Genesis 6:5

Posted on January 6, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 6:5 Videns autem Deus quod multa malitia hominum esset in terra, et cuncta cogitatio cordis intenta esset ad malum omni tempore,

And God, seeing that the wickedness of men was great on the earth, and that every thought of their heart was inclined to evil at all times,

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Videns seeing PART.PRES.ACT.NOM.SG.M
2 autem however / and ADV.CONTRAST
3 Deus God NOUN.NOM.SG.M
4 quod that CONJ
5 multa great / much ADJ.NOM.SG.F
6 malitia wickedness NOUN.NOM.SG.F
7 hominum of men NOUN.GEN.PL.M
8 esset was VERB.3SG.IMPF.SUBJ.ACT
9 in in PREP+ABL
10 terra earth NOUN.ABL.SG.F
11 et and CONJ
12 cuncta every ADJ.NOM.SG.F
13 cogitatio thought NOUN.NOM.SG.F
14 cordis of heart NOUN.GEN.SG.N
15 intenta inclined PART.PERF.PASS.NOM.SG.F
16 esset was VERB.3SG.IMPF.SUBJ.ACT
17 ad to / toward PREP+ACC
18 malum evil NOUN.ACC.SG.N
19 omni every / all ADJ.ABL.SG.N
20 tempore time NOUN.ABL.SG.N

Syntax

The participial clause Videns autem Deus introduces divine perception, setting up two subordinate clauses introduced by quod (“that”).
The first subordinate clause, quod multa malitia hominum esset in terra, expresses the recognition that “the wickedness of men was great upon the earth.”
The second, et cuncta cogitatio cordis intenta esset ad malum omni tempore, complements it, describing the universal moral corruption of human thought.
The repetition of esset (imperfect subjunctive) reflects the ongoing condition of evil as perceived by God, while ad malum omni tempore (“toward evil at all times”) functions as a prepositional phrase denoting the direction and constancy of human intent.

Morphology

  1. Videns — Lemma: video; Part of Speech: Participle; Form: nominative singular masculine present active; Function: circumstantial participle introducing divine observation; Translation: seeing; Notes: connects observation to subsequent clauses.
  2. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: Adverb / conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: connective; Translation: and / however; Notes: smooths narrative transition.
  3. Deus — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: God; Notes: divine perceiver.
  4. quod — Lemma: quod; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces noun clause; Translation: that; Notes: marks object of “videns.”
  5. multa — Lemma: multus; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: modifies “malitia”; Translation: great / much; Notes: expresses degree.
  6. malitia — Lemma: malitia; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject of subordinate clause; Translation: wickedness; Notes: moral evil.
  7. hominum — Lemma: homo; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: possessive genitive modifying “malitia”; Translation: of men; Notes: collective sense of humanity.
  8. esset — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: third person singular imperfect subjunctive active; Function: main verb of subordinate clause; Translation: was; Notes: subjunctive expressing perception clause.
  9. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: indicates location; Translation: in; Notes: spatial or contextual location on earth.
  10. terra — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of “in”; Translation: earth; Notes: sphere of human activity.
  11. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links subordinate clauses; Translation: and; Notes: joins the second “quod” clause.
  12. cuncta — Lemma: cunctus; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: modifies “cogitatio”; Translation: every; Notes: emphasizes totality.
  13. cogitatio — Lemma: cogitatio; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject of second subordinate clause; Translation: thought; Notes: abstract noun for inner intention.
  14. cordis — Lemma: cor; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: genitive singular neuter; Function: possessive genitive; Translation: of the heart; Notes: denotes inner moral center.
  15. intenta — Lemma: intendo; Part of Speech: Participle; Form: nominative singular feminine perfect passive; Function: predicate adjective agreeing with “cogitatio”; Translation: inclined / directed; Notes: expresses constant orientation.
  16. esset — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: third person singular imperfect subjunctive active; Function: copula of second clause; Translation: was; Notes: mirrors first “esset.”
  17. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces direction; Translation: toward; Notes: expresses moral orientation.
  18. malum — Lemma: malum; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of “ad”; Translation: evil; Notes: denotes moral corruption.
  19. omni — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: modifies “tempore”; Translation: every / all; Notes: emphasizes universality.
  20. tempore — Lemma: tempus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: ablative of time; Translation: time; Notes: denotes continuous duration.

 

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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