Genesis 7:24

Posted on January 7, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 7:24 Obtinueruntque aquæ terram centum quinquaginta diebus.

And the waters prevailed over the earth for one hundred and fifty days.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Obtinueruntque and they prevailed VERB.3PL.PERF.IND.ACT + ENCL
2 aquæ waters NOUN.NOM.PL.F
3 terram earth NOUN.ACC.SG.F
4 centum hundred NUM.INDECL
5 quinquaginta fifty NUM.INDECL
6 diebus days NOUN.ABL.PL.M

Syntax

The sentence presents a concise statement of duration.
The perfect verb Obtinueruntque (“and they prevailed”) takes aquæ as its nominative subject, referring to the floodwaters.
The direct object terram (“the earth”) expresses the domain over which the waters exercised dominance.
The ablative of time centum quinquaginta diebus specifies duration — “for one hundred and fifty days.”
The enclitic -que links this clause to the previous verse, completing the account of the flood’s overwhelming persistence.

Morphology

  1. Obtinueruntque — Lemma: obtineo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: 3rd person plural perfect indicative active + enclitic -que; Function: main verb; Translation: and they prevailed; Notes: indicates the continued supremacy of the floodwaters.
  2. aquæ — Lemma: aqua; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: nominative plural feminine; Function: subject of Obtinuerunt; Translation: waters; Notes: collective plural representing the deluge.
  3. terram — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object; Translation: earth; Notes: domain subdued by the waters.
  4. centum — Lemma: centum; Part of Speech: Numeral; Form: indeclinable; Function: quantifier modifying diebus; Translation: hundred; Notes: part of composite numeral phrase.
  5. quinquaginta — Lemma: quinquaginta; Part of Speech: Numeral; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies diebus in combination with centum; Translation: fifty; Notes: numeral forming total duration of one hundred fifty days.
  6. diebus — Lemma: dies; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: ablative of time; Translation: days; Notes: expresses the period during which the flood persisted.

 

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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