Genesis 1:9

Posted on January 1, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 1:9 Dixit vero Deus: Congregentur aquæ, quæ sub cælo sunt, in locum unum: et appareat arida. Et factum est ita.

And God said: Let the waters that are under the heaven be gathered into one place, and let the dry land appear. And it was made so.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Dixit said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 vero indeed ADV
3 Deus God NOM.SG.M
4 Congregentur let be gathered 3PL.PRES.SUBJ.PASS
5 aquæ waters NOM.PL.F
6 quæ which NOM.PL.F.REL
7 sub under PREP+ABL
8 cælo heaven ABL.SG.N
9 sunt are 3PL.PRES.ACT.IND
10 in into PREP+ACC
11 locum place ACC.SG.M
12 unum one ACC.SG.M.ADJ
13 et and CONJ
14 appareat let appear 3SG.PRES.SUBJ.ACT
15 arida dry land NOM.SG.F
16 Et And CONJ
17 factum made NOM.SG.N.PTCP.PERF.PASS
18 est was 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
19 ita so ADV

Syntax

Speech Introduction: Dixit vero Deus — establishes divine command
Jussive Subjunctive 1: Congregentur aquæ — divine ordering of waters
Relative Clause: quæ sub cælo sunt — specifies which waters
Prepositional Phrase: in locum unum — destination of gathering
Jussive Subjunctive 2: appareat arida — command for dry land to appear
Result Formula: Et factum est ita — confirms divine effectiveness

Morphology

  1. Dixit — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: Introduces speech; Translation: “said”; Notes: Common Genesis narrative marker.
  2. vero — Lemma: vero; Part of Speech: Adverb; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Discourse particle; Translation: “indeed”; Notes: Adds emphasis.
  3. Deus — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Subject; Translation: “God”; Notes: Speaker.
  4. Congregentur — Lemma: congrego; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present passive subjunctive 3rd plural; Function: Jussive command; Translation: “let…be gathered”; Notes: Hebrew jussive represented by Latin subjunctive.
  5. aquæ — Lemma: aqua; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative plural feminine; Function: Subject; Translation: “waters”; Notes: The entity being commanded.
  6. quæ — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: Relative pronoun; Form: Nominative plural feminine; Function: Introduces relative clause; Translation: “which”; Notes: Refers to “waters.”
  7. sub — Lemma: sub; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs ablative; Function: Spatial relation; Translation: “under”; Notes: Locative meaning.
  8. cælo — Lemma: caelum; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative singular neuter; Function: Object of preposition; Translation: “heaven”; Notes: Lower region beneath heaven.
  9. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present active indicative 3rd plural; Function: Copular verb; Translation: “are”; Notes: Ongoing state.
  10. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs accusative; Function: Indicates motion; Translation: “into”; Notes: Directional usage.
  11. locum — Lemma: locus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular masculine; Function: Object of preposition; Translation: “place”; Notes: Destined position.
  12. unum — Lemma: unus; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: Accusative singular masculine; Function: Modifies “locum”; Translation: “one”; Notes: Unification theme.
  13. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Coordinating; Function: Links parallel command; Translation: “and”; Notes: New imperative follows.
  14. appareat — Lemma: appareo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present active subjunctive 3rd singular; Function: Jussive command; Translation: “let…appear”; Notes: Divine fiat formula.
  15. arida — Lemma: arida (terra); Part of Speech: Noun (substantivized adjective); Form: Nominative singular feminine; Function: Subject of subjunctive; Translation: “dry land”; Notes: Newly emergent feature.
  16. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Coordinating; Function: Introduces result; Translation: “And”; Notes: Divine command fulfilled.
  17. factum — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: Verb participle; Form: Perfect passive participle nominative singular neuter; Function: Predicate complement; Translation: “made”; Notes: Part of impersonal construction.
  18. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present active indicative 3rd singular; Function: Auxiliary; Translation: “was”; Notes: Confirms result.
  19. ita — Lemma: ita; Part of Speech: Adverb; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Idiomatic result conclusion; Translation: “so”; Notes: Standard Genesis conclusion to creative act.

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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