Genesis 5:5

Posted on January 5, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 5:5 Et factum est omne tempus quod vixit Adam, anni nongenti triginta, et mortuus est.

And all the time that Adam lived was nine hundred and thirty years, and he died.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Et and CONJ
2 factum was made/became PART.PERF.PASS.NOM.SG.N
3 est was VERB.3SG.PERF.IND.PASS
4 omne all ADJ.NOM.SG.N
5 tempus time NOUN.NOM.SG.N
6 quod which REL.PRON.NOM.SG.N
7 vixit lived VERB.3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
8 Adam Adam PROPN.NOM.SG.M
9 anni years NOUN.NOM.PL.M
10 nongenti nine hundred NUM.NOM.PL.M
11 triginta thirty NUM.INDECL
12 et and CONJ
13 mortuus died PART.PERF.DEP.NOM.SG.M
14 est was VERB.3SG.PERF.IND.DEP

Syntax

The opening clause Et factum est omne tempus quod vixit Adam is a perfect passive construction meaning “and all the time that Adam lived was (so much).” Here, tempus serves as the nominative subject, factum est as the compound predicate, and the relative clause quod vixit Adam specifies which time is meant.
The appositive phrase anni nongenti triginta clarifies the total duration of that time — “nine hundred and thirty years.”
The concluding clause et mortuus est contains mortuus est, a deponent perfect form functioning as “he died,” completing the record of Adam’s life span.

Morphology

  1. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links this sentence to the previous; Translation: and; Notes: continues the genealogical record.
  2. factum — Lemma: fio; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: nominative singular neuter perfect passive participle; Function: part of the compound verb “factum est”; Translation: was made/became; Notes: agrees with “tempus.”
  3. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: third person singular perfect indicative; Function: auxiliary verb completing “factum est”; Translation: was; Notes: expresses completed state.
  4. omne — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: modifies “tempus”; Translation: all; Notes: totality of time.
  5. tempus — Lemma: tempus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: subject of “factum est”; Translation: time; Notes: refers to Adam’s entire life span.
  6. quod — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: Relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: introduces relative clause modifying “tempus”; Translation: which; Notes: refers to the duration Adam lived.
  7. vixit — Lemma: vivo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: third person singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb of relative clause; Translation: lived; Notes: expresses completed life period.
  8. Adam — Lemma: Adam; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of “vixit”; Translation: Adam; Notes: antecedent of genealogical statement.
  9. anni — Lemma: annus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: predicate nominative in apposition to “tempus”; Translation: years; Notes: clarifies measurement of time.
  10. nongenti — Lemma: nongenti; Part of Speech: Numeral; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: modifies “anni”; Translation: nine hundred; Notes: compound numeral element.
  11. triginta — Lemma: triginta; Part of Speech: Numeral; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies “anni”; Translation: thirty; Notes: completes the numeral expression.
  12. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: joins the final clause; Translation: and; Notes: links to conclusion of Adam’s life.
  13. mortuus — Lemma: morior; Part of Speech: Deponent verb; Form: nominative singular masculine perfect participle; Function: part of periphrastic perfect “mortuus est”; Translation: died; Notes: expresses completed death event.
  14. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Auxiliary verb; Form: third person singular perfect indicative; Function: auxiliary with “mortuus”; Translation: was; Notes: forms the perfect “he died.”

 

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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