Genesis 2:14

Posted on January 2, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 2:14 Nomen vero fluminis tertii, Tigris: ipse vadit contra Assyrios. Fluvius autem quartus, ipse est Euphrates.

And the name indeed of the third river is Tigris: it goes against the Assyrians. But the fourth river, it is Euphrates.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Nomen name NOM.SG.N
2 vero indeed / however ADV
3 fluminis of the river GEN.SG.N
4 tertii third GEN.SG.N
5 Tigris Tigris NOM.SG.F (PROPER)
6 ipse it / itself NOM.SG.M
7 vadit goes / flows 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
8 contra against / opposite PREP+ACC
9 Assyrios the Assyrians ACC.PL.M
10 Fluvius river NOM.SG.M
11 autem but / moreover CONJ
12 quartus fourth NOM.SG.M
13 ipse it / itself NOM.SG.M
14 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
15 Euphrates Euphrates NOM.SG.M (PROPER)

Syntax

Main Clause 1: Nomen vero fluminis tertii, Tigris — “And the name indeed of the third river is Tigris.”
Subject: Nomen — “name.”
Predicate: Tigris — predicate nominative identifying the third river.
Clause 2: Ipse vadit contra Assyrios — “It goes against the Assyrians.”
Subject: ipse — “itself / it.”
Verb: vadit — “flows,” describing direction.
Prepositional Phrase: contra Assyrios — “against the Assyrians,” expressing geographical relation.
Clause 3: Fluvius autem quartus, ipse est Euphrates — “But the fourth river, it is Euphrates.”
Subject: Fluvius quartus; Predicate: Euphrates.
Conjunction: autem — introduces contrastive element.

Morphology

  1. Nomen — Lemma: nomen; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular neuter; Function: Subject; Translation: “name”; Notes: Used here as the subject naming the river.
  2. vero — Lemma: vero; Part of Speech: Adverb; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Emphasizing or contrastive; Translation: “indeed / however”; Notes: Gives a narrative transition marking the next river.
  3. fluminis — Lemma: flumen; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Genitive singular neuter; Function: Possessive genitive modifying nomen; Translation: “of the river”; Notes: Specifies the river whose name is being described.
  4. tertii — Lemma: tertius; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: Genitive singular neuter; Function: Modifies fluminis; Translation: “third”; Notes: Indicates sequential order.
  5. Tigris — Lemma: Tigris; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Nominative singular feminine; Function: Predicate nominative; Translation: “Tigris”; Notes: Refers to the well-known Mesopotamian river.
  6. ipse — Lemma: ipse; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Emphatic subject; Translation: “it”; Notes: Reiterates and emphasizes identity.
  7. vadit — Lemma: vado; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present active indicative 3rd singular; Function: Main verb; Translation: “goes / flows”; Notes: Describes geographical direction of flow.
  8. contra — Lemma: contra; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs accusative; Function: Indicates opposition or direction toward; Translation: “against / opposite”; Notes: Marks spatial orientation.
  9. Assyrios — Lemma: Assyrius; Part of Speech: Noun (plural proper); Form: Accusative plural masculine; Function: Object of contra; Translation: “the Assyrians”; Notes: Refers to the ancient Mesopotamian people.
  10. Fluvius — Lemma: fluvius; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Subject; Translation: “river”; Notes: Begins new clause describing the fourth river.
  11. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Postpositive; Function: Transitional or contrastive; Translation: “but / moreover”; Notes: Signals narrative progression.
  12. quartus — Lemma: quartus; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Modifies fluvius; Translation: “fourth”; Notes: Indicates sequential order among rivers.
  13. ipse — Lemma: ipse; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Emphatic pronoun; Translation: “it”; Notes: Reemphasizes identity of the subject.
  14. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present active indicative 3rd singular; Function: Copula; Translation: “is”; Notes: Links fluvius quartus with Euphrates.
  15. Euphrates — Lemma: Euphrates; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Predicate nominative; Translation: “Euphrates”; Notes: The great Mesopotamian river forming the eastern boundary of Eden’s geography.

 

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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