Genesis 4:8

Posted on January 4, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 4:8 Dixitque Cain ad Abel fratrem suum: Egrediamur foras. Cumque essent in agro, consurrexit Cain adversus fratrem suum Abel, et interfecit eum.

And Cain said to Abel his brother: “Let us go out to the field.” And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Dixitque and said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND + ENCLITIC.CONJ
2 Cain Cain NOM.SG.M
3 ad to / toward PREP+ACC
4 Abel Abel ACC.SG.M
5 fratrem brother ACC.SG.M
6 suum his ACC.SG.M.POSS
7 Egrediamur let us go out 1PL.PRES.SUBJ.DEP
8 foras outside / out to the field ADV
9 Cumque and when CONJ+ENCLITIC
10 essent they were 3PL.IMPF.ACT.SUBJ
11 in in PREP+ABL
12 agro field ABL.SG.M
13 consurrexit rose up 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
14 Cain Cain NOM.SG.M
15 adversus against PREP+ACC
16 fratrem brother ACC.SG.M
17 suum his ACC.SG.M.POSS
18 Abel Abel ACC.SG.M
19 et and CONJ
20 interfecit killed 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
21 eum him ACC.SG.M.PRON

Syntax

Main Clause 1: Dixitque Cain ad Abel fratrem suum — main narrative introduction; Cain as subject, dixit as verb, and ad Abel fratrem suum marking the addressee with appositive specification.
Direct Speech: Egrediamur foras — hortatory subjunctive expressing invitation or suggestion (“Let us go out”).
Temporal Clause: Cumque essent in agro — subordinate temporal clause with subjunctive verb essent indicating circumstance.
Main Clause 2: consurrexit Cain adversus fratrem suum Abel et interfecit eum — two coordinated finite verbs (consurrexit and interfecit) describe sequential violent action. adversus fratrem suum Abel functions as prepositional phrase marking target of hostility.

Morphology

  1. Dixitque — Lemma: dico + que; Part of Speech: Verb + enclitic conjunction; Form: Perfect active indicative, 3rd person singular; Function: Introduces speech; Translation: “and said”; Notes: -que connects with prior narrative for continuity.
  2. Cain — Lemma: Cain; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Subject of dixit; Translation: “Cain”; Notes: Agent initiating dialogue.
  3. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs accusative; Function: Indicates recipient; Translation: “to”; Notes: Commonly marks direction of speech.
  4. Abel — Lemma: Abel; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Accusative singular masculine; Function: Object of ad; Translation: “Abel”; Notes: Recipient of Cain’s speech.
  5. fratrem — Lemma: frater; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular masculine; Function: Appositional specification to Abel; Translation: “brother”; Notes: Emphasizes familial bond tragically violated.
  6. suum — Lemma: suus, -a, -um; Part of Speech: Possessive adjective; Form: Accusative singular masculine; Function: Modifies fratrem; Translation: “his”; Notes: Reflexive to subject Cain.
  7. Egrediamur — Lemma: egredior; Part of Speech: Verb (deponent); Form: Present subjunctive, 1st person plural; Function: Hortatory subjunctive; Translation: “let us go out”; Notes: Expresses invitation to action.
  8. foras — Lemma: foras; Part of Speech: Adverb; Form: Invariable; Function: Adverb of place; Translation: “outside”; Notes: Indicates motion to the open field.
  9. Cumque — Lemma: cum + que; Part of Speech: Conjunction + enclitic; Form: Invariable; Function: Introduces temporal subordinate clause; Translation: “and when”; Notes: The enclitic -que maintains narrative flow.
  10. essent — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Imperfect active subjunctive, 3rd person plural; Function: Verb of temporal clause; Translation: “they were”; Notes: Describes background circumstance.
  11. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs ablative; Function: Locative; Translation: “in”; Notes: Establishes setting of the action.
  12. agro — Lemma: ager; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative singular masculine; Function: Object of in; Translation: “field”; Notes: Literal place of the murder.
  13. consurrexit — Lemma: consurgo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect active indicative, 3rd person singular; Function: First predicate of main clause; Translation: “rose up”; Notes: Indicates sudden hostile movement.
  14. Cain — Lemma: Cain; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Subject of consurrexit and interfecit; Translation: “Cain”; Notes: The active perpetrator.
  15. adversus — Lemma: adversus; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs accusative; Function: Marks opposition; Translation: “against”; Notes: Denotes hostility and confrontation.
  16. fratrem — Lemma: frater; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular masculine; Function: Object of adversus; Translation: “brother”; Notes: Repetition underscores moral gravity.
  17. suum — Lemma: suus, -a, -um; Part of Speech: Possessive adjective; Form: Accusative singular masculine; Function: Modifies fratrem; Translation: “his”; Notes: Reflexive to Cain, reinforcing familial bond.
  18. Abel — Lemma: Abel; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Accusative singular masculine; Function: Appositional identifier of fratrem; Translation: “Abel”; Notes: Specifies victim by name.
  19. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Invariable; Function: Links successive verbs; Translation: “and”; Notes: Sequential connection of violent acts.
  20. interfecit — Lemma: interficio; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect active indicative, 3rd person singular; Function: Final verb of narrative sequence; Translation: “killed”; Notes: Expresses culmination of hostility.
  21. eum — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: Accusative singular masculine; Function: Direct object of interfecit; Translation: “him”; Notes: Refers to Abel, the victim of the act.

 

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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