Genesis 7:23

Posted on January 7, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 7:23 Et delevit omnem substantiam, quæ erat super terram, ab homine usque ad pecus, tam reptile quam volucres cæli: et deleta sunt de terra: remansit autem solus Noe, et qui cum eo erant in arca.

And He destroyed every substance that was upon the earth, from man unto cattle, both creeping thing and the birds of the heaven: and they were destroyed from the earth; but Noe only remained, and those that were with him in the ark.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Et and CONJ
2 delevit He destroyed VERB.3SG.PERF.IND.ACT
3 omnem every ADJ.ACC.SG.F
4 substantiam substance / being NOUN.ACC.SG.F
5 quæ which PRON.REL.NOM.SG.F
6 erat was VERB.3SG.IMPERF.IND.ACT
7 super upon / over PREP+ACC
8 terram earth NOUN.ACC.SG.F
9 ab from PREP+ABL
10 homine man / human NOUN.ABL.SG.M
11 usque unto PREP
12 ad to / as far as PREP+ACC
13 pecus cattle / herd NOUN.ACC.SG.N
14 tam both ADV.CORR
15 reptile creeping thing NOUN.ACC.SG.N
16 quam as / and CONJ.CORR
17 volucres birds NOUN.ACC.PL.F
18 cæli of heaven NOUN.GEN.SG.M
19 et and CONJ
20 deleta were destroyed VERB.PERF.PTCP.NOM.PL.N
21 sunt were VERB.3PL.PRES.IND.ACT (AUX)
22 de from PREP+ABL
23 terra earth NOUN.ABL.SG.F
24 remansit remained VERB.3SG.PERF.IND.ACT
25 autem but / however CONJ.ADV
26 solus alone / only ADJ.NOM.SG.M
27 Noe Noe NOUN.NOM.SG.M
28 et and CONJ
29 qui who PRON.REL.NOM.PL.M
30 cum with PREP+ABL
31 eo him PRON.PERS.ABL.SG.M
32 erant were VERB.3PL.IMPERF.IND.ACT
33 in in PREP+ABL
34 arca ark NOUN.ABL.SG.F

Syntax

The first clause Et delevit omnem substantiam quæ erat super terram introduces divine agency—God as the subject implied by context.
The verb delevit governs omnem substantiam as its object, with the relative clause quæ erat super terram limiting the scope to all living matter existing on the earth’s surface.
The phrase ab homine usque ad pecus expresses range through the prepositional pair “from… unto…,” while tam reptile quam volucres cæli employs a correlative pair (“both… and…”) extending destruction to creeping things and birds.
The next clause et deleta sunt de terra restates the devastation in a perfect passive form, emphasizing total erasure from the land.
Finally, remansit autem solus Noe, et qui cum eo erant in arca introduces contrast through autem, highlighting the sole survivors—Noe and those accompanying him in the ark.

Morphology

  1. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: coordinates narrative clauses; Translation: and; Notes: transitions to consequence of flood.
  2. delevit — Lemma: deleo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: 3rd person singular perfect indicative active; Function: main verb; Translation: He destroyed; Notes: expresses decisive divine act of eradication.
  3. omnem — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: modifies substantiam; Translation: every; Notes: marks totality of life forms.
  4. substantiam — Lemma: substantia; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object of delevit; Translation: substance / being; Notes: generic for “living matter.”
  5. quæ — Lemma: qui, quæ, quod; Part of Speech: Relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject of erat; Translation: which; Notes: links to substantiam.
  6. erat — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: 3rd person singular imperfect indicative active; Function: main verb of relative clause; Translation: was; Notes: expresses continuous prior existence.
  7. super — Lemma: super; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: locative; Translation: upon; Notes: indicates spatial relationship.
  8. terram — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of super; Translation: earth; Notes: sphere of destruction.
  9. ab — Lemma: ab; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: marks starting point; Translation: from; Notes: introduces range of annihilation.
  10. homine — Lemma: homo; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of ab; Translation: man; Notes: humanity as the first in the range.
  11. usque — Lemma: usque; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: indeclinable; Function: continues range to endpoint; Translation: unto; Notes: paired with ad.
  12. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: defines endpoint of range; Translation: to; Notes: links usque ad pecus.
  13. pecus — Lemma: pecus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of ad; Translation: cattle; Notes: collective for domestic animals.
  14. tam — Lemma: tam; Part of Speech: Adverb; Form: correlative; Function: first element of pair with quam; Translation: both; Notes: introduces parallel structure.
  15. reptile — Lemma: reptile; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object in correlative clause; Translation: creeping thing; Notes: emphasizes completeness of loss.
  16. quam — Lemma: quam; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: correlative; Function: pairs with tam; Translation: and / as well as; Notes: joins parallel elements.
  17. volucres — Lemma: volucris; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: object of implied verb; Translation: birds; Notes: part of pair with reptile.
  18. cæli — Lemma: cælum; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: genitive of relation; Translation: of heaven; Notes: identifies habitat of volucres.
  19. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: coordinates following clause; Translation: and; Notes: introduces result clause.
  20. deleta — Lemma: deleo; Part of Speech: Verb (perfect participle passive); Form: nominative plural neuter; Function: predicate adjective; Translation: destroyed; Notes: used with sunt in periphrastic perfect.
  21. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: 3rd person plural present indicative active (auxiliary); Function: auxiliary verb; Translation: were; Notes: completes passive periphrasis.
  22. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: denotes separation; Translation: from; Notes: indicates removal from the earth.
  23. terra — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of de; Translation: earth; Notes: sphere of disappearance.
  24. remansit — Lemma: remaneo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: 3rd person singular perfect indicative active; Function: main verb; Translation: remained; Notes: contrasts survival with destruction.
  25. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: adverbial; Function: marks contrast; Translation: but; Notes: shifts tone from judgment to preservation.
  26. solus — Lemma: solus; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: predicate adjective; Translation: alone / only; Notes: modifies Noe.
  27. Noe — Lemma: Noe; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of remansit; Translation: Noe; Notes: proper name; the single human survivor of the Flood narrative.
  28. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: connects Noe with the relative clause; Translation: and; Notes: joins additional surviving group to Noe.
  29. qui — Lemma: qui, quæ, quod; Part of Speech: Relative pronoun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject of erant; Translation: who; Notes: introduces subordinate clause identifying companions of Noe.
  30. cum — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses accompaniment; Translation: with; Notes: used in comitative sense.
  31. eo — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: Personal pronoun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of cum; Translation: him; Notes: refers back to Noe as antecedent.
  32. erant — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: 3rd person plural imperfect indicative active; Function: verb of the relative clause; Translation: were; Notes: continuous presence in the ark.
  33. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: indicates location; Translation: in; Notes: introduces spatial relation.
  34. arca — Lemma: arca; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of in; Translation: ark; Notes: denotes vessel of salvation and preservation.

 

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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