Genesis 3:10

Posted on January 3, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 3:10 Qui ait: Vocem tuam audivi in paradiso: et timui, eo quod nudus essem, et abscondi me.

And he said: “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Qui who REL.PRON.NOM.SG.M
2 ait said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
3 Vocem voice ACC.SG.F
4 tuam your ACC.SG.F.PRON
5 audivi I heard 1SG.PERF.ACT.IND
6 in in PREP+ABL
7 paradiso garden ABL.SG.M
8 et and CONJ
9 timui I was afraid 1SG.PERF.ACT.IND
10 eo because / for this reason ABL.SG.M.DEMON.PRON
11 quod that / because CONJ
12 nudus naked NOM.SG.M.ADJ
13 essem I was 1SG.IMPERF.ACT.SUBJ
14 et and CONJ
15 abscondi I hid myself 1SG.PERF.ACT.IND
16 me myself ACC.SG.REFL.PRON

Syntax

Main Clause: Qui ait — “Who said.” The relative pronoun qui connects to the preceding narrative referring to Adam as the speaker.
Reported Speech: Vocem tuam audivi in paradiso — “I heard Your voice in the garden.” The perfect tense indicates completed action before the response.
Coordinate Clause 1: et timui — “and I was afraid.” Introduces emotional response to divine presence.
Subordinate Clause: eo quod nudus essem — “because I was naked.” The conjunction eo quod introduces causal explanation; the imperfect subjunctive essem expresses internal or explanatory cause.
Coordinate Clause 2: et abscondi me — “and I hid myself.” The reflexive pronoun me indicates Adam’s self-directed action.

Morphology

  1. Qui — Lemma: qui, quae, quod; Part of Speech: Relative pronoun; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Subject of ait; Translation: “who”; Notes: Refers to Adam, continuing narrative linkage.
  2. ait — Lemma: aio; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: Main verb; Translation: “said”; Notes: Formulaic introduction to direct speech.
  3. Vocem — Lemma: vox; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular feminine; Function: Direct object of audivi; Translation: “voice”; Notes: Object heard by Adam.
  4. tuam — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: Possessive adjective; Form: Accusative singular feminine; Function: Modifies vocem; Translation: “your”; Notes: Refers to divine voice of the LORD.
  5. audivi — Lemma: audio; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect active indicative 1st singular; Function: Main verb; Translation: “I heard”; Notes: Expresses completed perception of divine sound.
  6. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs ablative; Function: Locative; Translation: “in”; Notes: Introduces location of hearing.
  7. paradiso — Lemma: paradisus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative singular masculine; Function: Object of in; Translation: “garden”; Notes: Refers to Edenic location.
  8. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Connects coordinate verbs; Translation: “and”; Notes: Joins sequential clauses within Adam’s explanation.
  9. timui — Lemma: timeo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect active indicative 1st singular; Function: Main verb; Translation: “I was afraid”; Notes: Expresses emotional consequence of sin and exposure.
  10. eo — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: Demonstrative pronoun; Form: Ablative singular masculine; Function: Part of phrase eo quod; Translation: “because”; Notes: Used idiomatically with quod to introduce a causal clause.
  11. quod — Lemma: quod; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Introduces causal clause; Translation: “that / because”; Notes: Forms conjunctional pair with eo.
  12. nudus — Lemma: nudus; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Predicate adjective; Translation: “naked”; Notes: Describes Adam’s condition of exposure and guilt.
  13. essem — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Imperfect active subjunctive 1st singular; Function: Verb of causal clause; Translation: “I was”; Notes: Subjunctive due to indirect reasoning within eo quod.
  14. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Links final clause; Translation: “and”; Notes: Continues narrative sequence in first-person speech.
  15. abscondi — Lemma: abscondo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect active indicative 1st singular; Function: Main verb; Translation: “I hid (myself)”; Notes: Reflects self-initiated concealment after sin.
  16. me — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: Reflexive pronoun; Form: Accusative singular; Function: Direct object of abscondi; Translation: “myself”; Notes: Reflexive use denotes self-directed action motivated by fear.

 

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.