Genesis 1:23

Posted on January 1, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 1:23 Et factum est vespere et mane, dies quintus.

And it was evening and morning, the fifth day.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Et And CONJ
2 factum was done NOM.SG.N.PTCP.PERF.PASS
3 est was 3SG.PRES.IND.ACT
4 vespere evening ABL.SG.N
5 et and CONJ
6 mane, morning ABL.SG.N
7 dies day NOM.SG.M
8 quintus. fifth NOM.SG.M.ADJ

Syntax

Summary Narrative Formula: Et factum est — marks completion of a creation phase
Ablatives of Time: vespere et mane — defining the day period
Predicate Nominative: dies quintus — designation of the fifth day

Morphology

  1. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Coordinating conjunction; Function: Connects with previous creation event; Translation: “And”; Notes: Narrative progression.
  2. factum — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: Participle functioning verbally; Form: Perfect passive participle, nominative singular neuter; Function: Predicate in passive periphrasis; Translation: “was done”; Notes: State of completed divine action.
  3. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present indicative active, third person singular; Function: Auxiliary in passive construction; Translation: “was”; Notes: Forms periphrastic passive with factum.
  4. vespere — Lemma: vesper; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative singular neuter; Function: Ablative of time; Translation: “evening”; Notes: Jewish/ancient day structure begins at sundown.
  5. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Coordinating; Function: Connects temporal nouns; Translation: “and”; Notes: Equal weight to both time markers.
  6. mane, — Lemma: mane; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative singular neuter; Function: Ablative of time; Translation: “morning”; Notes: Punctuation preserved.
  7. dies — Lemma: dies; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Subject complement naming the day; Translation: “day”; Notes: Day numbering theme in creation account.
  8. quintus. — Lemma: quintus; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Modifies dies; Translation: “fifth”; Notes: Cardinal progression in sequence; punctuation preserved.

 

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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