Genesis 9:20

Posted on January 9, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 9:20 Cœpitque Noe vir agricola exercere terram, et plantavit vineam.

And Noe, a man of the soil, began to work the ground and planted a vineyard.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Cœpitque and began 3SG.PERF.IND.ACT
2 Noe Noah N.NOM.SG.M
3 vir man N.NOM.SG.M
4 agricola farmer N.NOM.SG.M
5 exercere to work INF.PRES.ACT
6 terram earth N.ACC.SG.F
7 et and CONJ
8 plantavit he planted 3SG.PERF.IND.ACT
9 vineam vineyard N.ACC.SG.F

Syntax

Main Clause 1: Cœpitque Noe vir agricola exercere terram — describes Noah beginning agricultural labor: “And Noah, a man of the soil, began to work the ground.”
Coordinated Clause: et plantavit vineam — continues with his action of planting a vineyard.
Word Order: The apposition vir agricola emphasizes Noah’s identity as the first cultivator in postdiluvian history.

Morphology

  1. Cœpitque — Lemma: cœpi + que; Part of Speech: Verb (with enclitic conjunction); Form: Perfect indicative active 3rd person singular; Function: Main verb; Translation: “and began”; Notes: The enclitic “-que” links this sentence with the previous narrative, showing continuation.
  2. Noe — Lemma: Noe; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Subject of Cœpit; Translation: “Noah”; Notes: Central figure, the patriarch who resumes human civilization after the Flood.
  3. vir — Lemma: vir; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Apposition to Noe; Translation: “man”; Notes: Highlights Noah’s human role as cultivator.
  4. agricola — Lemma: agricola; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular masculine (1st declension); Function: Further apposition; Translation: “farmer”; Notes: Despite 1st declension form, treated as masculine by meaning.
  5. exercere — Lemma: exerceo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present infinitive active; Function: Complementary infinitive with Cœpit; Translation: “to work”; Notes: Describes the labor Noah undertook after the Flood.
  6. terram — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular feminine; Function: Direct object of exercere; Translation: “the ground”; Notes: Symbolic of the return to agrarian life.
  7. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Invariable; Function: Connects coordinated clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Links the two actions performed by Noah.
  8. plantavit — Lemma: planto; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect indicative active 3rd person singular; Function: Main verb of the second clause; Translation: “he planted”; Notes: Perfect tense marks completed action in narrative sequence.
  9. vineam — Lemma: vinea; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular feminine; Function: Direct object of plantavit; Translation: “vineyard”; Notes: The first mention of viticulture in Scripture, marking cultural progression.

 

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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