Genesis 2:11

Posted on January 2, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 2:11 Nomen uni Phison: ipse est qui circuit omnem terram Hevilath, ubi nascitur aurum:

The name of one is Phison: it is that which encircles the whole land of Hevilath, where gold is produced.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Nomen name NOM.SG.N
2 uni of one GEN.SG.M
3 Phison Phison NOM.SG.M (PROPER)
4 ipse he / it NOM.SG.M
5 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
6 qui who / which REL.PRON.NOM.SG.M
7 circuit encircles 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
8 omnem all / whole ACC.SG.F
9 terram land ACC.SG.F
10 Hevilath Hevilath GEN.SG.F (PROPER)
11 ubi where ADV
12 nascitur is born / is produced 3SG.PRES.DEP.IND
13 aurum gold NOM.SG.N

Syntax

Main Clause: Nomen uni Phison — “The name of one is Phison,” identifying the first river.
Predicate Clause: ipse est qui circuit omnem terram Hevilath — “It is that which encircles the whole land of Hevilath.”
Relative Clause: qui circuit … — defines Phison by its geographic scope.
Adverbial Clause: ubi nascitur aurum — “where gold is produced,” specifying the natural resource of that region.

Morphology

  1. Nomen — Lemma: nomen; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular neuter; Function: Subject of the clause; Translation: “name”; Notes: Acts as the main subject identifying the river’s designation.
  2. uni — Lemma: unus; Part of Speech: Adjective / numeral; Form: Genitive singular masculine; Function: Possessive genitive with nomen; Translation: “of one”; Notes: Indicates one among the four rivers mentioned in the previous verse.
  3. Phison — Lemma: Phison; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Predicate nominative; Translation: “Phison”; Notes: One of the four rivers flowing from Eden; transliterated from Hebrew פִּישׁוֹן (Pîšôn).
  4. ipse — Lemma: ipse; Part of Speech: Demonstrative pronoun; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Emphatic subject; Translation: “it”; Notes: Adds emphasis, marking identification of the river’s role.
  5. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present active indicative 3rd singular; Function: Copula; Translation: “is”; Notes: Links subject to relative description.
  6. qui — Lemma: qui, quae, quod; Part of Speech: Relative pronoun; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Introduces relative clause modifying Phison; Translation: “which”; Notes: Acts as grammatical subject of circuit.
  7. circuit — Lemma: circumeo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present active indicative 3rd singular; Function: Verb of relative clause; Translation: “encircles”; Notes: Indicates continuous motion around the land of Hevilath.
  8. omnem — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: Accusative singular feminine; Function: Modifies terram; Translation: “whole”; Notes: Denotes completeness of the region encircled.
  9. terram — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular feminine; Function: Direct object of circuit; Translation: “land”; Notes: Refers to the geographical territory named Hevilath.
  10. Hevilath — Lemma: Hevilath; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Genitive singular feminine; Function: Possessive genitive modifying terram; Translation: “of Hevilath”; Notes: Region associated with gold, possibly in Arabia or northeast Africa.
  11. ubi — Lemma: ubi; Part of Speech: Adverb; Form: —; Function: Introduces locative clause; Translation: “where”; Notes: Signals a subordinate descriptive clause.
  12. nascitur — Lemma: nascor; Part of Speech: Deponent verb; Form: Present indicative 3rd singular; Function: Main verb of subordinate clause; Translation: “is produced / comes forth”; Notes: Deponent form meaning “to originate” or “to be found.”
  13. aurum — Lemma: aurum; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular neuter; Function: Subject of nascitur; Translation: “gold”; Notes: Denotes natural resource associated with the land’s prosperity.

 

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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