Genesis 1:3

Posted on January 1, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 1:3 Dixitque Deus: Fiat lux. Et facta est lux.

And God said: Let there be light. And light came into being.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Dixitque and said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND + ENCLITIC
2 Deus God NOM.SG.M
3 Fiat let it be 3SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
4 lux light NOM.SG.F
5 Et and CONJ
6 facta made NOM.SG.F.PTCP.PERF.PASS
7 est is / was 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
8 lux light NOM.SG.F

Syntax

Main Clause 1: Deus (Subject) + Dixitque (Verb)
Object: Indirect speech — Fiat lux functioning as a volitional clause (jussive)

Main Clause 2: lux (Subject) + facta est (Verb phrase) — passive construction expressing result: “light came into being”

Morphology

  1. Dixitque — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect active indicative 3rd singular with enclitic –que; Function: Main verb linking God to direct speech; Translation: “and said”; Notes: –que joins this verb to previous narrative.
  2. Deus — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Subject of the verb; Translation: “God”; Notes: Divine agent of creation.
  3. Fiat — Lemma: fio; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present active subjunctive 3rd singular; Function: Jussive command; Translation: “let there be”; Notes: Classical “fiat-creation formula.”
  4. lux — Lemma: lux; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular feminine; Function: Subject of fiat; Translation: “light”; Notes: First created element distinguished from darkness.
  5. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Coordinating conjunction; Function: Links result clause to command; Translation: “and”; Notes: Narrative sequence marker.
  6. facta — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: Participle; Form: Perfect passive participle nominative singular feminine; Function: Part of passive verbal construction; Translation: “made / came into being”; Notes: Indicates completed result.
  7. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present active indicative 3rd singular; Function: Auxiliary forming passive construction; Translation: “is / was”; Notes: Temporal focus on completed emergence of light.
  8. lux — Lemma: lux; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular feminine; Function: Subject of passive verbal idea; Translation: “light”; Notes: Repeated for emphasis and narrative closure.

 

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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