Genesis 2:23

Posted on January 2, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 2:23 Dixitque Adam: Hoc nunc, os ex ossibus meis, et caro de carne mea: hæc vocabitur Virago, quoniam de viro sumpta est.

And Adam said: This now is bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken from man.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Dixitque and said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND + CONJ
2 Adam Adam NOM.SG.M (PROPER)
3 Hoc this NOM.SG.N.DEMON.PRON
4 nunc now ADV
5 os bone NOM.SG.N
6 ex from / out of PREP+ABL
7 ossibus bones ABL.PL.N
8 meis my ABL.PL.N.POSS.ADJ
9 et and CONJ
10 caro flesh NOM.SG.F
11 de from / out of PREP+ABL
12 carne flesh ABL.SG.F
13 mea my ABL.SG.F.POSS.ADJ
14 hæc this / she NOM.SG.F.DEMON.PRON
15 vocabitur shall be called 3SG.FUT.PASS.IND
16 Virago Woman NOM.SG.F
17 quoniam because / since CONJ
18 de from / out of PREP+ABL
19 viro man ABL.SG.M
20 sumpta taken NOM.SG.F.PERF.PASS.PART
21 est is / has been 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND

Syntax

Main Clause: Dixitque Adam — “And Adam said,” introducing the first recorded human speech in Scripture, a poetic exclamation of recognition.
Declarative Clause: Hoc nunc, os ex ossibus meis, et caro de carne mea — “This now is bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh.”
Parallel structures emphasize unity and shared nature between man and woman.
Predicate Clause: hæc vocabitur Virago — “she shall be called Woman.”
The future passive form vocabitur indicates an enduring designation, similar to naming acts of authority.
Causal Clause: quoniam de viro sumpta est — “because she was taken from man.”
The feminine participle sumpta agrees with hæc, marking her as the product of the male’s body.

Morphology

  1. Dixitque — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: Verb + enclitic conjunction; Form: Perfect active indicative 3rd singular + -que; Function: Main verb; Translation: “and said”; Notes: Introduces Adam’s utterance following divine presentation.
  2. Adam — Lemma: Adam; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Subject of Dixit; Translation: “Adam”; Notes: The human speaker recognizing his counterpart.
  3. Hoc — Lemma: hic, haec, hoc; Part of Speech: Demonstrative pronoun; Form: Nominative singular neuter; Function: Subject of est (implied); Translation: “this”; Notes: Refers emphatically to the woman newly created.
  4. nunc — Lemma: nunc; Part of Speech: Adverb; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Temporal modifier; Translation: “now”; Notes: Marks moment of realization or fulfillment.
  5. os — Lemma: os, ossis; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular neuter; Function: Predicate nominative; Translation: “bone”; Notes: Parallels Hebrew “עֶצֶם” (ʿetsem), expressing shared substance.
  6. ex — Lemma: ex; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs ablative; Function: Origin / source; Translation: “from / out of”; Notes: Indicates material derivation.
  7. ossibus — Lemma: os, ossis; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative plural neuter; Function: Object of ex; Translation: “bones”; Notes: Collective term emphasizing kinship.
  8. meis — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: Possessive adjective; Form: Ablative plural neuter; Function: Modifies ossibus; Translation: “my”; Notes: Denotes personal possession and unity.
  9. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Coordinating; Translation: “and”; Notes: Connects parallel expressions of substance.
  10. caro — Lemma: caro; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular feminine; Function: Predicate nominative; Translation: “flesh”; Notes: Complements os in expressing complete identity.
  11. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs ablative; Function: Source; Translation: “from / out of”; Notes: Parallels ex with different nuance.
  12. carne — Lemma: caro; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative singular feminine; Function: Object of de; Translation: “flesh”; Notes: Repeats parallelism of shared substance.
  13. mea — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: Possessive adjective; Form: Ablative singular feminine; Function: Modifies carne; Translation: “my”; Notes: Reinforces possessive identification.
  14. hæc — Lemma: hic, haec, hoc; Part of Speech: Demonstrative pronoun; Form: Nominative singular feminine; Function: Subject of vocabitur; Translation: “she / this one”; Notes: Refers explicitly to the woman.
  15. vocabitur — Lemma: voco; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Future passive indicative 3rd singular; Function: Main verb; Translation: “shall be called”; Notes: Expresses divine or human naming as authoritative designation.
  16. Virago — Lemma: virago; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular feminine; Function: Predicate nominative; Translation: “Woman”; Notes: Wordplay with vir (man); preserves Hebrew poetic parallel of “ish/ishah.”
  17. quoniam — Lemma: quoniam; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Introduces causal clause; Translation: “because / since”; Notes: Explains reason for name.
  18. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs ablative; Function: Source; Translation: “from”; Notes: Marks origin of creation.
  19. viro — Lemma: vir; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative singular masculine; Function: Object of de; Translation: “man”; Notes: Source of the woman’s formation, connecting to Virago.
  20. sumpta — Lemma: sumo; Part of Speech: Participle; Form: Perfect passive participle nominative singular feminine; Function: Predicate adjective; Translation: “taken”; Notes: Agrees with hæc; denotes completed creative act.
  21. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present active indicative 3rd singular; Function: Auxiliary with participle; Translation: “is / has been”; Notes: Forms perfect passive construction “has been taken.”

 

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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