Genesis 5:31

Posted on January 5, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 5:31 Et facti sunt omnes dies Lamech, septingenti septuaginta septem anni, et mortuus est. Noe vero cum quingentorum esset annorum, genuit Sem, Cham, et Iapheth.

And all the days of Lamech were seven hundred and seventy-seven years, and he died. But Noah, when he was five hundred years old, begot Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Et and CONJ
2 facti were made PART.PERF.PASS.NOM.PL.M
3 sunt were VERB.3PL.PERF.IND.PASS
4 omnes all ADJ.NOM.PL.M
5 dies days NOUN.NOM.PL.M
6 Lamech of Lamech PROPN.GEN.SG.M
7 septingenti seven hundred NUM.NOM.PL.M
8 septuaginta seventy NUM.INDECL
9 septem seven NUM.INDECL
10 anni years NOUN.NOM.PL.M
11 et and CONJ
12 mortuus died PART.PERF.PASS.NOM.SG.M
13 est was VERB.3SG.PERF.IND.ACT
14 Noe Noah PROPN.NOM.SG.M
15 vero however ADV.CONTRAST
16 cum when CONJ.SUBORD
17 quingentorum five hundred NUM.GEN.PL.M
18 esset was VERB.3SG.IMPF.SUBJ.ACT
19 annorum years NOUN.GEN.PL.M
20 genuit begot VERB.3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
21 Sem Shem PROPN.ACC.SG.M
22 Cham Ham PROPN.ACC.SG.M
23 et and CONJ
24 Iapheth Japheth PROPN.ACC.SG.M

Syntax

The verse combines two genealogical statements.
The first clause Et facti sunt omnes dies Lamech septingenti septuaginta septem anni follows the established Genesis 5 formula.
The perfect passive periphrasis facti sunt (“were made,” idiomatically “were”) functions as the main predicate with dies as its nominative subject and Lamech in the genitive expressing possession.
The numerical phrase septingenti septuaginta septem anni is appositive to dies, denoting the full lifespan.
The clause et mortuus est provides the final event, the death of Lamech, with mortuus est serving as a perfect passive periphrastic construction.
The second sentence Noe vero cum quingentorum esset annorum, genuit Sem, Cham, et Iapheth introduces Noah’s age at fatherhood using a temporal cum-clause (“when he was five hundred years old”), followed by the main verb genuit and three coordinated accusative objects: Sem, Cham, et Iapheth.

Morphology

  1. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: connects with previous genealogical entries; Translation: and; Notes: introduces summary of lifespan.
  2. facti — Lemma: fio; Part of Speech: Verb (participle); Form: nominative plural masculine perfect passive participle; Function: predicate element with “sunt”; Translation: were made/were; Notes: idiomatic Latin expression for total lifespan.
  3. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: third person plural perfect indicative; Function: auxiliary verb completing “facti sunt”; Translation: were; Notes: conveys completed totality of Lamech’s years.
  4. omnes — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: modifies “dies”; Translation: all; Notes: emphasizes completeness of lifespan.
  5. dies — Lemma: dies; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject of “facti sunt”; Translation: days; Notes: Hebrew idiom for lifespan or years lived.
  6. Lamech — Lemma: Lamech; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessive genitive; Translation: of Lamech; Notes: identifies subject of genealogical record.
  7. septingenti — Lemma: septingenti; Part of Speech: Numeral; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: modifies “anni”; Translation: seven hundred; Notes: first element of the numeric phrase.
  8. septuaginta — Lemma: septuaginta; Part of Speech: Numeral; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies “anni”; Translation: seventy; Notes: second element of number.
  9. septem — Lemma: septem; Part of Speech: Numeral; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies “anni”; Translation: seven; Notes: completes “777 years.”
  10. anni — Lemma: annus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: appositive to “dies”; Translation: years; Notes: specifies lifespan duration.
  11. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: joins final clause; Translation: and; Notes: connects death formula.
  12. mortuus — Lemma: morior; Part of Speech: Verb (participle); Form: nominative singular masculine perfect passive participle; Function: predicate participle with “est”; Translation: died; Notes: conveys completed death event.
  13. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: third person singular perfect indicative; Function: auxiliary forming perfect passive; Translation: was; Notes: forms periphrastic perfect passive.
  14. Noe — Lemma: Noe; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of the second sentence; Translation: Noah; Notes: introduces transition to the next genealogy phase.
  15. vero — Lemma: vero; Part of Speech: Adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: contrastive particle; Translation: however/but; Notes: signals shift from Lamech to Noah.
  16. cum — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: subordinating; Function: introduces temporal clause; Translation: when; Notes: governs subjunctive “esset.”
  17. quingentorum — Lemma: quingenti; Part of Speech: Numeral; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: modifies “annorum”; Translation: five hundred; Notes: part of genitive phrase of measure.
  18. esset — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: third person singular imperfect subjunctive active; Function: verb of temporal clause; Translation: was; Notes: subjunctive required by “cum” temporal clause.
  19. annorum — Lemma: annus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: genitive of measure; Translation: years; Notes: specifies Noah’s age.
  20. genuit — Lemma: gigno; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: third person singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb of the clause; Translation: begot; Notes: introduces Noah’s three sons.
  21. Sem — Lemma: Sem; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of “genuit”; Translation: Shem; Notes: first-named son.
  22. Cham — Lemma: Cham; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object; Translation: Ham; Notes: second son of Noah.
  23. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: connects final object; Translation: and; Notes: joins the triad of sons.
  24. Iapheth — Lemma: Iapheth; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of “genuit”; Translation: Japheth; Notes: third son, completing Noah’s genealogical triad.

 

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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