Genesis 1:16

Posted on January 1, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 1:16 Fecitque Deus duo luminaria magna: luminare maius, ut præesset diei: et luminare minus, ut præesset nocti: et stellas.

And God made the two great lights: the greater light, so that it might rule over the day, and the lesser light, so that it might rule over the night, and the stars.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Fecitque And made 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND+CONJ
2 Deus God NOM.SG.M
3 duo two ACC.PL.N
4 luminaria lights ACC.PL.N
5 magna great ACC.PL.N
6 luminare light ACC.SG.N
7 maius greater ACC.SG.N.COMP
8 ut so that CONJ.SUB
9 præesset might rule over 3SG.IMP.SBJ.ACT
10 diei the day DAT.SG.M
11 et and CONJ
12 luminare light ACC.SG.N
13 minus lesser ACC.SG.N.COMP
14 ut so that CONJ.SUB
15 præesset might rule over 3SG.IMP.SBJ.ACT
16 nocti the night DAT.SG.F
17 et and CONJ
18 stellas stars ACC.PL.F

Syntax

Main Clause: Deus (Subject) + Fecitque (Verb) + duo luminaria magna (Object)
Apposition: luminare maius and luminare minus further define “lights”
Purpose Clauses:
• ut præesset diei — governs the daylight
• ut præesset nocti — governs the night
Additional Object: stellas — celestial bodies created alongside lights

Morphology

  1. Fecitque — Lemma: facio + que; Part of Speech: Verb + enclitic; Form: Perfect indicative active, 3rd singular; Function: Main verb; Translation: “And made”; Notes: -que links tightly with previous narrative unit.
  2. Deus — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Subject; Translation: “God”; Notes: Referent unchanged from context.
  3. duo — Lemma: duo; Part of Speech: Numeral adjective; Form: Accusative plural neuter; Function: Modifies luminaria; Translation: “two”; Notes: Indicates duality.
  4. luminaria — Lemma: luminare; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative plural neuter; Function: Object; Translation: “lights”; Notes: Celestial luminaries.
  5. magna — Lemma: magnus; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: Accusative plural neuter; Function: Modifies luminaria; Translation: “great”; Notes: Indicates superiority in size/importance.
  6. luminare — Lemma: luminare; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular neuter; Function: Apposition to luminaria; Translation: “light”; Notes: First of paired luminaries.
  7. maius — Lemma: magnus; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: Accusative singular neuter, comparative; Function: Modifies luminare; Translation: “greater”; Notes: Indicates cosmic hierarchy.
  8. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Subordinating; Function: Introduces purpose clause; Translation: “so that”; Notes: Governs subjunctive.
  9. præesset — Lemma: praesum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Imperfect subjunctive active, 3rd singular; Function: Purpose; Translation: “might rule over”; Notes: Governmental metaphor.
  10. diei — Lemma: dies; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Dative singular masculine; Function: Object of rule; Translation: “the day”; Notes: Affected sphere.
  11. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Coordinating; Function: Adds next luminary; Translation: “and”; Notes: Links parallel structures.
  12. luminare — Lemma: luminare; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular neuter; Function: Apposition; Translation: “light”; Notes: Second luminary.
  13. minus — Lemma: parvus; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: Accusative singular neuter, comparative; Function: Modifies luminare; Translation: “lesser”; Notes: Relational comparison.
  14. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Subordinating; Function: Introduces parallel purpose; Translation: “so that”; Notes: Parallel structure creates symmetry.
  15. præesset — Lemma: praesum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Imperfect subjunctive active, 3rd singular; Function: Purpose; Translation: “might rule over”; Notes: Governs nocturnal domain.
  16. nocti — Lemma: nox; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Dative singular feminine; Function: Object of rule; Translation: “the night”; Notes: Contrasted sphere to day.
  17. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Coordinating; Function: Adds final object; Translation: “and”; Notes: Sequential addition.
  18. stellas — Lemma: stella; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative plural feminine; Function: Additional direct object; Translation: “stars”; Notes: Third category of heavenly bodies.

 

 

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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