Genesis 7:6

Posted on January 7, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 7:6 Eratque sexcentorum annorum quando diluvii aquæ inundaverunt super terram.

And he was six hundred years old when the waters of the flood overflowed upon the earth.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Eratque and he was VERB.3SG.IMPERF.ACT.IND + CONJ
2 sexcentorum of six hundred NUM.GEN.PL.N
3 annorum years NOUN.GEN.PL.M
4 quando when CONJ.TEMPORAL
5 diluvii of the flood NOUN.GEN.SG.N
6 aquæ waters NOUN.NOM.PL.F
7 inundaverunt overflowed VERB.3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
8 super upon / over PREP+ACC
9 terram earth NOUN.ACC.SG.F

Syntax

The main clause Eratque sexcentorum annorum provides a temporal setting, literally “and he was of six hundred years,” a genitive of measure expressing age.
The conjunction que joins this verse to the preceding narrative, maintaining continuity.
The temporal subordinate clause quando diluvii aquæ inundaverunt super terram specifies the historical moment — “when the waters of the flood overflowed upon the earth.”
Here, diluvii (genitive) depends on aquæ, indicating possession or kind (“waters of the flood”), while inundaverunt serves as the main verb of the clause, describing the cataclysmic act.
The prepositional phrase super terram denotes location, meaning “over the earth.”
Together, the syntax succinctly frames the age of Noe as a chronological marker for the deluge.

Morphology

  1. Eratque — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb (with enclitic conjunction); Form: third person singular imperfect active indicative + enclitic “-que”; Function: main verb; Translation: and he was; Notes: “-que” links the clause to the preceding verse.
  2. sexcentorum — Lemma: sescenti; Part of Speech: Numeral adjective; Form: genitive plural; Function: modifies “annorum”; Translation: of six hundred; Notes: genitive of number expressing measure.
  3. annorum — Lemma: annus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: genitive of measure; Translation: years; Notes: used with age expressions in Latin.
  4. quando — Lemma: quando; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces temporal clause; Translation: when; Notes: connects event in time to the main statement.
  5. diluvii — Lemma: diluvium; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: genitive singular neuter; Function: genitive of possession; Translation: of the flood; Notes: identifies the cause of the waters.
  6. aquæ — Lemma: aqua; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: nominative plural feminine; Function: subject of “inundaverunt”; Translation: waters; Notes: plural emphasizes abundance and destructiveness.
  7. inundaverunt — Lemma: inundo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: third person plural perfect active indicative; Function: main verb of subordinate clause; Translation: overflowed; Notes: denotes completed inundation.
  8. super — Lemma: super; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses spatial relation; Translation: upon / over; Notes: locative extension covering the entire land.
  9. terram — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of “super”; Translation: earth; Notes: designates the realm affected by the flood.

 

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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