Genesis 11:9

Posted on January 11, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 11:9 Et idcirco vocatum est nomen eius Babel, quia ibi confusum est labium universæ terræ: et inde dispersit eos Dominus super faciem cunctarum regionum.

And therefore its name was called Babel, because there the language of all the earth was confounded; and from there the LORD scattered them over the face of all regions.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Et and CONJ
2 idcirco therefore ADV
3 vocatum called NOM.SG.N.PERF.PASS.PART
4 est was 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
5 nomen name NOM.SG.N
6 eius of it GEN.SG.N
7 Babel Babel NOM.SG.F
8 quia because CONJ.CAUSAL
9 ibi there ADV
10 confusum confounded NOM.SG.N.PERF.PASS.PART
11 est was 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
12 labium language NOM.SG.N
13 universæ of all GEN.SG.F
14 terræ earth GEN.SG.F
15 et and CONJ
16 inde from there ADV
17 dispersit scattered 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
18 eos them ACC.PL.M
19 Dominus LORD NOM.SG.M
20 super over PREP+ACC
21 faciem face ACC.SG.F
22 cunctarum of all GEN.PL.F
23 regionum regions GEN.PL.F

Syntax

First Clause: Et idcirco vocatum est nomen eius Babel — causal-result clause, “and therefore its name was called Babel.”
Causal Clause: quia ibi confusum est labium universæ terræ — introduced by quia, explaining the reason for the name.
Final Clause: et inde dispersit eos Dominus super faciem cunctarum regionum — describes subsequent divine action of dispersion.
Subject and Predicate: Dominus dispersit eos — YHWH (subject) + scattered (verb) + them (object).
Prepositional Phrases: super faciem cunctarum regionum — indicates extent and scope of dispersion, “over the face of all regions.”

Morphology

  1. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Coordinating; Function: Links with previous statement; Translation: “and”; Notes: Simple connective.
  2. idcirco — Lemma: idcirco; Part of Speech: Adverb; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Marks logical result; Translation: “therefore”; Notes: Indicates conclusion from divine action.
  3. vocatum — Lemma: voco; Part of Speech: Verb (participle); Form: Perfect passive participle nominative singular neuter; Function: Predicate adjective with est; Translation: “called”; Notes: Used in passive periphrastic construction.
  4. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present active indicative 3rd person singular; Function: Auxiliary verb; Translation: “was”; Notes: Forms perfect passive with participle.
  5. nomen — Lemma: nomen; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular neuter; Function: Subject; Translation: “name”; Notes: Refers to the assigned name “Babel.”
  6. eius — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: Genitive singular neuter; Function: Possessive modifier; Translation: “of it”; Notes: Refers to civitas or “city.”
  7. Babel — Lemma: Babel; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Nominative singular feminine; Function: Predicate nominative; Translation: “Babel”; Notes: Derived from Hebrew “balal” (to confuse).
  8. quia — Lemma: quia; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Subordinating; Function: Introduces causal clause; Translation: “because”; Notes: Explains divine rationale.
  9. ibi — Lemma: ibi; Part of Speech: Adverb; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Locative; Translation: “there”; Notes: Refers to the location of confusion.
  10. confusum — Lemma: confundo; Part of Speech: Verb (participle); Form: Perfect passive participle nominative singular neuter; Function: Predicate adjective; Translation: “confounded”; Notes: Refers to divine act of language confusion.
  11. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present active indicative 3rd person singular; Function: Auxiliary verb; Translation: “was”; Notes: Completes passive construction.
  12. labium — Lemma: labium; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular neuter; Function: Subject of confusum est; Translation: “language”; Notes: Figuratively denotes speech or tongue.
  13. universæ — Lemma: universus; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: Genitive singular feminine; Function: Modifies terræ; Translation: “of all”; Notes: Expresses totality.
  14. terræ — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Genitive singular feminine; Function: Possessive genitive; Translation: “earth”; Notes: Refers to all humanity.
  15. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Coordinating; Function: Joins final clause; Translation: “and”; Notes: Connects cause and result.
  16. inde — Lemma: inde; Part of Speech: Adverb; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Marks source; Translation: “from there”; Notes: Refers back to the site of Babel.
  17. dispersit — Lemma: dispergo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect active indicative 3rd person singular; Function: Main verb; Translation: “scattered”; Notes: Marks divine action of dispersion.
  18. eos — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: Accusative plural masculine; Function: Direct object of dispersit; Translation: “them”; Notes: Refers to humankind.
  19. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Subject; Translation: “LORD”; Notes: The divine agent performing dispersion.
  20. super — Lemma: super; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs accusative; Function: Expresses spatial coverage; Translation: “over”; Notes: Denotes extent of action.
  21. faciem — Lemma: facies; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular feminine; Function: Object of super; Translation: “face”; Notes: Used metaphorically for “surface.”
  22. cunctarum — Lemma: cunctus; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: Genitive plural feminine; Function: Modifies regionum; Translation: “of all”; Notes: Totality of regions or lands.
  23. regionum — Lemma: regio; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Genitive plural feminine; Function: Possessive genitive; Translation: “regions”; Notes: Refers to all territories of the world.

 

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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