Genesis 1:7

Posted on January 1, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 1:7 Et fecit Deus firmamentum, divisitque aquas, quæ erant sub firmamento, ab his, quæ erant super firmamentum. Et factum est ita.

And God made the firmament, and He separated the waters which were under the firmament from those which were above the firmament, and it was made so.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Et And CONJ
2 fecit made 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
3 Deus God NOM.SG.M
4 firmamentum firmament ACC.SG.N
5 divisitque and separated 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
6 aquas waters ACC.PL.F
7 quæ which NOM.PL.F.REL
8 erant were 3PL.IMPF.ACT.IND
9 sub under PREP+ABL
10 firmamento firmament ABL.SG.N
11 ab from PREP+ABL
12 his those ABL.PL.N.DEM
13 quæ which NOM.PL.F.REL
14 erant were 3PL.IMPF.ACT.IND
15 super above PREP+ACC
16 firmamentum firmament ACC.SG.N
17 Et And CONJ
18 factum made NOM.SG.N.PTCP.PERF.PASS
19 est was 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
20 ita so ADV

Syntax

Main Clause 1: Deus (Subject) + fecit (Verb) + firmamentum (Direct Object)
Main Clause 2: Deus (understood Subject) + divisitque (Verb) + aquas (Direct Object)
Relative Clause 1: quæ erant sub firmamento — describes the waters beneath
Prepositional Phrase: sub firmamento — spatial location
Relative Clause 2: quæ erant super firmamentum — describes the waters above
Result Clause: Et factum est ita — expresses the outcome of divine action

Morphology

  1. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Coordinating; Function: Links clauses; Translation: “And”; Notes: Connects sequential creative acts.
  2. fecit — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: Main verb; Translation: “made”; Notes: Completed punctiliar action.
  3. Deus — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Subject; Translation: “God”; Notes: Implied again in second main verb.
  4. firmamentum — Lemma: firmamentum; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular neuter; Function: Direct object; Translation: “firmament”; Notes: Newly created entity.
  5. divisitque — Lemma: divido; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: Main verb; Translation: “and separated”; Notes: enclitic -que attaches to first element.
  6. aquas — Lemma: aqua; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative plural feminine; Function: Direct object; Translation: “waters”; Notes: Created matter organized.
  7. quæ — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: Relative pronoun; Form: Nominative plural feminine; Function: Relative clause subject; Translation: “which”; Notes: Refers to waters.
  8. erant — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Imperfect active indicative 3rd plural; Function: Copula; Translation: “were”; Notes: Describes continuing location.
  9. sub — Lemma: sub; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs ablative; Function: Expresses spatial relation; Translation: “under”; Notes: Locative sense.
  10. firmamento — Lemma: firmamentum; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative singular neuter; Function: Object of preposition; Translation: “firmament”; Notes: Bound complement.
  11. ab — Lemma: ab; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs ablative; Function: Separation marker; Translation: “from”; Notes: Contrasts locations.
  12. his — Lemma: hic; Part of Speech: Demonstrative pronoun; Form: Ablative plural neuter; Function: Object of preposition; Translation: “those”; Notes: Refers to waters below.
  13. quæ — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: Relative pronoun; Form: Nominative plural feminine; Function: Subject; Translation: “which”; Notes: Parallel to prior relative.
  14. erant — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Imperfect active indicative 3rd plural; Function: Copula; Translation: “were”; Notes: Repeated structure.
  15. super — Lemma: super; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs accusative; Function: Spatial relation above; Translation: “above”; Notes: Opposes “sub”.
  16. firmamentum — Lemma: firmamentum; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular neuter; Function: Object of preposition; Translation: “firmament”; Notes: Repetition adds rhythm.
  17. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Coordinating; Function: Links final result; Translation: “And”; Notes: Marks closure.
  18. factum — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: Verb participle; Form: Perfect passive participle nominative singular neuter; Function: Predicate complement; Translation: “made”; Notes: Used impersonally.
  19. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present active indicative 3rd singular; Function: Auxiliary; Translation: “was”; Notes: Forms periphrastic passive.
  20. ita — Lemma: ita; Part of Speech: Adverb; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Completes idiom; Translation: “so”; Notes: Formulaic conclusion in Genesis 1.

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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