.
  2. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Simple connective; Function: Introduces contrast or transition; Translation: “however”; Notes: Common narrative connector marking a shift or continuation.
  3. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Subject; Translation: “LORD”; Notes: Refers to YHWH, the divine agent descending.
  4. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Introduces purpose clause; Function: Links main verb to subjunctive; Translation: “in order to”; Notes: Typical marker of divine intent or evaluation.
  5. videret — Lemma: video; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Imperfect active subjunctive 3rd person singular; Function: Verb in purpose clause; Translation: “might see”; Notes: Dependent on ut, expressing divine observation.
  6. civitatem — Lemma: civitas; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular feminine; Function: Object of videret; Translation: “city”; Notes: Refers to the collective human settlement.
  7. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Coordinating; Function: Links coordinated objects; Translation: “and”; Notes: Joins civitatem and turrim.
  8. turrim — Lemma: turris; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular feminine; Function: Second object of videret; Translation: “tower”; Notes: Object of human ambition in the narrative.
  9. quam — Lemma: qui, quae, quod; Part of Speech: Relative pronoun; Form: Accusative singular feminine; Function: Introduces relative clause; Translation: “which”; Notes: Refers back to turrim.
  10. ædificabant — Lemma: ædifico; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Imperfect active indicative 3rd person plural; Function: Main verb of relative clause; Translation: “they were building”; Notes: Describes ongoing human construction activity.
  11. filii — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative plural masculine; Function: Subject of ædificabant; Translation: “sons”; Notes: Collective reference to humankind.
  12. Adam — Lemma: Adam; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Genitive singular masculine; Function: Genitive of possession; Translation: “of Adam”; Notes: Marks descent from the first man, representing humanity as a whole.

 

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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