Genesis 2:13

Posted on January 2, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 2:13 Et nomen fluvii secundi Gehon: ipse est qui circumit omnem terram Æthiopiæ.

And the name of the second river is Gehon: it is that which surrounds the whole land of Ethiopia.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Et and CONJ
2 nomen name NOM.SG.N
3 fluvii of the river GEN.SG.M
4 secundi second GEN.SG.M
5 Gehon Gehon NOM.SG.M (PROPER)
6 ipse he / it NOM.SG.M
7 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
8 qui who / which REL.PRON.NOM.SG.M
9 circumit encircles / surrounds 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
10 omnem all / whole ACC.SG.F
11 terram land ACC.SG.F
12 Æthiopiæ of Ethiopia GEN.SG.F (PROPER)

Syntax

Main Clause: Et nomen fluvii secundi Gehon — “And the name of the second river is Gehon.”
Predicate Clause: ipse est qui circumit omnem terram Æthiopiæ — “It is that which surrounds the whole land of Ethiopia.”
Relative Clause: qui circumit … — defines the river’s course and region.
Subject: Gehon — identified as the second of the four rivers proceeding from Eden.

Morphology

  1. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Coordinating; Function: Connects the verse with the preceding sentence; Translation: “and”; Notes: Introduces the next river in the series.
  2. nomen — Lemma: nomen; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular neuter; Function: Subject; Translation: “name”; Notes: The nominative subject identifying the river’s title.
  3. fluvii — Lemma: fluvius; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Genitive singular masculine; Function: Possessive genitive modifying nomen; Translation: “of the river”; Notes: Specifies to whom the name belongs.
  4. secundi — Lemma: secundus; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: Genitive singular masculine; Function: Modifies fluvii; Translation: “second”; Notes: Indicates order in the enumeration of the rivers.
  5. Gehon — Lemma: Gehon; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Predicate nominative; Translation: “Gehon”; Notes: Traditionally associated with the Nile or an ancient river of Cush (Ethiopia).
  6. ipse — Lemma: ipse; Part of Speech: Demonstrative pronoun; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Emphatic subject; Translation: “it”; Notes: Used for emphasis and identity confirmation.
  7. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present active indicative 3rd singular; Function: Copulative verb; Translation: “is”; Notes: Links subject and predicate clause.
  8. qui — Lemma: qui, quae, quod; Part of Speech: Relative pronoun; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Introduces relative clause modifying Gehon; Translation: “which”; Notes: Acts as subject of circumit.
  9. circumit — Lemma: circumeo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present active indicative 3rd singular; Function: Main verb of relative clause; Translation: “encircles / surrounds”; Notes: Denotes circular movement around the described land.
  10. omnem — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: Accusative singular feminine; Function: Modifies terram; Translation: “whole”; Notes: Emphasizes totality of the area enclosed by the river.
  11. terram — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular feminine; Function: Direct object of circumit; Translation: “land”; Notes: Refers to the territory encompassed by the river.
  12. Æthiopiæ — Lemma: Æthiopia; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Genitive singular feminine; Function: Genitive modifier of terram; Translation: “of Ethiopia”; Notes: Denotes the ancient region south of Egypt, associated with Cush in the Hebrew text.

 

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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