Genesis 4:25

Posted on January 4, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 4:25 Cognovit quoque adhuc Adam uxorem suam: et peperit filium, vocavitque nomen eius Seth, dicens: Posuit mihi Deus semen aliud pro Abel, quem occidit Cain.

And Adam again knew his wife, and she bore a son and called his name Seth, saying: God has appointed me another offspring instead of Abel, whom Cain slew.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Cognovit knew 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 quoque also ADV
3 adhuc still / again ADV
4 Adam Adam NOM.SG.M (INDECL)
5 uxorem wife ACC.SG.F
6 suam his ACC.SG.F.ADJ.POSS
7 et and CONJ
8 peperit bore 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
9 filium son ACC.SG.M
10 vocavitque and called 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND + ENCLITIC.CONJ
11 nomen name ACC.SG.N
12 eius his GEN.SG.M.PRON
13 Seth Seth ACC.SG.M (INDECL)
14 dicens saying NOM.SG.F.PRES.ACT.PART
15 Posuit has appointed 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
16 mihi to me DAT.SG.1P.PRON
17 Deus God NOM.SG.M
18 semen offspring ACC.SG.N
19 aliud another ACC.SG.N.ADJ
20 pro instead of PREP + ABL
21 Abel Abel ABL.SG.M (INDECL)
22 quem whom ACC.SG.M.REL.PRON
23 occidit slew 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
24 Cain Cain NOM.SG.M (INDECL)

Syntax

Main Clause 1: Cognovit quoque adhuc Adam uxorem suam — The verb Cognovit governs uxorem suam (“his wife”) as its object. quoque and adhuc reinforce continuity of the genealogy (“Adam again knew his wife”).
Main Clause 2: et peperit filium — A result clause, with peperit as the main verb and filium (“a son”) its object.
Main Clause 3: vocavitque nomen eius Seth — Perfect verb with enclitic -que; the implied subject (Eve) names the child.
Participial Clause: dicens introduces the reason for the naming.
Direct Speech: Posuit mihi Deus semen aliud pro Abel, quem occidit Cain — Expresses thanksgiving and substitution: “God has appointed me another offspring instead of Abel, whom Cain slew.”

Morphology

  1. Cognovit — Lemma: cognosco; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect active indicative, 3rd singular; Function: Main verb; Translation: “knew (had relations with)”; Notes: Used euphemistically for marital union; the perfect tense indicates completed action.
  2. quoque — Lemma: quoque; Part of Speech: Adverb; Form: Invariable; Function: Adds emphasis; Translation: “also”; Notes: Reinforces continuation from the previous episode of procreation.
  3. adhuc — Lemma: adhuc; Part of Speech: Adverb; Form: Invariable; Function: Temporal; Translation: “still / again”; Notes: Conveys persistence or repetition of the action.
  4. Adam — Lemma: Adam; Part of Speech: Proper noun (indeclinable); Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Subject of Cognovit; Translation: “Adam”; Notes: Hebrew אָדָם rendered indeclinably in the Vulgate.
  5. uxorem — Lemma: uxor; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular feminine; Function: Direct object of Cognovit; Translation: “wife”; Notes: Regular third-declension noun.
  6. suam — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: Adjective (possessive); Form: Accusative singular feminine; Function: Modifies uxorem; Translation: “his”; Notes: Reflexive possessive referring back to Adam.
  7. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Invariable; Function: Connects clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Simple coordinator introducing narrative sequence.
  8. peperit — Lemma: pario; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect active indicative, 3rd singular; Function: Main verb of second clause; Translation: “she bore”; Notes: Common biblical verb for childbirth.
  9. filium — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular masculine; Function: Object of peperit; Translation: “a son”; Notes: Marks continuation of Adamic lineage.
  10. vocavitque — Lemma: voco + -que; Part of Speech: Verb + enclitic conjunction; Form: Perfect active indicative, 3rd singular; Function: Main verb linking actions; Translation: “and called”; Notes: -que unites verbs in narrative succession.
  11. nomen — Lemma: nomen; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular neuter; Function: Object of vocavit; Translation: “name”; Notes: The direct object of naming acts.
  12. eius — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: Genitive singular masculine; Function: Possessive modifier of nomen; Translation: “his”; Notes: Non-reflexive pronoun, referring to the child.
  13. Seth — Lemma: Seth; Part of Speech: Proper noun (indeclinable); Form: Accusative singular masculine; Function: Predicate accusative after vocavit; Translation: “Seth”; Notes: From Hebrew שֵׁת (Šēt), meaning “appointed.”
  14. dicens — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: Participle; Form: Nominative singular feminine present active; Function: Introduces direct speech; Translation: “saying”; Notes: Agrees with Eve as implied subject.
  15. Posuit — Lemma: pono; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect active indicative, 3rd singular; Function: Main verb of Eve’s statement; Translation: “has appointed”; Notes: Indicates divine agency in restoring offspring.
  16. mihi — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: Dative singular; Function: Indirect object of Posuit; Translation: “to me”; Notes: Expresses recipient of divine gift.
  17. Deus — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Subject of Posuit; Translation: “God”; Notes: Agent of the action; Latin rendering of Hebrew אֱלֹהִים (Elohim).
  18. semen — Lemma: semen; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular neuter; Function: Object of Posuit; Translation: “offspring”; Notes: In biblical usage symbolic of posterity and covenantal continuity.
  19. aliud — Lemma: alius; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: Accusative singular neuter; Function: Modifies semen; Translation: “another”; Notes: Emphasizes replacement for Abel.
  20. pro — Lemma: pro; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs ablative; Function: Expresses substitution; Translation: “instead of”; Notes: Common preposition indicating exchange or replacement.
  21. Abel — Lemma: Abel; Part of Speech: Proper noun (indeclinable); Form: Ablative singular masculine; Function: Object of pro; Translation: “Abel”; Notes: Hebrew הֶבֶל (Hevel) = “breath / vanity.”
  22. quem — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: Relative pronoun; Form: Accusative singular masculine; Function: Object of occidit; Translation: “whom”; Notes: Links relative clause to its antecedent Abel.
  23. occidit — Lemma: occido; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect active indicative, 3rd singular; Function: Main verb of relative clause; Translation: “slew”; Notes: Denotes murder; perfect tense marks completed past action.
  24. Cain — Lemma: Cain; Part of Speech: Proper noun (indeclinable); Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Subject of occidit; Translation: “Cain”; Notes: Retains its Hebrew form קַיִן (Qayin), representing the firstborn of Adam and Eve, here the grammatical subject who performs the action of killing Abel.

 

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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