Genesis 7:15

Posted on January 7, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 7:15 ingressæ sunt ad Noe in arcam, bina et bina ex omni carne, in qua erat spiritus vitæ.

They entered to Noe into the ark, two by two of all flesh, in which was the breath of life.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 ingressæ they entered VERB.PERF.PTCP.NOM.PL.F
2 sunt were / have (aux.) VERB.3PL.PRES.IND.ACT (AUX)
3 ad to / toward PREP+ACC
4 Noe Noah NOUN.ACC.SG.M
5 in into PREP+ACC
6 arcam ark NOUN.ACC.SG.F
7 bina two by two NUM.NOM.PL.N.DISTR
8 et and CONJ
9 bina two by two NUM.NOM.PL.N.DISTR
10 ex from / out of PREP+ABL
11 omni every / all ADJ.ABL.SG.F
12 carne flesh NOUN.ABL.SG.F
13 in in PREP+ABL
14 qua in which PRON.REL.ABL.SG.F
15 erat was VERB.3SG.IMPERF.IND.ACT
16 spiritus breath / spirit NOUN.NOM.SG.M
17 vitæ of life NOUN.GEN.SG.F

Syntax

The main clause ingressæ sunt ad Noe in arcam expresses perfective aspect with the periphrastic perfect (participle + auxiliary). The feminine plural subject implied by ingressæ sunt agrees with animantia (understood from the context). The prepositional phrases ad Noe and in arcam denote destination and goal, respectively. The distributive numeral pair bina et bina serves as an appositive phrase defining the entry pattern. The ablative phrase ex omni carne specifies source — “from every kind of flesh.” Finally, the relative clause in qua erat spiritus vitæ restricts the referent: only those beings that possessed the breath of life entered the ark.

Morphology

  1. ingressæ — Lemma: ingredior; Part of Speech: Verb (deponent participle); Form: nominative plural feminine perfect participle; Function: part of periphrastic perfect; Translation: entered; Notes: deponent verb using active meaning with passive form.
  2. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb (auxiliary); Form: 3rd person plural present indicative active; Function: auxiliary forming perfect tense; Translation: were / have; Notes: supports ingressæ to yield “they entered.”
  3. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: direction toward a person; Translation: to / toward; Notes: introduces motion toward Noe.
  4. Noe — Lemma: Noe; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of ad; Translation: Noe; Notes: recipient of entry.
  5. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: indicates motion into; Translation: into; Notes: destination preposition.
  6. arcam — Lemma: arca; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of in; Translation: ark; Notes: literal ark of preservation.
  7. bina — Lemma: bini; Part of Speech: Numeral (distributive); Form: nominative plural neuter; Function: subject complement; Translation: two by two; Notes: indicates pairwise entry.
  8. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: coordination; Translation: and; Notes: joins repeated distributive numeral.
  9. bina — Lemma: bini; Part of Speech: Numeral (distributive); Form: nominative plural neuter; Function: repetition for emphasis; Translation: two by two; Notes: intensifies dual pairing.
  10. ex — Lemma: ex; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: source / origin; Translation: from / out of; Notes: marks origin of the entrants.
  11. omni — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: modifies carne; Translation: every / all; Notes: denotes total inclusiveness.
  12. carne — Lemma: caro; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of ex; Translation: flesh; Notes: collective term for living creatures.
  13. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: location; Translation: in; Notes: introduces relative clause location.
  14. qua — Lemma: qui, quæ, quod; Part of Speech: Relative pronoun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of in; Translation: in which; Notes: agrees with carne.
  15. erat — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: 3rd person singular imperfect indicative active; Function: verb of relative clause; Translation: was; Notes: continuous state “was present.”
  16. spiritus — Lemma: spiritus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of erat; Translation: breath / spirit; Notes: life-force animating living beings.
  17. vitæ — Lemma: vita; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: genitive of description; Translation: of life; Notes: denotes quality of the spirit.

 

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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