Genesis 5:29

Posted on January 5, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 5:29 vocavitque nomen eius Noe, dicens: Iste consolabitur nos ab operibus et laboribus manuum nostrarum in terra, cui maledixit Dominus.

And he called his name Noah, saying: This one will comfort us from the works and the labors of our hands on the earth which the LORD has cursed.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 vocavitque and he called VERB.3SG.PERF.ACT.IND+CONJ
2 nomen name NOUN.ACC.SG.N
3 eius his PRON.GEN.SG.M
4 Noe Noah PROPN.ACC.SG.M
5 dicens saying PART.PRES.ACT.NOM.SG.M
6 Iste this one PRON.NOM.SG.M
7 consolabitur will comfort VERB.3SG.FUT.IND.DEP
8 nos us PRON.ACC.PL.M
9 ab from PREP+ABL
10 operibus works NOUN.ABL.PL.N
11 et and CONJ
12 laboribus labors NOUN.ABL.PL.M
13 manuum of our hands NOUN.GEN.PL.F
14 nostrarum our PRON.GEN.PL.F
15 in on PREP+ABL
16 terra earth NOUN.ABL.SG.F
17 cui which PRON.DAT.SG.F
18 maledixit has cursed VERB.3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
19 Dominus the LORD NOUN.NOM.SG.M

Syntax

The sentence opens with the main clause vocavitque nomen eius Noe, where the perfect active verb vocavit governs the double accusative construction: nomen (object) and Noe (predicate accusative), “he called his name Noah.”
The participle dicens introduces direct discourse, explaining the reason behind the name.
Within the quotation, Iste consolabitur nos serves as the main clause, with Iste as the subject and consolabitur (future indicative deponent of consolor) as the predicate.
The prepositional phrase ab operibus et laboribus manuum nostrarum expresses deliverance from toil, and in terra cui maledixit Dominus specifies the cursed ground, with cui (dative relative) linked to maledixit.
The structure combines direct speech with relative subordination, typical of genealogical commentary in Genesis.

Morphology

  1. vocavitque — Lemma: voco + que; Part of Speech: Verb (with enclitic conjunction); Form: third person singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: and he called; Notes: perfect tense marks completed naming act within the genealogy.
  2. nomen — Lemma: nomen; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object of “vocavit”; Translation: name; Notes: paired with predicate accusative “Noe.”
  3. eius — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessive pronoun modifying “nomen”; Translation: his; Notes: refers to the newly born son.
  4. Noe — Lemma: Noe; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: predicate accusative of naming; Translation: Noah; Notes: Latin transliteration of Hebrew “Noaḥ,” meaning “rest” or “comfort.”
  5. dicens — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: Participle; Form: nominative singular masculine present active participle; Function: introduces indirect discourse; Translation: saying; Notes: connects the naming with its explanation.
  6. Iste — Lemma: iste; Part of Speech: Demonstrative pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of “consolabitur”; Translation: this one; Notes: refers to Noah as the promised comforter.
  7. consolabitur — Lemma: consolor; Part of Speech: Verb (deponent); Form: third person singular future indicative; Function: main verb of direct discourse; Translation: will comfort; Notes: prophetic nuance linking Noah’s name with relief from curse.
  8. nos — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: accusative plural; Function: direct object of “consolabitur”; Translation: us; Notes: collective reference to humankind.
  9. ab — Lemma: ab; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses separation; Translation: from; Notes: introduces the sources of hardship.
  10. operibus — Lemma: opus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: ablative plural neuter; Function: object of “ab”; Translation: works; Notes: refers to human toil resulting from the curse.
  11. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links ablatives “operibus” and “laboribus”; Translation: and; Notes: joins two synonymous terms.
  12. laboribus — Lemma: labor; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: object of “ab”; Translation: labors; Notes: emphasizes painful effort post-curse.
  13. manuum — Lemma: manus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: genitive plural feminine; Function: genitive of possession; Translation: of our hands; Notes: modifies “operibus et laboribus.”
  14. nostrarum — Lemma: noster; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: genitive plural feminine; Function: agrees with “manuum”; Translation: our; Notes: reinforces personal labor of humankind.
  15. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: denotes location; Translation: on; Notes: introduces location of curse.
  16. terra — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of “in”; Translation: earth; Notes: the ground itself is personified as cursed.
  17. cui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: Relative pronoun; Form: dative singular feminine; Function: indirect object of “maledixit”; Translation: which; Notes: refers to “terra.”
  18. maledixit — Lemma: maledico; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: third person singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb of the relative clause; Translation: has cursed; Notes: expresses divine judgment from Genesis 3:17.
  19. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of “maledixit”; Translation: the LORD; Notes: refers to YHWH, emphasizing divine authority and continuity of the curse motif.

 

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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