Genesis 6:3

Posted on January 6, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 6:3 Dixitque Deus: Non permanebit spiritus meus in homine in æternum, quia caro est: eruntque dies illius centum viginti annorum.

And God said: My Spirit shall not remain in man forever, because he is flesh; and his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Dixitque and said VERB.3SG.PERF.ACT.IND+ENCLITIC
2 Deus God NOUN.NOM.SG.M
3 Non not ADV.NEG
4 permanebit shall remain VERB.3SG.FUT.ACT.IND
5 spiritus spirit NOUN.NOM.SG.M
6 meus my ADJ.NOM.SG.M
7 in in PREP+ABL
8 homine man NOUN.ABL.SG.M
9 in in PREP+ACC
10 æternum forever NOUN.ACC.SG.N
11 quia because CONJ
12 caro flesh NOUN.NOM.SG.F
13 est is VERB.3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
14 eruntque and shall be VERB.3PL.FUT.ACT.IND+ENCLITIC
15 dies days NOUN.NOM.PL.M
16 illius of him PRON.GEN.SG.M
17 centum hundred NUM.INDECL
18 viginti twenty NUM.INDECL
19 annorum years NOUN.GEN.PL.M

Syntax

The sentence opens with Dixitque Deus—a narrative formula meaning “and God said.” The following direct speech contains two coordinated declarations.
In the first clause, Non permanebit spiritus meus in homine in æternum, the subject is spiritus meus (“my Spirit”), the verb permanebit (“shall remain”) is future active indicative, and in homine serves as a prepositional phrase marking location (“in man”). The phrase in æternum expresses duration, literally “into eternity.”
The conjunction quia introduces a causal clause explaining the divine decision: caro est (“he is flesh”).
Finally, the clause eruntque dies illius centum viginti annorum announces the limitation of human lifespan. The future verb erunt governs the nominative subject dies with illius (“of him”) as possessive genitive and centum viginti annorum as a genitive of measure indicating “one hundred and twenty years.”

Morphology

  1. Dixitque — Lemma: dico + -que; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: third person singular perfect active indicative with enclitic conjunction; Function: introduces divine speech; Translation: and said; Notes: common biblical formula in Vulgate narrative.
  2. Deus — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: God; Notes: divine speaker of the decree.
  3. Non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: Adverb; Form: negative particle; Function: negates the verb “permanebit”; Translation: not; Notes: standard negation.
  4. permanebit — Lemma: permaneo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: third person singular future active indicative; Function: predicate verb; Translation: shall remain; Notes: expresses divine determination.
  5. spiritus — Lemma: spiritus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of “permanebit”; Translation: spirit; Notes: denotes divine life-giving breath.
  6. meus — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: Adjective (possessive); Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: modifies “spiritus”; Translation: my; Notes: emphasizes divine ownership.
  7. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: indicates location; Translation: in; Notes: shows sphere of divine activity.
  8. homine — Lemma: homo; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of “in”; Translation: man; Notes: humanity in general.
  9. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses duration; Translation: into / for; Notes: used with “æternum” to express time.
  10. æternum — Lemma: æternum; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of “in”; Translation: eternity / forever; Notes: expresses endless duration.
  11. quia — Lemma: quia; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces causal clause; Translation: because; Notes: explains the reason for divine decision.
  12. caro — Lemma: caro; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: predicate nominative; Translation: flesh; Notes: symbolizes human frailty.
  13. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: third person singular present indicative; Function: copula linking subject and predicate; Translation: is; Notes: defines human condition.
  14. eruntque — Lemma: sum + -que; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: third person plural future active indicative with enclitic conjunction; Function: begins new clause; Translation: and shall be; Notes: continues divine pronouncement.
  15. dies — Lemma: dies; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject of “erunt”; Translation: days; Notes: metaphor for lifespan.
  16. illius — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessive modifier; Translation: of him / his; Notes: refers back to “homo.”
  17. centum — Lemma: centum; Part of Speech: Numeral; Form: indeclinable; Function: numerical quantifier; Translation: hundred; Notes: part of numeric compound.
  18. viginti — Lemma: viginti; Part of Speech: Numeral; Form: indeclinable; Function: numerical modifier; Translation: twenty; Notes: together with “centum” expresses 120.
  19. annorum — Lemma: annus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: genitive of measure; Translation: of years; Notes: specifies total lifespan limit.

 

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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