Genesis 7:22

Posted on January 7, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 7:22 et cuncta, in quibus spiraculum vitæ est in terra, mortua sunt.

And all things in which was the breath of life upon the earth died.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 et and CONJ
2 cuncta all things ADJ.NOM.PL.N (SUBST)
3 in in / within PREP+ABL
4 quibus in which PRON.REL.ABL.PL.N
5 spiraculum breath NOUN.NOM.SG.N
6 vitæ of life NOUN.GEN.SG.F
7 est is / was VERB.3SG.PRES.IND.ACT
8 in upon / on PREP+ABL
9 terra earth NOUN.ABL.SG.F
10 mortua died / were dead VERB.PERF.PTCP.NOM.PL.N
11 sunt were VERB.3PL.PRES.IND.ACT (AUX)

Syntax

The sentence begins with the coordinating conjunction et, linking this statement to the preceding enumeration of destroyed life.
The main clause is cuncta … mortua sunt, where cuncta (neuter plural “all things”) serves as the subject, and the compound verb mortua sunt (perfect passive) expresses total death.
The relative phrase in quibus spiraculum vitæ est qualifies cuncta, describing everything “in which was the breath of life.”
The phrase in terra further confines this destruction to the earthly realm, contrasting implicitly with the heavenly.
The verse thus asserts complete annihilation of terrestrial life possessing vital breath.

Morphology

  1. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: joins this verse to the preceding narrative; Translation: and; Notes: introduces the final summary of universal death.
  2. cuncta — Lemma: cunctus; Part of Speech: Adjective (used substantively); Form: nominative plural neuter; Function: subject of mortua sunt; Translation: all things; Notes: emphasizes totality of animate beings.
  3. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces relative clause; Translation: in; Notes: denotes containment or inclusion.
  4. quibus — Lemma: qui, quæ, quod; Part of Speech: Relative pronoun; Form: ablative plural neuter; Function: object of preposition in; Translation: in which; Notes: refers to all living beings containing life-breath.
  5. spiraculum — Lemma: spiraculum; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: subject of est; Translation: breath; Notes: term evokes Genesis 2:7, divine breath of life.
  6. vitæ — Lemma: vita; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: genitive of possession; Translation: of life; Notes: identifies type of breath — the life-giving spirit.
  7. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: 3rd person singular present indicative active; Function: copula in relative clause; Translation: is / was; Notes: present tense used in sense of historical perfective (“was”).
  8. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: locative; Translation: on / upon; Notes: expresses spatial sphere of the event — “on the earth.”
  9. terra — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of in; Translation: earth; Notes: denotes physical world in contrast to heavens.
  10. mortua — Lemma: morior; Part of Speech: Verb (perfect participle passive); Form: nominative plural neuter; Function: predicate adjective; Translation: died; Notes: used with sunt to form perfect passive.
  11. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: 3rd person plural present indicative active (auxiliary); Function: auxiliary of perfect passive construction; Translation: were; Notes: completes compound perfect mortua sunt.

 

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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