Genesis 5:7

Posted on January 5, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

7 Vixitque Seth postquam genuit Enos, octingentis septem annis, genuitque filios et filias.

And Seth lived after he had begotten Enos, eight hundred and seven years, and he begot sons and daughters.

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

Syntax

The sentence begins with Vixitque Seth postquam genuit Enos, where Seth is the subject, Vixitque the main verb with the enclitic conjunction -que linking it to the previous verse, and postquam genuit Enos a subordinate temporal clause (“after he had begotten Enos”).
The ablative phrase octingentis septem annis expresses duration (“for eight hundred and seven years”), an ablative of time how long.
The coordinated clause genuitque filios et filias follows, describing continued procreation, with genuit as the main verb and filios and filias as direct objects joined by et.

Morphology

  1. Vixitque — Lemma: vivo + que; Part of Speech: Verb (with enclitic conjunction); Form: third person singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: and he lived; Notes: enclitic -que connects this clause to the preceding statement.
  2. Seth — Lemma: Seth; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of “vixit”; Translation: Seth; Notes: the second patriarch named after Adam.
  3. postquam — Lemma: postquam; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: subordinating; Function: introduces temporal clause; Translation: after; Notes: used with perfect indicative in subordinate clauses.
  4. genuit — Lemma: gigno; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: third person singular perfect active indicative; Function: verb of subordinate clause; Translation: had begotten; Notes: indicates completed past event prior to main clause.
  5. Enos — Lemma: Enos; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of “genuit”; Translation: Enos; Notes: Seth’s son, mentioned by name to maintain genealogical continuity.
  6. octingentis — Lemma: octingenti; Part of Speech: Numeral; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: modifies “annis” in ablative of time; Translation: eight hundred; Notes: part of compound numeral denoting duration.
  7. septem — Lemma: septem; Part of Speech: Numeral; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies “annis”; Translation: seven; Notes: completes the numerical expression of years.
  8. annis — Lemma: annus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: ablative of time how long; Translation: years; Notes: expresses length of life following Enos’ birth.
  9. genuitque — Lemma: gigno + que; Part of Speech: Verb (with enclitic conjunction); Form: third person singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb of second clause; Translation: and he begot; Notes: introduces continuation of progeny.
  10. filios — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: direct object of “genuit”; Translation: sons; Notes: first object in coordinated pair.
  11. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: joins “filios” and “filias”; Translation: and; Notes: coordinates masculine and feminine nouns.
  12. filias — Lemma: filia; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: direct object of “genuit”; Translation: daughters; Notes: complements “filios,” completing the expression of 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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