Genesis 3:4

Posted on January 3, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn3:4 Dixit autem serpens ad mulierem: Nequaquam morte moriemini.

And the serpent said to the woman: You shall not die by death.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Dixit said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 autem but / and CONJ
3 serpens serpent NOM.SG.M
4 ad to PREP+ACC
5 mulierem woman ACC.SG.F
6 Nequaquam by no means / not at all ADV
7 morte by death ABL.SG.F
8 moriemini you shall die 2PL.FUT.DEP.IND

Syntax

Main Clause: Dixit autem serpens ad mulierem — “And the serpent said to the woman.”
The prepositional phrase ad mulierem identifies the indirect object. The conjunction autem continues the dialogue from the previous verse.
Direct Speech: Nequaquam morte moriemini — “You shall not die by death.”
This expression is a Semitic idiom (double use of “die” and “death”) for emphatic negation, conveying the serpent’s direct contradiction of God’s warning.

Morphology

  1. Dixit — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: Main verb; Translation: “said”; Notes: Marks the serpent’s verbal act of deception.
  2. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Transitional; Translation: “and / but”; Notes: Introduces a contrast or continuation of dialogue.
  3. serpens — Lemma: serpens; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Subject; Translation: “serpent”; Notes: Identified as the speaker in opposition to God’s word.
  4. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs accusative; Function: Direction; Translation: “to”; Notes: Marks target of the speech.
  5. mulierem — Lemma: mulier; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular feminine; Function: Object of ad; Translation: “woman”; Notes: Recipient of the serpent’s words (Eve).
  6. Nequaquam — Lemma: nequaquam; Part of Speech: Adverb; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Negation of degree; Translation: “by no means / not at all”; Notes: Forceful denial of divine warning.
  7. morte — Lemma: mors; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative singular feminine; Function: Ablative of manner or means; Translation: “by death”; Notes: Expresses the manner or instrument of dying.
  8. moriemini — Lemma: morior; Part of Speech: Verb (deponent); Form: Future deponent indicative 2nd plural; Function: Main verb in direct speech; Translation: “you shall die”; Notes: Deponent form, active meaning; doubled with morte for emphatic negation “you shall by no means die.”

 

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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