Genesis 1:28

Posted on January 1, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 1:28 Benedixitque illis Deus, et ait: Crescite et multiplicamini, et replete terram, et subiicite eam, et dominamini piscibus maris, et volatilibus cæli, et universis animantibus, quæ moventur super terram.

And God blessed them and said: Increase and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it, and rule over the fish of the sea, and the birds of the heaven, and all living creatures which move upon the earth.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Benedixitque and blessed 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND+ENCL
2 illis them DAT.PL.M/F.PRON
3 Deus, God NOM.SG.M
4 et and CONJ
5 ait: said 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
6 Crescite grow 2PL.PRES.ACT.IMP
7 et and CONJ
8 multiplicamini, multiply 2PL.PRES.PASS.IMP.DEP
9 et and CONJ
10 replete fill 2PL.PRES.ACT.IMP
11 terram, the earth ACC.SG.F
12 et and CONJ
13 subiicite subdue 2PL.PRES.ACT.IMP
14 eam, it ACC.SG.F.PRON
15 et and CONJ
16 dominamini rule 2PL.PRES.DEP.IMP
17 piscibus fish DAT/ABL.PL.M
18 maris, of the sea GEN.SG.N
19 et and CONJ
20 volatilibus birds DAT/ABL.PL.N
21 cæli, of heaven GEN.SG.N
22 et and CONJ
23 universis all DAT/ABL.PL.M/F
24 animantibus, living creatures DAT/ABL.PL.N
25 quæ which NOM.PL.F.REL
26 moventur move 3PL.PRES.PASS.IND
27 super upon PREP+ACC
28 terram. earth ACC.SG.F

Syntax

Benediction Formula: Benedixitque illis Deus introduces divine empowerment
Chain of Imperatives: Crescite … multiplicamini … replete … subiicite … dominamini establish fivefold mandate
Datives of Authority: piscibus, volatilibus, universis animantibus
Relative Clause: quæ moventur super terram restricts domain to terrestrial life

Morphology

  1. Benedixitque — Lemma: benedico; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect active indicative, third person singular, with enclitic -que; Function: Main narrative verb linking to the following speech; Translation: “(and) blessed”; Notes: -que tightly joins the blessing to what follows.
  2. illis — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: Dative plural (masculine/feminine); Function: Indirect object receiving the blessing; Translation: “them”; Notes: Refers to male and female of 1:27.
  3. Deus — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Subject/agent of blessing; Translation: “God”; Notes: The divine subject of the discourse.
  4. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Coordinating conjunction; Function: Links blessing to speech; Translation: “and”; Notes: Standard paratactic connective.
  5. ait — Lemma: aio; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present indicative active, third person singular; Function: Introduces direct speech; Translation: “said”; Notes: Historic present for vivid narrative.
  6. Crescite — Lemma: cresco; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present active imperative, second person plural; Function: First command of the blessing; Translation: “grow/increase”; Notes: Addresses humanity as a pair/collective.
  7. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Coordinating conjunction; Function: Connects sequential imperatives; Translation: “and”; Notes: Chains the mandates.
  8. multiplicamini — Lemma: multiplico; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present passive imperative, second person plural; Function: Command expressing reproductive increase; Translation: “be multiplied / multiply”; Notes: Passive (formally) with permissive sense in Biblical idiom.
  9. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Coordinating conjunction; Function: Continues the imperative series; Translation: “and”; Notes: Equal weight to each clause.
  10. replete — Lemma: repleo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present active imperative, second person plural; Function: Command to occupy/populate; Translation: “fill”; Notes: Takes a direct object in the accusative.
  11. terram — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular feminine; Function: Direct object of replete; Translation: “the earth”; Notes: Geographic scope of humanity.
  12. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Coordinating conjunction; Function: Adds further mandate; Translation: “and”; Notes: Paratactic style continues.
  13. subiicite — Lemma: subicio; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present active imperative, second person plural; Function: Command to bring under control; Translation: “subdue”; Notes: Governs a direct object (eam); user orthography retained.
  14. eam — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: Accusative singular feminine; Function: Direct object of subiicite; Translation: “it”; Notes: Refers back to terram.
  15. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Coordinating conjunction; Function: Links to the final mandate; Translation: “and”; Notes: Introduces rule/dominion verb.
  16. dominamini — Lemma: dominor; Part of Speech: Verb (deponent); Form: Present imperative (deponent), second person plural; Function: Command to exercise rule; Translation: “rule”; Notes: Deponent verb governing the dative.
  17. piscibus — Lemma: piscis; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Dative plural masculine; Function: Dative of authority with dominamini; Translation: “over the fish”; Notes: First domain of dominion.
  18. maris — Lemma: mare; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Genitive singular neuter; Function: Genitive of specification with piscibus; Translation: “of the sea”; Notes: Locative qualification.
  19. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Coordinating conjunction; Function: Adds next governed dative; Translation: “and”; Notes: Continues list of domains.
  20. volatilibus — Lemma: volatile; Part of Speech: Substantivized adjective (used as noun); Form: Dative plural neuter; Function: Dative of authority with dominamini; Translation: “over the winged creatures/birds”; Notes: User spelling fixed for the project.
  21. cæli — Lemma: cælum; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Genitive singular neuter; Function: Genitive of specification with volatilibus; Translation: “of heaven”; Notes: Indicates aerial domain.
  22. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Coordinating conjunction; Function: Adds final governed group; Translation: “and”; Notes: Leads into universal scope.
  23. universis — Lemma: universus; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: Dative plural neuter (agreeing with animantibus); Function: Modifier indicating totality; Translation: “all”; Notes: Intensifies comprehensive range.
  24. animantibus — Lemma: animans; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Dative plural neuter; Function: Dative with dominamini; Translation: “living creatures”; Notes: Collective for terrestrial/air/sea life.
  25. quæ — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: Relative pronoun; Form: Nominative plural neuter; Function: Subject of the relative clause; Translation: “which”; Notes: Refers back to animantibus (neuter plural).
  26. moventur — Lemma: moveo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present indicative passive, third person plural; Function: Verb of the relative clause; Translation: “are moved / move”; Notes: Passive with middle-like sense in Biblical usage.
  27. super — Lemma: super; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governing the accusative; Function: Introduces spatial relation; Translation: “upon/over”; Notes: Denotes position above the ground.
  28. terram — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular feminine; Function: Object of the preposition super; Translation: “earth”; Notes: Specifies terrestrial sphere.

 

 

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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