Genesis 5:13

Posted on January 5, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 5:13 Et vixit Cainan, postquam genuit Malaleel, octingentis quadraginta annis, genuitque filios et filias.

And Cainan lived, after he had begotten Malaleel, eight hundred and forty years, and he begot sons and daughters.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Et and CONJ
2 vixit he lived VERB.3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
3 Cainan Cainan PROPN.NOM.SG.M
4 postquam after CONJ.SUBORD
5 genuit had begotten VERB.3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
6 Malaleel Malaleel PROPN.ACC.SG.M
7 octingentis eight hundred NUM.ABL.PL.M
8 quadraginta forty NUM.INDECL
9 annis years NOUN.ABL.PL.M
10 genuitque and he begot VERB.3SG.PERF.ACT.IND+CONJ
11 filios sons NOUN.ACC.PL.M
12 et and CONJ
13 filias daughters NOUN.ACC.PL.F

Syntax

The verse follows the genealogical formula typical of Genesis 5. The first clause, Et vixit Cainan, postquam genuit Malaleel, expresses a temporal relationship: vixit (main verb) with Cainan as subject and postquam genuit Malaleel as a subordinate temporal clause (“after he had begotten Malaleel”).
The ablative phrase octingentis quadraginta annis denotes duration of life (“for eight hundred and forty years”), functioning as an ablative of time how long.
The final clause genuitque filios et filias provides the continuation of the genealogical pattern — genuit as the main verb, and filios and filias as direct objects joined by et.

Morphology

  1. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: connects this verse with the previous one; Translation: and; Notes: standard connective in genealogical continuity.
  2. vixit — Lemma: vivo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: third person singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb of the first clause; Translation: lived; Notes: describes the span of Cainan’s life following the birth of his son.
  3. Cainan — Lemma: Cainan; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of “vixit” and “genuit”; Translation: Cainan; Notes: patriarch in Seth’s lineage.
  4. postquam — Lemma: postquam; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: subordinating; Function: introduces temporal clause; Translation: after; Notes: governs perfect indicative in Latin temporal expressions.
  5. genuit — Lemma: gigno; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: third person singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb of subordinate clause; Translation: had begotten; Notes: completed action preceding the main verb “vixit.”
  6. Malaleel — Lemma: Malaleel; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of “genuit”; Translation: Malaleel; Notes: identifies the son born to Cainan.
  7. octingentis — Lemma: octingenti; Part of Speech: Numeral; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: modifies “annis”; Translation: eight hundred; Notes: first part of compound numeral expressing life duration.
  8. quadraginta — Lemma: quadraginta; Part of Speech: Numeral; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies “annis”; Translation: forty; Notes: completes numerical expression of years.
  9. annis — Lemma: annus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: ablative of time how long; Translation: years; Notes: indicates total time lived after the birth of Malaleel.
  10. genuitque — Lemma: gigno + que; Part of Speech: Verb (with enclitic conjunction); Form: third person singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb of the second clause; Translation: and he begot; Notes: enclitic “-que” links to preceding clause, emphasizing continuity.
  11. filios — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: direct object of “genuit”; Translation: sons; Notes: first of two coordinated objects.
  12. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: joins “filios” and “filias”; Translation: and; Notes: simple conjunction joining masculine and feminine nouns.
  13. filias — Lemma: filia; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: direct object of “genuit”; Translation: daughters; Notes: completes the genealogical formula, expressing total offspring.

 

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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