Genesis 25:16

Posted on January 25, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

16 Isti sunt filii Ismaelis: et hæc nomina per castella et oppida eorum, duodecim principes tribuum suarum.

These are the sons of Ismael: and these are their names according to their villages and towns, twelve princes of their tribes.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Isti these DEM.PRON.NOM.PL.M
2 sunt are 3PL.PRES.ACT.IND
3 filii sons NOUN.NOM.PL.M
4 Ismaelis of Ishmael PROPN.GEN.SG.M
5 et and CONJ
6 hæc these DEM.PRON.NOM.PL.N
7 nomina names NOUN.NOM.PL.N
8 per through PREP+ACC
9 castella villages NOUN.ACC.PL.N
10 et and CONJ
11 oppida towns NOUN.ACC.PL.N
12 eorum their PRON.POSS.GEN.PL.M
13 duodecim twelve NUM.CARD.INDECL
14 principes princes NOUN.NOM.PL.M
15 tribuum of tribes NOUN.GEN.PL.F
16 suarum their PRON.REFL.GEN.PL.F

Syntax

Main Clause 1: Isti sunt filii Ismaelis — Isti (subject) + sunt (copula) + filii (predicate nominative), identifying the sons of Ismael.
Main Clause 2: et hæc nomina per castella et oppida eorum — another equative clause: hæc (subject) + nomina (predicate nominative), with the prepositional phrase per castella et oppida eorum indicating distribution “according to their villages and towns.”
Appositive Phrase: duodecim principes tribuum suarum — restates the twelve leaders as nominative apposition, describing the same sons as “twelve princes of their tribes.”

Morphology

  1. Isti — Lemma: iste; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “these”; Notes: Introduces the list of Ismael’s sons.
  2. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative 3rd person plural; Function: copulative verb; Translation: “are”; Notes: Links subject and predicate nominative.
  3. filii — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: predicate nominative; Translation: “sons”; Notes: Refers to Ismael’s male descendants.
  4. Ismaelis — Lemma: Ismael; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: genitive of possession; Translation: “of Ismael”; Notes: Denotes lineage.
  5. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating conjunction; Function: connects the two main clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Links genealogical statements.
  6. hæc — Lemma: hic; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: nominative plural neuter; Function: subject; Translation: “these”; Notes: Refers to the names that follow.
  7. nomina — Lemma: nomen; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural neuter; Function: predicate nominative; Translation: “names”; Notes: Specifies the designation of the sons.
  8. per — Lemma: per; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces phrase of distribution; Translation: “according to / through”; Notes: Expresses ordering by location.
  9. castella — Lemma: castellum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: object of “per”; Translation: “villages”; Notes: Refers to settlements associated with each tribe.
  10. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating conjunction; Function: connects “castella” and “oppida”; Translation: “and”; Notes: Simple connective.
  11. oppida — Lemma: oppidum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: object of “per”; Translation: “towns”; Notes: Denotes larger or fortified habitations.
  12. eorum — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun (possessive); Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: possessive modifier; Translation: “their”; Notes: Refers to the sons’ territories.
  13. duodecim — Lemma: duodecim; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: indeclinable; Function: quantifier modifying “principes”; Translation: “twelve”; Notes: Indicates the total number of tribal leaders.
  14. principes — Lemma: princeps; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: appositive predicate; Translation: “princes”; Notes: Titles given to heads of tribes.
  15. tribuum — Lemma: tribus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural feminine; Function: genitive of possession; Translation: “of tribes”; Notes: Denotes the individual clans or divisions under each prince.
  16. suarum — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: reflexive possessive pronoun; Form: genitive plural feminine; Function: modifies “tribuum”; Translation: “their”; Notes: Refers to each prince’s own tribe.

 

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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