Genesis 25:13

Posted on January 25, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 25:13 hæc nomina filiorum eius in vocabulis et generationibus suis. Primogenitus Ismaelis Nabaioth, deinde Cedar, et Adbeel, et Mabsam,

these are the names of his sons in their names and generations. The firstborn of Ismael was Nabaioth, then Cedar, and Adbeel, and Mabsam,

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 hæc these DEM.PRON.NOM.PL.N
2 nomina names NOUN.NOM.PL.N
3 filiorum of the sons NOUN.GEN.PL.M
4 eius his PRON.POSS.GEN.SG.M
5 in in PREP+ABL
6 vocabulis names NOUN.ABL.PL.N
7 et and CONJ
8 generationibus generations NOUN.ABL.PL.F
9 suis their PRON.REFL.ABL.PL.M
10 Primogenitus firstborn NOUN.NOM.SG.M
11 Ismaelis of Ishmael PROPN.GEN.SG.M
12 Nabaioth Nebaioth PROPN.NOM.SG.M
13 deinde then ADV
14 Cedar Kedar PROPN.NOM.SG.M
15 et and CONJ
16 Adbeel Adbeel PROPN.NOM.SG.M
17 et and CONJ
18 Mabsam Mibsam PROPN.NOM.SG.M

Syntax

Main Clause 1: Hæc nomina filiorum eius in vocabulis et generationibus suis — a nominal clause with hæc (subject) and nomina (predicate nominative), followed by prepositional phrase in vocabulis et generationibus suis indicating manner or classification.
Main Clause 2: Primogenitus Ismaelis Nabaioth functions as an equative statement: Primogenitus (subject/predicate nominative) + Ismaelis (genitive of possession) + Nabaioth (apposition).
Subsequent coordination with deinde Cedar, et Adbeel, et Mabsam continues the enumeration of sons in simple additive structure joined by et.

Morphology

  1. hæc — Lemma: hic; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: nominative plural neuter; Function: subject; Translation: “these”; Notes: Introduces a list of names.
  2. nomina — Lemma: nomen; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural neuter; Function: predicate nominative; Translation: “names”; Notes: Refers to the sons’ names listed.
  3. filiorum — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: genitive of possession; Translation: “of the sons”; Notes: Modifies “nomina.”
  4. eius — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun (possessive); Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessive modifier; Translation: “his”; Notes: Refers to Ismael as father of the sons.
  5. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces the prepositional phrase of classification; Translation: “in”; Notes: Specifies context of naming.
  6. vocabulis — Lemma: vocabulum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural neuter; Function: object of preposition “in”; Translation: “names”; Notes: Indicates title categories or appellations.
  7. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating conjunction; Function: links “vocabulis” and “generationibus”; Translation: “and”; Notes: Simple conjunction.
  8. generationibus — Lemma: generatio; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural feminine; Function: coordinate with “vocabulis”; Translation: “generations”; Notes: Indicates genealogical divisions.
  9. suis — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: reflexive possessive pronoun; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: adjective modifying “generationibus”; Translation: “their”; Notes: Refers to the sons collectively.
  10. Primogenitus — Lemma: primogenitus; Part of Speech: noun/adjective; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “firstborn”; Notes: Denotes eldest son.
  11. Ismaelis — Lemma: Ismael; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessive genitive; Translation: “of Ismael”; Notes: Indicates parentage.
  12. Nabaioth — Lemma: Nabaioth; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: predicate nominative; Translation: “Nabaioth”; Notes: Identifies Ismael’s firstborn son.
  13. deinde — Lemma: deinde; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: adverb of sequence; Translation: “then”; Notes: Marks succession in genealogy.
  14. Cedar — Lemma: Cedar; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: coordinate subject; Translation: “Cedar”; Notes: Second son listed.
  15. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating conjunction; Function: links elements of list; Translation: “and”; Notes: Adds following names.
  16. Adbeel — Lemma: Adbeel; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: coordinate with previous names; Translation: “Adbeel”; Notes: Another son of Ismael.
  17. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating conjunction; Function: continues list; Translation: “and”; Notes: Introduces final element in enumeration.
  18. Mabsam — Lemma: Mabsam; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: last coordinate name; Translation: “Mabsam”; Notes: Fourth son of Ismael listed in order.

 

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.
This entry was posted in Genesis. Bookmark the permalink.

Comments are closed.