Genesis 1:17

Posted on January 1, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 1:17 Et posuit eas in firmamento cæli, ut lucerent super terram,

And He placed them in the firmament of heaven, so that they may shine upon the earth,

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Et And CONJ
2 posuit placed 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
3 eas them ACC.PL.F
4 in in PREP+ABL
5 firmamento firmament ABL.SG.N
6 cæli of heaven GEN.SG.M
7 ut so that CONJ.SUB
8 lucerent they might shine 3PL.IMP.SUBJ.ACT
9 super upon PREP+ACC
10 terram, earth ACC.SG.F

Syntax

Main Clause: posuit eas — “He placed them”
Adverbial Phrase: in firmamento cæli — specifying heavenly location
Purpose Clause: ut lucerent super terram — expresses divine intent for illumination

Morphology

  1. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Coordinating; Function: Links to preceding action; Translation: “And”; Notes: Narrative connective.
  2. posuit — Lemma: pono; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect active indicative, 3rd singular; Function: Main verbal action; Translation: “placed”; Notes: Completed divine placement.
  3. eas — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: Accusative plural feminine; Function: Direct object; Translation: “them”; Notes: Antecedent: the two luminaries and the stars.
  4. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs ablative; Function: Indicates location; Translation: “in”; Notes: Spatial marker.
  5. firmamento — Lemma: firmamentum; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative singular neuter; Function: Object of preposition; Translation: “firmament”; Notes: Realm of celestial placement.
  6. cæli — Lemma: caelum; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Genitive singular masculine; Function: Possessive description; Translation: “of heaven”; Notes: Specifies the firmament’s domain.
  7. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Subordinating; Function: Introduces purpose; Translation: “so that”; Notes: Governs subjunctive.
  8. lucerent — Lemma: luceo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Imperfect subjunctive active, 3rd plural; Function: Purpose of placement; Translation: “they might shine”; Notes: Continuous effect.
  9. super — Lemma: super; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs accusative; Function: Indicates spatial dominion; Translation: “upon”; Notes: Governs object below.
  10. terram, — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular feminine; Function: Object of super; Translation: “earth”; Notes: User-submitted punctuation retained.

 

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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