Genesis 5

Gn 5.1Hic est liber generātiōnis Adam. In diē quā creāvit Deus hominem, ad similitūdinem Deī fēcit illum.

This is the book of the begetting of Adam. On the day on which God created man, to the likeness of God he made him.

Note. liber generātiōnis: 'the book of the begetting', i.e. the family record; the phrase marks a new section of Genesis. Adam is a Hebrew name and does not decline: its case (here genitive) comes from the sentence. In diē quā: 'on the day on which', a relative clause where classical Latin might say quō diē.

Gn 5.2Masculum et fēminam creāvit eōs, et benedīxit illīs: et vocāvit nōmen eōrum Adam, in diē quō creātī sunt.

Male and female he created them, and he blessed them; and he called the name of them Adam, on the day on which they were created.

Note. Masculum et fēminam: 'male and female', masculine and feminine adjectives used as nouns. vocāvit nōmen eōrum Adam: 'he called their name Adam', a Hebrew idiom; Adam here means 'mankind'.

Gn 5.3Vīxit autem Adam centum trīgintā annīs: et genuit ad imāginem et similitūdinem suam, vocāvitque nōmen eius Seth.

Adam, then, lived a hundred and thirty years, and he begot (a son) to his own image and likeness, and called the name of him Seth.

Note. Vīxit … centum trīgintā annīs: the Vulgate uses the ablative for how long something lasted, where classical Latin usually has the accusative (annōs). genuit (from gignō) is 'fathered', the key verb of the whole genealogy. vocāvit-que: -que joins this verb to genuit.

Gn 5.4Et factī sunt diēs Adam, postquam genuit Seth, octingentī annī: genuitque fīliōs et fīliās.

And the days of Adam, after he begot Seth, became eight hundred years; and he begot sons and daughters.

Note. The formula of the chapter: factī sunt diēs X … annī, 'the days of X became … years', i.e. 'X lived … years in all'. factī sunt agrees with the plural subject diēs; annī stands in apposition as the predicate.

Gn 5.5Et factum est omne tempus quod vīxit Adam, annī nōngentī trīgintā, et mortuus est.

And all the time which Adam lived came to be nine hundred and thirty years, and he died.

Note. omne tempus quod vīxit Adam: tempus is neuter, so omne and the relative quod are neuter too. nōngentī trīgintā: 930. Numbers from 200 to 900 decline like plural adjectives (-ī, -ae, -a); the tens like trīgintā do not.

Gn 5.6Vīxit quoque Seth centum quīnque annīs, et genuit Enōs.

Seth also lived a hundred and five years, and begot Enos.

Note. Numbers in this chapter: centum (100) and the tens (trīgintā 30, quadrāgintā 40, quīnquāgintā 50, sexāgintā 60, septuāgintā 70, octōgintā 80, nōnāgintā 90) never change form; the hundreds from ducentī (200) to nōngentī (900) are plural adjectives.

Gn 5.7Vīxitque Seth, postquam genuit Enōs, octingentīs septem annīs, genuitque fīliōs et fīliās.

And Seth lived, after he begot Enos, eight hundred and seven years, and begot sons and daughters.

Note. Vīxit-que Seth, postquam genuit Enōs, octingentīs septem annīs: the postquam clause sits inside the main clause, between the verb and the time phrase. octingentīs septem annīs: ablative, '(for) 807 years'.

Gn 5.8Et factī sunt omnēs diēs Seth nōngentōrum duodecim annōrum, et mortuus est.

And all the days of Seth became (days) of nine hundred and twelve years, and he died.

Note. nōngentōrum duodecim annōrum: a genitive of description ('days of 912 years'), a variation on the nominative formula of verse 3.

Gn 5.9Vīxit vērō Enōs nōnāgintā annīs, et genuit Cāinan.

Enos, then, lived ninety years, and begot Cainan.

Gn 5.10Post cuius ortum vīxit octingentīs quīndecim annīs, et genuit fīliōs et fīliās.

After whose birth he lived eight hundred and fifteen years, and begot sons and daughters.

Note. Post cuius ortum: 'after whose birth', a connecting relative: cuius refers back to Cainan, 'after his birth'. ortus, -ūs is a 4th-declension noun from orior.

Gn 5.11Factīque sunt omnēs diēs Enōs nōngentī quīnque annī, et mortuus est.

And all the days of Enos became nine hundred and five years, and he died.

Gn 5.12Vīxit quoque Cāinan septuāgintā annīs, et genuit Malaleel.

Cainan also lived seventy years, and begot Malaleel.

Gn 5.13Et vīxit Cāinan, postquam genuit Malaleel, octingentīs quadrāgintā annīs, genuitque fīliōs et fīliās.

And Cainan lived, after he begot Malaleel, eight hundred and forty years, and begot sons and daughters.

Gn 5.14Et factī sunt omnēs diēs Cāinan nōngentī decem annī, et mortuus est.

And all the days of Cainan became nine hundred and ten years, and he died.

Gn 5.15Vīxit autem Malaleel sexāgintā quīnque annīs, et genuit Iared.

Malaleel, then, lived sixty-five years, and begot Iared.

Gn 5.16Et vīxit Malaleel, postquam genuit Iared, octingentīs trīgintā annīs, et genuit fīliōs et fīliās.

And Malaleel lived, after he begot Iared, eight hundred and thirty years, and begot sons and daughters.

Gn 5.17Et factī sunt omnēs diēs Malaleel octingentī nōnāgintā quīnque annī, et mortuus est.

And all the days of Malaleel became eight hundred and ninety-five years, and he died.

Gn 5.18Vīxitque Iared centum sexāgintā duōbus annīs, et genuit Henoch.

And Iared lived a hundred and sixty-two years, and begot Henoch.

Gn 5.19Et vīxit Iared, postquam genuit Henoch, octingentīs annīs, et genuit fīliōs et fīliās.

And Iared lived, after he begot Henoch, eight hundred years, and begot sons and daughters.

Gn 5.20Et factī sunt omnēs diēs Iared nōngentī sexāgintā duo annī, et mortuus est.

And all the days of Iared became nine hundred and sixty-two years, and he died.

Gn 5.21Porrō Henoch vīxit sexāgintā quīnque annīs, et genuit Mathusalam.

Further, Henoch lived sixty-five years, and begot Mathusala.

Note. Porrō: 'further, then', a connective often used in the Vulgate to move a narrative on.

Gn 5.22Et ambulāvit Henoch cum Deō: et vīxit, postquam genuit Mathusalam, trecentīs annīs, et genuit fīliōs et fīliās.

And Henoch walked with God; and he lived, after he begot Mathusala, three hundred years, and begot sons and daughters.

Note. ambulāvit … cum Deō: 'walked with God', a Hebrew way of saying he lived in close friendship with God.

Gn 5.23Et factī sunt omnēs diēs Henoch trecentī sexāgintā quīnque annī.

And all the days of Henoch became three hundred and sixty-five years.

Gn 5.24Ambulāvitque cum Deō, et nōn appāruit: quia tulit eum Deus.

And he walked with God, and did not appear (any more): because God took him.

Note. nōn appāruit: 'he did not appear', i.e. was seen no more. quia tulit eum Deus: 'because God took him'. Unlike everyone else in the list, Enoch is not said to have died; later tradition took this to mean he was taken up alive.

Gn 5.25Vīxit quoque Mathusala centum octōgintā septem annīs, et genuit Lamech.

Mathusala also lived a hundred and eighty-seven years, and begot Lamech.

Gn 5.26Et vīxit Mathusala, postquam genuit Lamech, septingentīs octōgintā duōbus annīs, et genuit fīliōs et fīliās.

And Mathusala lived, after he begot Lamech, seven hundred and eighty-two years, and begot sons and daughters.

Gn 5.27Et factī sunt omnēs diēs Mathusala nōngentī sexāgintā novem annī, et mortuus est.

And all the days of Mathusala became nine hundred and sixty-nine years, and he died.

Gn 5.28Vīxit autem Lamech centum octōgintā duōbus annīs, et genuit fīlium:

Lamech, then, lived a hundred and eighty-two years, and begot a son;

Gn 5.29vocāvitque nōmen eius Noë, dīcēns: Iste cōnsōlābitur nōs ab operibus et labōribus manuum nostrārum in terrā, cui maledīxit Dominus.

and he called the name of him Noe, saying: "This one will console us from the works and labours of our hands on the land, to which the Lord spoke a curse."

Note. dīcēns: present participle of dīcō, introducing direct speech; this is the usual Vulgate way to open a quotation. Iste cōnsōlābitur: future of the deponent cōnsōlor. The name Noah sounds like the Hebrew word for 'rest, comfort', which is the point of Lamech's words. cui: dative with maledīxit ('cursed'), referring back to terrā (see Genesis 3:17).

Gn 5.30Vīxitque Lamech, postquam genuit Noë, quīngentīs nōnāgintā quīnque annīs, et genuit fīliōs et fīliās.

And Lamech lived, after he begot Noe, five hundred and ninety-five years, and begot sons and daughters.

Gn 5.31Et factī sunt omnēs diēs Lamech septingentī septuāgintā septem annī, et mortuus est. Noë vērō cum quīngentōrum esset annōrum, genuit Sem, Cham et Iapheth.

And all the days of Lamech became seven hundred and seventy-seven years, and he died. Noe, however, when he was of five hundred years, begot Sem, Cham and Iapheth.

Note. This verse joins two thoughts. cum quīngentōrum esset annōrum: 'when he was of 500 years', i.e. 500 years old: a genitive of description with esse. cum + imperfect subjunctive is the usual 'when' clause in narrative.