Genesis 1:29

Posted on January 1, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 1:29 Dixitque Deus: Ecce dedi vobis omnem herbam afferentem semen super terram, et universa ligna quæ habent in semetipsis sementem generis sui, ut sint vobis in escam:

And God said: Behold, I have given to you every herb bearing seed upon the earth, and all the trees which have in themselves the seed of their kind, so that they may be for you for food.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Dixitque And said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND+ENCL
2 Deus: God NOM.SG.M
3 Ecce behold PART
4 dedi I have given 1SG.PERF.ACT.IND
5 vobis to you DAT.PL.PRON
6 omnem every ACC.SG.F.ADJ
7 herbam herb ACC.SG.F
8 afferentem bearing ACC.SG.F.PTCP.PRES.ACT
9 semen seed ACC.SG.N
10 super upon PREP+ACC
11 terram, earth ACC.SG.F
12 et and CONJ
13 universa all ACC.PL.N.ADJ
14 ligna trees ACC.PL.N
15 quæ which NOM.PL.N.REL
16 habent have 3PL.PRES.ACT.IND
17 in in PREP+ABL
18 semetipsis in themselves ABL.PL.REFL.PRON
19 sementem seed ACC.SG.F
20 generis of kind GEN.SG.N
21 sui, their own GEN.SG.M/N.POSS
22 ut so that SUBORD.CONJ
23 sint they may be 3PL.PRES.SUBJ.ACT
24 vobis to you DAT.PL.PRON
25 in for PREP+ACC
26 escam: food ACC.SG.F

Syntax

Speech formula: Dixitque Deus — introduces divine grant
Deictic assertion: Ecce dedi — “behold, I have given,” emphasizing present possession
Direct objects of “dedi”: omnem herbam afferentem semen … et universa ligna
Relative clause: quæ habent in semetipsis sementem generis sui — trees defined by internal seed of their own kind
Purpose clause: ut sint vobis in escam — intended end: nourishment for humans

Morphology

  1. Dixitque — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: Verb with enclitic -que; Form: Perfect active indicative, third person singular; Function: Introduces the divine speech; Translation: “and [He] said”; Notes: -que links to the following clause tightly.
  2. Deus — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: Noun (proper/common); Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Subject of dixit; Translation: “God”; Notes: Agent of the grant.
  3. Ecce — Lemma: ecce; Part of Speech: Particle; Form: Deictic/exclamatory particle; Function: Draws attention to the gift; Translation: “behold”; Notes: Signals emphasis and immediacy.
  4. dedi — Lemma: do; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect active indicative, first person singular; Function: Main verb of granting; Translation: “I have given”; Notes: Perfect of completed donation with present relevance.
  5. vobis — Lemma: vos; Part of Speech: Personal pronoun; Form: Dative plural; Function: Indirect object/beneficiary; Translation: “to you”; Notes: Humanity as addressee.
  6. omnem — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: Accusative singular feminine; Function: Modifies herbam; Translation: “every”; Notes: Totality of the category.
  7. herbam — Lemma: herba; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular feminine; Function: Direct object of dedi; Translation: “herb/plant”; Notes: General vegetative food source.
  8. afferentem — Lemma: affero; Part of Speech: Participle (verbal adjective); Form: Present active participle, accusative singular feminine; Function: Modifies herbam by defining property; Translation: “bearing/bringing”; Notes: Orthography fixed by user choice.
  9. semen — Lemma: semen; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular neuter (same form as nominative); Function: Object/complement of the participle’s action; Translation: “seed”; Notes: Reproductive capacity.
  10. super — Lemma: super; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governing the accusative; Function: Introduces spatial setting; Translation: “upon/over”; Notes: Indicates distribution across the earth.
  11. terram — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular feminine; Function: Object of super; Translation: “the earth”; Notes: Global locale of the provision.
  12. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Coordinating conjunction; Function: Adds a second direct object; Translation: “and”; Notes: Paratactic linkage.
  13. universa — Lemma: universus; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: Accusative plural neuter; Function: Modifies ligna; Translation: “all/entire”; Notes: Exhaustive scope.
  14. ligna — Lemma: lignum; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative plural neuter; Function: Second direct object of dedi; Translation: “trees”; Notes: Fruit-bearing arboreal food.
  15. quæ — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: Relative pronoun; Form: Nominative plural neuter; Function: Subject of the relative clause; Translation: “which”; Notes: Refers to ligna.
  16. habent — Lemma: habeo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present indicative active, third person plural; Function: Verb of the relative clause; Translation: “have”; Notes: Describes inherent property.
  17. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governing the ablative; Function: Introduces internal location; Translation: “in/within”; Notes: Locative, not directional.
  18. semetipsis — Lemma: semetipse; Part of Speech: Intensive reflexive pronoun; Form: Ablative plural; Function: Object of in (within themselves); Translation: “themselves”; Notes: Intensifies reflexivity beyond ipse.
  19. sementem — Lemma: sementis; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular feminine; Function: Object of habent; Translation: “seed”; Notes: Vulgate usage alongside neuter semen; feminine stem signalled by -entis.
  20. generis — Lemma: genus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Genitive singular neuter; Function: Genitive of kind/class; Translation: “of [their] kind”; Notes: Taxonomic classification motif.
  21. sui — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: Reflexive possessive pronoun/adjective; Form: Genitive singular (masculine/neuter by sense); Function: Modifies generis; Translation: “their own”; Notes: Reflexive to the trees (ligna).
  22. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: Subordinating conjunction; Form: Introduces a purpose clause; Function: Marks divine intention; Translation: “so that”; Notes: Governs the subjunctive.
  23. sint — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present subjunctive active, third person plural; Function: Verb of the purpose clause; Translation: “they may be”; Notes: Consequence aimed at by the gift.
  24. vobis — Lemma: vos; Part of Speech: Personal pronoun; Form: Dative plural; Function: Dative of advantage/beneficiary; Translation: “for you”; Notes: Human recipients of the provision.
  25. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governing the accusative; Function: Predicative complement construction; Translation: “for/into”; Notes: Denotes end-purpose/result.
  26. escam — Lemma: esca; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular feminine; Function: Predicative accusative after in; Translation: “food”; Notes: Nutritional purpose of plants/trees.

 

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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