Genesis 2:24

Posted on January 2, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

24 Quamobrem relinquet homo patrem suum, et matrem, et adhærebit uxori suæ: et erunt duo in carne una.

Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother, and shall cling to his wife; and the two shall be in one flesh.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Quamobrem therefore / for which reason ADV
2 relinquet shall leave 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND
3 homo man NOM.SG.M
4 patrem father ACC.SG.M
5 suum his ACC.SG.M.POSS.ADJ
6 et and CONJ
7 matrem mother ACC.SG.F
8 et and CONJ
9 adhærebit shall cling / be joined 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND
10 uxori wife DAT.SG.F
11 suæ his DAT.SG.F.POSS.ADJ
12 et and CONJ
13 erunt they shall be 3PL.FUT.ACT.IND
14 duo two NOM.PL.M.NUM
15 in in / into PREP+ABL
16 carne flesh ABL.SG.F
17 una one ABL.SG.F.NUM

Syntax

Causal/Inferential Clause: Quamobrem — introduces the rationale or conclusion drawn from the preceding creation of woman.
Main Clause 1: relinquet homo patrem suum et matrem — “a man shall leave his father and mother.”
The verb relinquet governs two coordinated accusative objects, patrem and matrem.
Main Clause 2: et adhærebit uxori suæ — “and shall cling to his wife.”
The dative uxori suæ expresses personal attachment, implying covenantal union.
Result Clause: et erunt duo in carne una — “and the two shall be in one flesh.”
This construction shows the outcome of marital unity — a single living union from two persons.

Morphology

  1. Quamobrem — Lemma: quamobrem; Part of Speech: Adverb; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Introduces causal or inferential relation; Translation: “therefore / for which reason”; Notes: Links logical consequence of woman’s origin from man.
  2. relinquet — Lemma: relinquo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Future active indicative 3rd singular; Function: Main verb; Translation: “shall leave”; Notes: Predictive of future human behavior established by divine design.
  3. homo — Lemma: homo; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Subject of relinquet; Translation: “man”; Notes: Generic term for humankind, not proper name.
  4. patrem — Lemma: pater; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular masculine; Function: Direct object; Translation: “father”; Notes: Represents first natural bond to be superseded by marriage.
  5. suum — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: Possessive adjective; Form: Accusative singular masculine; Function: Modifies patrem; Translation: “his”; Notes: Reflexive, referring back to homo.
  6. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Coordinating; Translation: “and”; Notes: Joins equal elements in series.
  7. matrem — Lemma: mater; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular feminine; Function: Second object of relinquet; Translation: “mother”; Notes: Completes pair of natural parental ties.
  8. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Connects clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Sequential link to next verb.
  9. adhærebit — Lemma: adhæreo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Future active indicative 3rd singular; Function: Main verb; Translation: “shall cling / be joined”; Notes: Denotes firm, covenantal attachment.
  10. uxori — Lemma: uxor; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Dative singular feminine; Function: Indirect object of adhærebit; Translation: “to (his) wife”; Notes: Dative of relation, showing personal union.
  11. suæ — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: Possessive adjective; Form: Dative singular feminine; Function: Modifies uxori; Translation: “his”; Notes: Reflexive, matching gender and case of uxori.
  12. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Links final result clause; Translation: “and”; Notes: Transitional marker to result.
  13. erunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Future active indicative 3rd plural; Function: Main verb of result clause; Translation: “they shall be”; Notes: Predicts future existential state of marital union.
  14. duo — Lemma: duo; Part of Speech: Numeral; Form: Nominative plural masculine; Function: Subject of erunt; Translation: “two”; Notes: Emphasizes duality before unity.
  15. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs ablative; Function: Indicates state or condition; Translation: “in”; Notes: Introduces locative phrase expressing unity.
  16. carne — Lemma: caro; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative singular feminine; Function: Object of in; Translation: “flesh”; Notes: Symbol of shared physical and spiritual existence.
  17. una — Lemma: unus; Part of Speech: Numeral adjective; Form: Ablative singular feminine; Function: Modifies carne; Translation: “one”; Notes: Expresses unity — the two made a single being.

 

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.
This entry was posted in Genesis. Bookmark the permalink.

Comments are closed.