Genesis 3:5

Posted on January 3, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 3:5 Scit enim Deus quod in quocumque die comederitis ex eo, aperientur oculi vestri: et eritis sicut dii, scientes bonum et malum.

For God knows that in whatever day you eat from it, your eyes shall be opened, and you shall be like gods, knowing good and evil.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Scit knows 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
2 enim for CONJ
3 Deus God NOM.SG.M
4 quod that CONJ
5 in in PREP+ABL
6 quocumque in whatever / on whatever INDEF.REL.ADV
7 die day ABL.SG.M
8 comederitis you eat / you will eat 2PL.FUT.PERF.ACT.IND
9 ex from / out of PREP+ABL
10 eo it ABL.SG.N.DEMON.PRON
11 aperientur shall be opened 3PL.FUT.PASS.IND
12 oculi eyes NOM.PL.M
13 vestri your GEN.PL.PRON
14 et and CONJ
15 eritis you shall be 2PL.FUT.ACT.IND
16 sicut like / as CONJ
17 dii gods NOM.PL.M
18 scientes knowing PRES.ACT.PTCP.NOM.PL.M
19 bonum good ACC.SG.N
20 et and CONJ
21 malum evil ACC.SG.N

Syntax

Main Clause: Scit enim Deus quod… — “For God knows that…” introduces a causal clause explaining the serpent’s reasoning.
Subordinate Clause: in quocumque die comederitis ex eo, aperientur oculi vestri — “in whatever day you eat from it, your eyes shall be opened.”
The conditional nuance is expressed by the indefinite relative in quocumque die. The verb aperientur (future passive) predicts divine-like enlightenment.
Coordinated Clause: et eritis sicut dii, scientes bonum et malum — “and you shall be like gods, knowing good and evil.”
Here scientes is a participle in agreement with dii, describing their supposed divine attribute.

Morphology

  1. Scit — Lemma: scio; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present active indicative 3rd singular; Function: Main verb; Translation: “knows”; Notes: Indicates the serpent’s assertion of divine awareness.
  2. enim — Lemma: enim; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Causal connector; Translation: “for”; Notes: Explains or gives reason for the previous statement.
  3. Deus — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Subject; Translation: “God”; Notes: The serpent attributes deceptive motives to God.
  4. quod — Lemma: quod; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Introduces object clause; Translation: “that”; Notes: Marks content of divine knowledge.
  5. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs ablative; Function: Temporal or locative; Translation: “in / on”; Notes: Forms temporal expression with die.
  6. quocumque — Lemma: quicumque; Part of Speech: Indefinite relative pronoun/adverb; Form: Ablative singular masculine; Function: Modifies die; Translation: “whatever / whichever”; Notes: Adds general condition.
  7. die — Lemma: dies; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative singular masculine; Function: Ablative of time; Translation: “day”; Notes: Expresses temporal point of eating.
  8. comederitis — Lemma: comedo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Future perfect active indicative 2nd plural; Function: Temporal subordinate verb; Translation: “you eat / will have eaten”; Notes: Expresses time preceding consequence.
  9. ex — Lemma: ex; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs ablative; Function: Source; Translation: “from / out of”; Notes: Introduces object consumed.
  10. eo — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: Ablative singular neuter; Function: Object of ex; Translation: “it”; Notes: Refers to the forbidden tree or its fruit.
  11. aperientur — Lemma: aperio; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Future passive indicative 3rd plural; Function: Main verb of result clause; Translation: “shall be opened”; Notes: Passive voice expresses eyes being acted upon.
  12. oculi — Lemma: oculus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative plural masculine; Function: Subject of aperientur; Translation: “eyes”; Notes: Symbolic for understanding or awareness.
  13. vestri — Lemma: vester; Part of Speech: Possessive pronoun; Form: Genitive plural masculine; Function: Possessive; Translation: “your”; Notes: Modifies oculi.
  14. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Coordination; Translation: “and”; Notes: Links consequences.
  15. eritis — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Future active indicative 2nd plural; Function: Main verb; Translation: “you shall be”; Notes: Predicts transformed state.
  16. sicut — Lemma: sicut; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Comparative; Translation: “like / as”; Notes: Introduces comparison to divine beings.
  17. dii — Lemma: deus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative plural masculine; Function: Predicate nominative; Translation: “gods”; Notes: May imply divine beings or powers; serpent suggests equality with them.
  18. scientes — Lemma: scio; Part of Speech: Present active participle; Form: Nominative plural masculine; Function: Modifies dii; Translation: “knowing”; Notes: Indicates characteristic divine knowledge.
  19. bonum — Lemma: bonum; Part of Speech: Noun/Adjective; Form: Accusative singular neuter; Function: Object of scientes; Translation: “good”; Notes: Part of moral pair contrasting good and evil.
  20. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Coordination; Translation: “and”; Notes: Connects moral opposites.
  21. malum — Lemma: malum; Part of Speech: Noun/Adjective; Form: Accusative singular neuter; Function: Object of scientes; Translation: “evil”; Notes: Completes moral pair; represents full discernment of moral duality.

 

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.