Genesis 3:12

Posted on January 3, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 3:12 Dixitque Adam: Mulier, quam dedisti mihi sociam, dedit mihi de ligno, et comedi.

And Adam said: “The woman whom You gave to be my companion, she gave me from the tree, and I ate.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Dixitque and said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND+QUE
2 Adam Adam NOM.SG.M
3 Mulier woman NOM.SG.F
4 quam whom ACC.SG.F.REL.PRON
5 dedisti you gave 2SG.PERF.ACT.IND
6 mihi to me DAT.SG.1P.PRON
7 sociam companion ACC.SG.F
8 dedit she gave 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
9 mihi to me DAT.SG.1P.PRON
10 de from / of PREP+ABL
11 ligno tree ABL.SG.N
12 et and CONJ
13 comedi I ate 1SG.PERF.ACT.IND

Syntax

Main Clause: Dixitque Adam — “And Adam said.” The conjunction -que connects this to the previous divine question.
Subordinate Clause: Mulier, quam dedisti mihi sociam — “The woman whom You gave to me as a companion.” The relative pronoun quam introduces a clause modifying mulier, and sociam functions as a predicate accusative complement.
Main Clause (continued): dedit mihi de ligno, et comedi — “She gave me from the tree, and I ate.” The two verbs dedit and comedi are coordinated by et, with mihi marking the indirect object and de ligno expressing the source of the forbidden fruit.

Morphology

  1. Dixitque — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect active indicative 3rd singular (with enclitic -que); Function: Main verb; Translation: “and said”; Notes: Connects with the preceding dialogue; signals the continuation of divine-human interaction.
  2. Adam — Lemma: Adam; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Subject; Translation: “Adam”; Notes: The human respondent, shifting responsibility.
  3. Mulier — Lemma: mulier; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular feminine; Function: Subject of the subordinate clause; Translation: “woman”; Notes: Refers to Eve, introduced as the cause of Adam’s act.
  4. quam — Lemma: qui, quae, quod; Part of Speech: Relative pronoun; Form: Accusative singular feminine; Function: Object of dedisti; Translation: “whom”; Notes: Links Mulier with the relative clause modifying her role.
  5. dedisti — Lemma: do; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect active indicative 2nd singular; Function: Main verb of relative clause; Translation: “you gave”; Notes: Refers to divine act of providing a companion.
  6. mihi — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: Dative singular; Function: Indirect object of dedisti; Translation: “to me”; Notes: Marks personal benefit or responsibility.
  7. sociam — Lemma: socia; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular feminine; Function: Predicate accusative; Translation: “companion”; Notes: Complement to quam dedisti, defining the woman’s given role.
  8. dedit — Lemma: do; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: Main verb; Translation: “she gave”; Notes: Indicates Eve’s action as immediate cause of the transgression.
  9. mihi — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: Dative singular; Function: Indirect object of dedit; Translation: “to me”; Notes: Repetition emphasizes Adam’s self-justifying tone.
  10. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs ablative; Function: Source; Translation: “from / of”; Notes: Indicates the material or origin (“from the tree”).
  11. ligno — Lemma: lignum; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative singular neuter; Function: Object of de; Translation: “tree”; Notes: Refers to the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
  12. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Coordinates verbs dedit and comedi; Translation: “and”; Notes: Simple connective marking sequence of events.
  13. comedi — Lemma: comedo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect active indicative 1st singular; Function: Main verb; Translation: “I ate”; Notes: Admits personal participation in the act of disobedience.

 

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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