Genesis 8:3

Posted on January 8, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 8:3 Reversæque sunt aquæ de terra euntes et redeuntes: et cœperunt minui post centum quinquaginta dies.

And the waters returned from the earth, going and returning: and they began to diminish after one hundred and fifty days.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Reversæque and returned VERB.PERF.PTCP.NOM.PL.F + ENCL
2 sunt were / did VERB.3PL.PRES.IND.ACT (AUX)
3 aquæ waters NOUN.NOM.PL.F
4 de from PREP+ABL
5 terra earth NOUN.ABL.SG.F
6 euntes going VERB.PRES.PTCP.NOM.PL.F
7 et and CONJ
8 redeuntes returning VERB.PRES.PTCP.NOM.PL.F
9 et and CONJ
10 cœperunt began VERB.3PL.PERF.IND.ACT
11 minui to be diminished VERB.PRES.INF.PASS
12 post after PREP+ACC
13 centum hundred NUM.INDECL
14 quinquaginta fifty NUM.INDECL
15 dies days NOUN.ACC.PL.M

Syntax

The sentence unfolds in two balanced clauses describing the subsiding of the floodwaters.
The first clause, Reversæque sunt aquæ de terra euntes et redeuntes, features the periphrastic perfect Reversæ sunt with aquæ as its nominative subject. The participles euntes et redeuntes add a vivid iterative sense—“going and returning”—portraying the ebb and flow of the receding waters.
The second clause, et cœperunt minui post centum quinquaginta dies, expresses the process of reduction using cœperunt with an infinitive minui (passive), indicating that the waters began to diminish after a fixed duration.
The conjunction et connects both actions into one coherent progression from movement to stillness.

Morphology

  1. Reversæque — Lemma: revertor; Part of Speech: Verb (deponent participle); Form: nominative plural feminine perfect participle + enclitic -que; Function: main verb; Translation: and returned; Notes: deponent in form, active in meaning; feminine agrees with aquæ.
  2. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: 3rd person plural present indicative active (auxiliary); Function: auxiliary forming periphrastic perfect; Translation: were / did; Notes: auxiliary verb used with participle to form perfect tense.
  3. aquæ — Lemma: aqua; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: nominative plural feminine; Function: subject; Translation: waters; Notes: denotes floodwaters acting under divine command.
  4. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses source; Translation: from; Notes: marks point of departure of the receding waters.
  5. terra — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of de; Translation: earth; Notes: locative origin of the flood’s retreat.
  6. euntes — Lemma: eo; Part of Speech: Verb (present participle active); Form: nominative plural feminine; Function: adverbial modifier; Translation: going; Notes: expresses movement outward.
  7. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: connects paired participles; Translation: and; Notes: joins cyclical verbs of motion.
  8. redeuntes — Lemma: redeo; Part of Speech: Verb (present participle active); Form: nominative plural feminine; Function: adverbial modifier; Translation: returning; Notes: complements euntes in describing tidal oscillation.
  9. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces the next main clause; Translation: and; Notes: sequential connector of narrative.
  10. cœperunt — Lemma: cœpi; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: 3rd person plural perfect indicative active; Function: main verb of the second clause; Translation: began; Notes: auxiliary sense introducing infinitive of action.
  11. minui — Lemma: minuo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: present infinitive passive; Function: complementary infinitive with cœperunt; Translation: to be diminished; Notes: passive voice emphasizes effect rather than cause.
  12. post — Lemma: post; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: temporal preposition; Translation: after; Notes: indicates the period following the flood’s peak.
  13. centum — Lemma: centum; Part of Speech: Numeral; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies dies; Translation: hundred; Notes: combined with quinquaginta to form 150.
  14. quinquaginta — Lemma: quinquaginta; Part of Speech: Numeral; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies dies; Translation: fifty; Notes: adds numerical precision to duration.
  15. dies — Lemma: dies; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object of post; Translation: days; Notes: temporal measure of the water’s diminution.

 

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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