Genesis 4:20

Posted on January 4, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 4:20 Genuitque Ada Iabel, qui fuit pater habitantium in tentoriis, atque pastorum.

And Ada bore Jabal, who was the father of those dwelling in tents and of shepherds.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Genuitque and bore 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND + ENCLITIC.CONJ
2 Ada Ada NOM.SG.F (INDECL)
3 Iabel Jabal ACC.SG.M (INDECL)
4 qui who NOM.SG.M.REL.PRON
5 fuit was 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
6 pater father NOM.SG.M
7 habitantium of those dwelling GEN.PL.PRES.ACT.PART
8 in in PREP+ABL
9 tentoriis tents ABL.PL.N
10 atque and also CONJ
11 pastorum of shepherds GEN.PL.M

Syntax

Main Clause: Genuitque Ada Iabel — Genuit (perfect active indicative) is the main verb; Ada functions as the nominative subject; Iabel is the accusative direct object. The enclitic -que connects this clause to the previous genealogical list.
Relative Clause: qui fuit pater habitantium in tentoriis atque pastorum — qui (nominative singular masculine) refers to Iabel; fuit serves as the linking verb; predicate nominative pater identifies his role; habitantium (genitive plural participle) with in tentoriis expresses those living in tents; atque pastorum extends the genitive to include shepherds.

Morphology

  1. Genuitque — Lemma: gigno + que; Part of Speech: Verb + enclitic conjunction; Form: Perfect active indicative, 3rd person singular; Function: Main verb; Translation: “and bore”; Notes: -que links the clause with the preceding genealogical line.
  2. Ada — Lemma: Ada; Part of Speech: Proper noun (indeclinable); Form: Nominative singular feminine; Function: Subject of Genuit; Translation: “Ada”; Notes: First wife of Lamech, mother of Jabal and Jubal.
  3. Iabel — Lemma: Iabel; Part of Speech: Proper noun (indeclinable); Form: Accusative singular masculine (by context); Function: Direct object; Translation: “Jabal”; Notes: Treated as indeclinable Hebrew name in Latin.
  4. qui — Lemma: qui, quae, quod; Part of Speech: Relative pronoun; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Subject of relative clause; Translation: “who”; Notes: Refers back to Iabel.
  5. fuit — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect active indicative, 3rd person singular; Function: Copula; Translation: “was”; Notes: Links qui and pater as subject and predicate.
  6. pater — Lemma: pater; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Predicate nominative; Translation: “father”; Notes: Describes occupational progenitor.
  7. habitantium — Lemma: habito; Part of Speech: Participle; Form: Genitive plural present active participle; Function: Modifies implied hominum; Translation: “of those dwelling”; Notes: Describes those who live nomadically.
  8. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs ablative; Function: Locative; Translation: “in”; Notes: Indicates spatial relation to tentoriis.
  9. tentoriis — Lemma: tentorium; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative plural neuter; Function: Object of preposition in; Translation: “tents”; Notes: Refers to nomadic dwellings.
  10. atque — Lemma: atque; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Invariable; Function: Connects two genitive phrases; Translation: “and also”; Notes: Adds an additional category to habitantium.
  11. pastorum — Lemma: pastor; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Genitive plural masculine; Function: Second genitive complement of pater; Translation: “of shepherds”; Notes: Completes the occupational scope of Jabal’s descendants.

 

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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