Genesis 4:19

Posted on January 4, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 4:19 Qui accepit duas uxores, nomen uni Ada, et nomen alteri Sella.

Who took two wives: the name of one was Ada, and the name of the other was Sella.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Qui who NOM.SG.M.REL.PRON
2 accepit took 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
3 duas two ACC.PL.F.NUM
4 uxores wives ACC.PL.F
5 nomen name NOM.SG.N
6 uni of one DAT.SG.F.NUM
7 Ada Ada NOM.SG.F (INDECL)
8 et and CONJ
9 nomen name NOM.SG.N
10 alteri of the other DAT.SG.F
11 Sella Sella NOM.SG.F (INDECL)

Syntax

Relative Clause: Qui accepit duas uxores — Qui refers to Lamech (previous verse); accepit is the perfect active verb meaning “took (as wives)”; duas uxores forms the object phrase, expressing polygamy.
Appositive Clauses: nomen uni Ada and et nomen alteri Sella — both have elliptical verbs (“erat” understood: “the name [was] …”); uni and alteri are datives of possession; Ada and Sella are predicate nominatives naming each wife. The repetition of nomen balances the structure symmetrically.

Morphology

  1. Qui — Lemma: qui, quae, quod; Part of Speech: Relative pronoun; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Subject of accepit; Translation: “who”; Notes: Refers back to Lamech from the preceding verse.
  2. accepit — Lemma: accipio; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect active indicative, 3rd person singular; Function: Main verb of the relative clause; Translation: “took”; Notes: Indicates marital acquisition.
  3. duas — Lemma: duo; Part of Speech: Numeral adjective; Form: Accusative plural feminine; Function: Modifies uxores; Translation: “two”; Notes: Expresses number of wives taken.
  4. uxores — Lemma: uxor; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative plural feminine; Function: Direct object of accepit; Translation: “wives”; Notes: Introduces first explicit mention of polygamy.
  5. nomen — Lemma: nomen; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular neuter; Function: Subject of implied “erat”; Translation: “name”; Notes: Repeated as the grammatical subject of both appositive clauses.
  6. uni — Lemma: unus, -a, -um; Part of Speech: Numeral adjective; Form: Dative singular feminine; Function: Dative of possession; Translation: “to one / of one”; Notes: Refers to the first wife.
  7. Ada — Lemma: Ada; Part of Speech: Proper noun (indeclinable); Form: Nominative singular feminine; Function: Predicate nominative; Translation: “Ada”; Notes: Name of the first wife.
  8. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Invariable; Function: Connects parallel clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Balances the second naming clause with the first.
  9. nomen — Lemma: nomen; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular neuter; Function: Subject of implied “erat”; Translation: “name”; Notes: Repetition reinforces stylistic symmetry.
  10. alteri — Lemma: alter, altera, alterum; Part of Speech: Adjective / pronoun; Form: Dative singular feminine; Function: Dative of possession; Translation: “to the other”; Notes: Refers to the second wife.
  11. Sella — Lemma: Sella; Part of Speech: Proper noun (indeclinable); Form: Nominative singular feminine; Function: Predicate nominative; Translation: “Sella”; Notes: Name of the second wife.

 

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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