Genesis 1:21

Posted on January 1, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 1:21 Creavitque Deus Cete grandia, et omnem animam viventem atque motabilem, quam produxerant aquæ in species suas, et omne volatile secundum genus suum. Et vidit Deus quod esset bonum.

And God created the great sea creatures, and every living soul that moves, which the waters had brought forth in their kinds, and every winged creature according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Creavitque And created 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND+ENCL
2 Deus God NOM.SG.M
3 Cete sea creatures ACC.PL.N
4 grandia, great ACC.PL.N
5 et and CONJ
6 omnem every ACC.SG.F
7 animam soul ACC.SG.F
8 viventem living ACC.SG.F.PTCP.PRES.ACT
9 atque and also CONJ
10 motabilem, moving ACC.SG.F.AD J
11 quam which ACC.SG.F.REL
12 produxerant had brought forth 3PL.PLUPERF.ACT.IND
13 aquæ waters NOM.PL.F
14 in in PREP+ACC
15 species kinds ACC.PL.F
16 suas, their own ACC.PL.F.POSS
17 et and CONJ
18 omne every ACC.SG.N
19 volatile winged creature ACC.SG.N
20 secundum according to PREP+ACC
21 genus kind ACC.SG.N
22 suum. its ACC.SG.N.POSS
23 Et And CONJ
24 vidit saw 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
25 Deus God NOM.SG.M
26 quod that CONJ.SUB
27 esset was 3SG.IMP.SUBJ.ACT
28 bonum. good NOM.SG.N

Syntax

Verb Phrase: Creavitque Deus — Main creation event
Coordinated Direct Objects:
• Cete grandia
• omnem animam viventem atque motabilem
• omne volatile
Relative Clause: quam produxerant aquæ — Indicates origin: waters
Classification Phrases:
• in species suas — into their specific kinds
• secundum genus suum — according to its kind
Evaluation Formula: Et vidit Deus quod esset bonum — divine approval

Morphology

  1. Creavitque — Lemma: creo; Part of Speech: Verb with enclitic -que; Form: Perfect active indicative, third person singular; Function: Main verb of the clause combining with prior narrative; Translation: “and created”; Notes: -que adds tight narrative continuity.
  2. Deus — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Subject; Translation: “God”; Notes: The Creator.
  3. Cete — Lemma: cetus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative plural neuter; Function: Direct object; Translation: “sea creatures”; Notes: Large aquatic animals.
  4. grandia, — Lemma: grandis; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: Accusative plural neuter; Function: Modifier; Translation: “great”; Notes: Indicates size and importance.
  5. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Coordinating; Function: Links direct objects; Translation: “and”; Notes: Adds parallel item.
  6. omnem — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: Accusative singular feminine; Function: Modifies animam; Translation: “every”; Notes: Universality emphasis.
  7. animam — Lemma: anima; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular feminine; Function: Direct object; Translation: “soul/creature”; Notes: Life-bearing entity.
  8. viventem — Lemma: vivo; Part of Speech: Participle (verb adjective); Form: Present active participle, accusative singular feminine; Function: Describes animam; Translation: “living”; Notes: Emphasizes vitality.
  9. atque — Lemma: atque; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Coordinating; Function: Adds second modifier; Translation: “and also”; Notes: Stronger emphasis than et.
  10. motabilem, — Lemma: motabilis; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: Accusative singular feminine; Function: Modifies animam; Translation: “mobile/moving”; Notes: Describes capacity for movement.
  11. quam — Lemma: qui/quam; Part of Speech: Relative pronoun; Form: Accusative singular feminine; Function: Introduces relative clause referring to animam; Translation: “which”; Notes: Governs subsequent verb of origin.
  12. produxerant — Lemma: produco; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Pluperfect active indicative, third person plural; Function: Main verb of relative clause; Translation: “had brought forth”; Notes: Indicates prior creation action by waters.
  13. aquæ — Lemma: aqua; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative plural feminine; Function: Subject of produxerant; Translation: “waters”; Notes: Personified productive agent.
  14. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governing the accusative here; Function: Introduces phrase of classification; Translation: “in/into”; Notes: Indicates arrangement into kinds.
  15. species — Lemma: species; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative plural feminine; Function: Object of in; Translation: “kinds”; Notes: Biological classification concept.
  16. suas, — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: Possessive adjective; Form: Accusative plural feminine; Function: Modifies species; Translation: “their own”; Notes: Reflexive possessive.
  17. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Coordinating; Function: Adds additional category; Translation: “and”.
  18. omne — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: Adjective used substantively; Form: Accusative singular neuter; Function: Object; Translation: “every”; Notes: Generic reference to class.
  19. volatile — Lemma: volatilis; Part of Speech: Adjective used as noun; Form: Accusative singular neuter; Function: Object; Translation: “winged creature”; Notes: Flying animals.
  20. secundum — Lemma: secundum; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governing the accusative; Function: Indicates standard of classification; Translation: “according to”; Notes: Introduces genus as a criterion.
  21. genus — Lemma: genus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular neuter; Function: Object of secundum; Translation: “kind”; Notes: Taxonomic category.
  22. suum. — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: Possessive adjective; Form: Accusative singular neuter; Function: Modifies genus; Translation: “its”; Notes: Punctuation preserved.
  23. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Function: Introduces evaluation clause; Translation: “And”.
  24. vidit — Lemma: video; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect active indicative, third person singular; Function: Main verb; Translation: “saw”; Notes: Divine perception.
  25. Deus — Lemma: Deus; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Subject of vidit.
  26. quod — Lemma: quod; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Subordinator; Function: Introduces content clause; Translation: “that”.
  27. esset — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Imperfect subjunctive active, third person singular; Function: Verb of clause; Translation: “was”; Notes: Subjunctive after verb of perception.
  28. bonum. — Lemma: bonus; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: Nominative singular neuter; Function: Predicate adjective; Translation: “good”; Notes: Divine approval phrase.

 

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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