Genesis 1:11

Posted on January 1, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 1:11 Et ait: Germinet terra herbam virentem, et facientem semen, et lignum pomiferum faciens fructum iuxta genus suum, cuius semen in semetipso sit super terram. Et factum est ita.

And He said: Let the earth produce green vegetation, and seed-bearing plants, and fruit-bearing trees making fruit according to their kind, whose seed may be in itself upon the earth. And it was made so.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Et And CONJ
2 ait He said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
3 Germinet let produce 3SG.PRES.SUBJ.ACT
4 terra earth NOM.SG.F
5 herbam vegetation ACC.SG.F
6 virentem green ACC.SG.F.PTCP.PRES.ACT
7 et and CONJ
8 facientem producing ACC.SG.F.PTCP.PRES.ACT
9 semen seed ACC.SG.N
10 et and CONJ
11 lignum tree ACC.SG.N
12 pomiferum fruit-bearing ACC.SG.N.ADJ
13 faciens producing NOM.SG.N.PTCP.PRES.ACT
14 fructum fruit ACC.SG.M
15 iuxta according to PREP+ACC
16 genus kind ACC.SG.N
17 suum its own ACC.SG.N.POSS
18 cuius whose GEN.SG.N.REL
19 semen seed NOM.SG.N
20 in in PREP+ABL
21 semetipso itself ABL.SG.N.REFL
22 sit may be 3SG.PRES.SUBJ.ACT
23 super upon PREP+ACC
24 terram earth ACC.SG.F
25 Et And CONJ
26 factum made NOM.SG.N.PTCP.PERF.PASS
27 est was 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
28 ita so ADV

Syntax

Speech Introduction: Et ait — divine command opening
Jussive Subjunctive: Germinet terra — earth commanded to produce
Objects of Production: herbam virentem, facientem semen, lignum pomiferum faciens fructum — three creative categories
Adverbial Modification: iuxta genus suum — biological differentiation
Relative Clause: cuius semen in semetipso sit — reproduction principle inherent in creation
Result Clause: Et factum est ita — divine command perfectly fulfilled

Morphology

  1. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Coordinating; Function: Connects divine acts; Translation: “And”; Notes: Narrative flow marker.
  2. ait — Lemma: aio; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: Introduces speech; Translation: “He said”; Notes: Common Genesis usage.
  3. Germinet — Lemma: germino; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present active subjunctive 3rd singular; Function: Jussive; Translation: “let…produce”; Notes: Command of natural productivity.
  4. terra — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular feminine; Function: Subject; Translation: “earth”; Notes: Earth personified as active agent.
  5. herbam — Lemma: herba; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular feminine; Function: Object; Translation: “vegetation”; Notes: General plant life.
  6. virentem — Lemma: virens; Part of Speech: Participle; Form: Present active participle accusative singular feminine; Function: Adjectival modifier; Translation: “green”; Notes: Emphasizes life and growth.
  7. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Coordinating; Function: Introduces parallel creative item; Translation: “and”; Notes: Rhythmic structure.
  8. facientem — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: Participle; Form: Present active participle accusative singular feminine; Function: Modifies herbam; Translation: “producing”; Notes: Seed reproduction.
  9. semen — Lemma: semen; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular neuter; Function: Object of participle; Translation: “seed”; Notes: Genetic continuity.
  10. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Coordinating; Function: Adds new class of vegetation; Translation: “and”; Notes: Narrative layering.
  11. lignum — Lemma: lignum; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular neuter; Function: Object; Translation: “tree”; Notes: Woody plant category.
  12. pomiferum — Lemma: pomifer; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: Accusative singular neuter; Function: Modifies lignum; Translation: “fruit-bearing”; Notes: Produces edible yield.
  13. faciens — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: Participle; Form: Present active participle nominative singular neuter; Function: Describes tree; Translation: “making”; Notes: Intensifies productivity.
  14. fructum — Lemma: fructus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular masculine; Function: Object of participle; Translation: “fruit”; Notes: Seed-carrying yield.
  15. iuxta — Lemma: iuxta; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs accusative; Function: Expresses conformity; Translation: “according to”; Notes: Distinguishes species.
  16. genus — Lemma: genus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular neuter; Function: Object of preposition; Translation: “kind”; Notes: Taxonomic concept.
  17. suum — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: Possessive adjective; Form: Accusative singular neuter; Function: Modifies genus; Translation: “its own”; Notes: Self-identity principle.
  18. cuius — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: Relative pronoun; Form: Genitive singular neuter; Function: Possessive; Translation: “whose”; Notes: Links to lignum or vegetation.
  19. semen — Lemma: semen; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular neuter; Function: Subject of subordinate clause; Translation: “seed”; Notes: Reproductive capacity.
  20. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs ablative; Function: Indicates location; Translation: “in”; Notes: Internal containment.
  21. semetipso — Lemma: semetipse; Part of Speech: Reflexive pronoun; Form: Ablative singular neuter; Function: Object of preposition; Translation: “itself”; Notes: Self-contained reproduction.
  22. sit — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present active subjunctive 3rd singular; Function: Verb of subordinate clause; Translation: “may be”; Notes: Purpose/result nuance.
  23. super — Lemma: super; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs accusative; Function: Location; Translation: “upon”; Notes: Surface relation.
  24. terram — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular feminine; Function: Object of preposition; Translation: “earth”; Notes: Habitat reference.
  25. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Coordinating; Function: Result marker; Translation: “And”; Notes: Introduces fulfillment.
  26. factum — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: Participle; Form: Perfect passive participle nominative singular neuter; Function: Predicate complement; Translation: “made”; Notes: Standard impersonal tag.
  27. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present active indicative 3rd singular; Function: Auxiliary; Translation: “was”; Notes: Confirms action.
  28. ita — Lemma: ita; Part of Speech: Adverb; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Expresses result; Translation: “so”; Notes: Formulaic Genesis refrain.

 

 

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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