Genesis 6:4

Posted on January 6, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 6:4 Gigantes autem erant super terram in diebus illis. postquam enim ingressi sunt filii Dei ad filias hominum, illæque genuerunt, isti sunt potentes a sæculo viri famosi.

Now giants were upon the earth in those days. For after the sons of God had gone in to the daughters of men, and they bore children, these were the mighty men of old, men of renown.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Gigantes giants NOUN.NOM.PL.M
2 autem however ADV.CONTRAST
3 erant were VERB.3PL.IMPF.ACT.IND
4 super upon PREP+ACC
5 terram earth NOUN.ACC.SG.F
6 in in PREP+ABL
7 diebus days NOUN.ABL.PL.M
8 illis those PRON.ABL.PL.M
9 postquam after CONJ.SUBORD
10 enim for ADV.CAUSAL
11 ingressi having entered PART.PERF.ACT.NOM.PL.M
12 sunt were VERB.3PL.PERF.IND.ACT
13 filii sons NOUN.NOM.PL.M
14 Dei of God NOUN.GEN.SG.M
15 ad to PREP+ACC
16 filias daughters NOUN.ACC.PL.F
17 hominum of men NOUN.GEN.PL.M
18 illæque and they (fem.) PRON.NOM.PL.F+ENCLITIC
19 genuerunt they bore VERB.3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
20 isti these PRON.NOM.PL.M
21 sunt are / were VERB.3PL.PRES.ACT.IND
22 potentes mighty ADJ.NOM.PL.M
23 a from PREP+ABL
24 sæculo of old NOUN.ABL.SG.N
25 viri men NOUN.NOM.PL.M
26 famosi renowned ADJ.NOM.PL.M

Syntax

The verse opens with the independent statement Gigantes autem erant super terram in diebus illis, which introduces the presence of “giants” (or “mighty ones”) during the antediluvian age. The imperfect erant portrays a continuous state in the past.
The temporal clause postquam enim ingressi sunt filii Dei ad filias hominum (“for after the sons of God had gone in to the daughters of men”) provides historical explanation for the appearance of these beings. The perfect construction ingressi sunt (deponent) describes a completed act of union.
The coordinated clause illæque genuerunt indicates the result: “and they bore [children].” The demonstrative isti resumes with an identifying statement: isti sunt potentes a sæculo viri famosi — “these were the mighty men of old, men of renown.”
The syntax exhibits a mixture of narrative exposition and explanatory relative parallelism, characteristic of genealogical-historical style.

Morphology

  1. Gigantes — Lemma: gigas; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject; Translation: giants; Notes: transliteration from Greek “γίγαντες.”
  2. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: Adverb / conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: connective; Translation: however / now; Notes: mild transition between clauses.
  3. erant — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: third person plural imperfect indicative active; Function: main verb; Translation: were; Notes: indicates enduring existence.
  4. super — Lemma: super; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: spatial relation; Translation: upon; Notes: describes presence “on the earth.”
  5. terram — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of “super”; Translation: earth; Notes: denotes inhabited land.
  6. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses time; Translation: in; Notes: introduces temporal phrase.
  7. diebus — Lemma: dies; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: within temporal phrase; Translation: days; Notes: time frame reference.
  8. illis — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: modifies “diebus”; Translation: those; Notes: indicates specific past epoch.
  9. postquam — Lemma: postquam; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces temporal clause; Translation: after; Notes: governs perfect indicative.
  10. enim — Lemma: enim; Part of Speech: Adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: causal particle; Translation: for; Notes: connects with explanatory tone.
  11. ingressi — Lemma: ingredior; Part of Speech: Verb (deponent participle); Form: nominative plural masculine perfect participle; Function: part of periphrastic verb with “sunt”; Translation: having entered; Notes: deponent form, active meaning.
  12. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: third person plural perfect indicative active; Function: auxiliary verb; Translation: were / have entered; Notes: completes deponent periphrasis.
  13. filii — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject of “ingressi sunt”; Translation: sons; Notes: divine or semi-divine beings.
  14. Dei — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessive modifier; Translation: of God; Notes: identifies subject.
  15. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: indicates motion toward; Translation: to / into; Notes: marks direction of action.
  16. filias — Lemma: filia; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: object of “ad”; Translation: daughters; Notes: object of divine-human union.
  17. hominum — Lemma: homo; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: possessive modifying “filias”; Translation: of men; Notes: human race.
  18. illæque — Lemma: illa + -que; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: nominative plural feminine with enclitic; Function: subject of “genuerunt”; Translation: and they; Notes: refers to the daughters of men.
  19. genuerunt — Lemma: gigno; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: third person plural perfect active indicative; Function: predicate; Translation: they bore; Notes: indicates result of the union.
  20. isti — Lemma: iste; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: demonstrative subject; Translation: these; Notes: refers to offspring.
  21. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: third person plural present indicative active; Function: copula; Translation: are / were; Notes: equative function linking “isti” and “potentes.”
  22. potentes — Lemma: potens; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: predicate nominative; Translation: mighty; Notes: implies strength or heroism.
  23. a — Lemma: a (ab); Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses origin; Translation: from / of; Notes: marks antiquity (“of old”).
  24. sæculo — Lemma: sæculum; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: object of “a”; Translation: age / of old; Notes: temporal expression for antiquity.
  25. viri — Lemma: vir; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: apposition to “potentes”; Translation: men; Notes: generic for males of renown.
  26. famosi — Lemma: famosus; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: predicate adjective; Translation: renowned; Notes: denotes fame or reputation across ages.

 

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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