Genesis 1:19

Posted on January 1, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 1:19 Et factum est vespere et mane, dies quartus.

And it was evening and morning, the fourth day.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Et And CONJ
2 factum was done NOM.SG.N.PTCP.PERF.PASS
3 est was 3SG.PRES.IND.ACT
4 vespere evening ABL.SG.N
5 et and CONJ
6 mane, morning ABL.SG.N
7 dies day NOM.SG.M
8 quartus. fourth NOM.SG.M.AD J

Syntax

Main Clause: Et factum est — narrative formula marking completion
Temporal Ablatives: vespere et mane — time expressions framing the creation period
Nominative Statement: dies quartus — summary identification of the fourth day

Morphology

  1. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Coordinating; Function: Links result to previous narrative; Translation: “And”; Notes: Standard temporal progression.
  2. factum — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: Participle; Form: Perfect passive participle, nominative singular neuter; Function: Part of passive periphrastic; Translation: “was done”; Notes: State produced by prior action.
  3. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present indicative active, 3rd singular; Function: Auxiliary; Translation: “was”; Notes: Forms predicate with participle.
  4. vespere — Lemma: vesper; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative singular neuter; Function: Ablative of time; Translation: “evening”; Notes: Order usually evening before morning.
  5. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Coordinating; Function: Connects time nouns; Translation: “and”; Notes: Simple connective.
  6. mane, — Lemma: mane; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative singular neuter; Function: Ablative of time; Translation: “morning”; Notes: Punctuation preserved.
  7. dies — Lemma: dies; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Subject complement; Translation: “day”; Notes: Narrative day summarization.
  8. quartus. — Lemma: quartus; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Modifies dies; Translation: “fourth”; Notes: Cardinal progression of creation days.

 

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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