Genesis 9:24

Posted on January 9, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 9:24 Evigilans autem Noe ex vino, cum didicisset quæ fecerat ei filius suus minor,

But Noe, awakening from the wine, when he had learned what his younger son had done to him,

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Evigilans awakening PART.PRES.ACT.NOM.SG.M
2 autem but CONJ
3 Noe Noah N.NOM.SG.M
4 ex from PREP+ABL
5 vino wine N.ABL.SG.N
6 cum when CONJ
7 didicisset had learned 3SG.PLUPERF.SUBJ.ACT
8 quæ what things PRON.REL.NOM.PL.N
9 fecerat had done 3SG.PLUPERF.IND.ACT
10 ei to him PRON.DAT.SG.M
11 filius son N.NOM.SG.M
12 suus his ADJ.POSS.NOM.SG.M
13 minor younger ADJ.COMP.NOM.SG.M

Syntax

Participial Phrase: Evigilans autem Noe ex vino — circumstantial participle indicating the time and condition, “But Noah, having awakened from the wine.”
Temporal Clause: cum didicisset quæ fecerat ei filius suus minor — subordinate clause describing what followed awakening, “when he had learned what his younger son had done to him.”
Word Order: Typical Latin narrative flow: participle + subject + prepositional phrase, followed by a cum-clause; the placement of minor at the end emphasizes the identity of the offender.

Morphology

  1. Evigilans — Lemma: evigilo; Part of Speech: Participle (present active); Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Circumstantial participle modifying Noe; Translation: “awakening”; Notes: Marks transition from sleep or stupor to awareness.
  2. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Invariable; Function: Connective adversative; Translation: “but”; Notes: Introduces narrative shift.
  3. Noe — Lemma: Noe; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Subject; Translation: “Noah”; Notes: Central figure reentering awareness after intoxication.
  4. ex — Lemma: ex; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs ablative; Function: Expresses origin or separation; Translation: “from”; Notes: Indicates withdrawal from the cause (wine).
  5. vino — Lemma: vinum; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative singular neuter; Function: Object of ex; Translation: “wine”; Notes: Refers to source of his previous state of inebriation.
  6. cum — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Invariable; Function: Introduces temporal clause; Translation: “when”; Notes: Requires subjunctive verb to indicate temporal dependence.
  7. didicisset — Lemma: disco; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Pluperfect subjunctive active 3rd person singular; Function: Verb of the temporal clause; Translation: “had learned”; Notes: Action precedes Noah’s response in time sequence.
  8. quæ — Lemma: qui, quæ, quod; Part of Speech: Relative pronoun; Form: Nominative plural neuter; Function: Subject of fecerat; Translation: “what things”; Notes: Introduces indirect statement.
  9. fecerat — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Pluperfect indicative active 3rd person singular; Function: Verb in relative clause; Translation: “had done”; Notes: Refers to Ham’s previous act of disrespect.
  10. ei — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: Dative singular masculine; Function: Indirect object of fecerat; Translation: “to him”; Notes: Refers to Noah as the recipient of the act.
  11. filius — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Subject of fecerat; Translation: “son”; Notes: Designates actor of the offense.
  12. suus — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: Possessive adjective; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Modifies filius; Translation: “his”; Notes: Reflexive, referring back to Noah.
  13. minor — Lemma: minor; Part of Speech: Adjective (comparative); Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Modifies filius; Translation: “younger”; Notes: Identifies Ham as the youngest son, emphasizing his culpability.

 

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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