Genesis 2:7

Posted on January 2, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn2:7 Formavit igitur Dominus Deus hominem de limo terræ, et inspiravit in faciem eius spiraculum vitæ, et factus est homo in animam viventem.

Therefore the LORD God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his face the breath of life, and man became a living soul.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Formavit he formed 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 igitur therefore CONJ
3 Dominus LORD NOM.SG.M
4 Deus God NOM.SG.M
5 hominem man ACC.SG.M
6 de from PREP+ABL
7 limo dust / clay ABL.SG.M
8 terræ of the ground GEN.SG.F
9 et and CONJ
10 inspiravit breathed 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
11 in into PREP+ACC
12 faciem face ACC.SG.F
13 eius his GEN.SG.M
14 spiraculum breath ACC.SG.N
15 vitæ of life GEN.SG.F
16 et and CONJ
17 factus est was made / became 3SG.PERF.PASS.IND
18 homo man NOM.SG.M
19 in into PREP+ACC
20 animam soul ACC.SG.F
21 viventem living ACC.SG.F

Syntax

Main Clause: Formavit igitur Dominus Deus hominem de limo terræ — “Therefore the LORD God formed man from the dust of the ground.”
Subject: Dominus Deus — the LORD God, agent of creation.
Object: hominem — direct object of formavit.
Prepositional Phrase: de limo terræ — ablative of source or material (“from the dust of the ground”).
Coordinated Clause: et inspiravit in faciem eius spiraculum vitæ — “and breathed into his face the breath of life.”
Final Clause: et factus est homo in animam viventem — “and man became a living soul,” showing the result of divine action.

Morphology

  1. Formavit — Lemma: formo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: Main verb; Translation: “he formed”; Notes: Denotes completed creative act by the divine artisan.
  2. igitur — Lemma: igitur; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Coordinating; Function: Marks logical or narrative continuation; Translation: “therefore”; Notes: Connects to previous causal description.
  3. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Subject; Translation: “LORD”; Notes: Refers to YHWH; rendered in small caps convention when referring to the divine name.
  4. Deus — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Apposition; Translation: “God”; Notes: Complements Dominus to emphasize the identity “YHWH God.”
  5. hominem — Lemma: homo; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular masculine; Function: Direct object; Translation: “man”; Notes: Refers to humanity collectively in its first individual.
  6. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs ablative; Function: Expresses source or material; Translation: “from”; Notes: Introduces material cause.
  7. limo — Lemma: limus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative singular masculine; Function: Object of de; Translation: “dust / clay”; Notes: Material substance used in formation.
  8. terræ — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Genitive singular feminine; Function: Possessive genitive modifying limo; Translation: “of the ground”; Notes: Indicates origin from the soil.
  9. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Coordinating; Function: Connects sequential divine acts; Translation: “and”; Notes: Adds a second creative act.
  10. inspiravit — Lemma: inspiro; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: Main verb of second clause; Translation: “breathed”; Notes: Expresses impartation of life or spirit.
  11. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: With accusative; Function: Expresses direction; Translation: “into”; Notes: Motion toward an object.
  12. faciem — Lemma: facies; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular feminine; Function: Object of in; Translation: “face”; Notes: Symbol of life-receiving capacity.
  13. eius — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: Genitive singular masculine; Function: Possessive pronoun; Translation: “his”; Notes: Refers to hominem.
  14. spiraculum — Lemma: spiraculum; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular neuter; Function: Direct object of inspiravit; Translation: “breath”; Notes: Denotes the animating breath or spirit of life.
  15. vitæ — Lemma: vita; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Genitive singular feminine; Function: Genitive of quality or content; Translation: “of life”; Notes: Describes the kind of breath given.
  16. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Coordinating; Function: Links the concluding result; Translation: “and”; Notes: Introduces consequence.
  17. factus est — Lemma: fio; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect passive indicative 3rd singular; Function: Verb of result clause; Translation: “was made / became”; Notes: Expresses transformation into living being.
  18. homo — Lemma: homo; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Subject of factus est; Translation: “man”; Notes: The human being now animated.
  19. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: With accusative; Function: Indicates result; Translation: “into”; Notes: Marks the end state of transformation.
  20. animam — Lemma: anima; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular feminine; Function: Predicate accusative after factus est; Translation: “soul”; Notes: Life-principle of the human being.
  21. viventem — Lemma: vivo; Part of Speech: Participle; Form: Accusative singular feminine; Function: Adjectival modifier of animam; Translation: “living”; Notes: Qualifies the new state of man as animated by divine breath.

 

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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