Genesis 2:1

Posted on January 2, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 2:1 Igitur perfecti sunt cæli et terra, et omnis ornatus eorum.

Therefore the heavens and the earth were perfected, and all their adornment.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Igitur Therefore CONJ
2 perfecti were perfected 3PL.PERF.PASS.IND
3 sunt they are AUX.3PL.PRES.IND.ACT
4 cæli heavens NOM.PL.M
5 et and CONJ
6 terra earth NOM.SG.F
7 et and CONJ
8 omnis all NOM.SG.M
9 ornatus adornment NOM.SG.M
10 eorum of them GEN.PL.M

Syntax

Main Clause: perfecti sunt — compound perfect passive verb (“were perfected”)
Subject: cæli et terra — compound subject in the nominative plural (“the heavens and the earth”)
Object: none — verb is intransitive here, describing completed creation
Phrase: et omnis ornatus eorum — additional nominative phrase expanding on the totality of their adornment (“and all their adornment”)

Morphology

  1. Igitur — Lemma: igitur; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Coordinating conjunction; Function: Links this clause to the preceding context; Translation: “Therefore”; Notes: Commonly introduces logical or narrative conclusion.
  2. perfecti — Lemma: perficio; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect passive participle nominative plural masculine; Function: Forms part of the periphrastic perfect passive; Translation: “perfected”; Notes: Indicates completed action; agrees with cæli and terra.
  3. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present active indicative 3rd plural; Function: Auxiliary verb with perfect participle; Translation: “are” (here “were” in English idiom); Notes: Completes the perfect passive periphrasis.
  4. cæli — Lemma: cælum; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative plural masculine; Function: Subject of the verb; Translation: “heavens”; Notes: Refers to the sky or celestial realm.
  5. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Coordinating conjunction; Function: Joins parallel nouns; Translation: “and”; Notes: Simple copulative use.
  6. terra — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular feminine; Function: Subject (coordinated with cæli); Translation: “earth”; Notes: Represents the terrestrial creation.
  7. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Coordinating conjunction; Function: Links the following phrase; Translation: “and”; Notes: Repetition adds emphasis to completeness.
  8. omnis — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Modifies ornatus; Translation: “all”; Notes: Expresses totality or entirety.
  9. ornatus — Lemma: ornatus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular masculine (4th declension); Function: Nominative apposition; Translation: “adornment”; Notes: Refers metaphorically to all creatures and features adorning creation.
  10. eorum — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: Genitive plural masculine; Function: Possessive genitive referring to cæli et terra; Translation: “of them”; Notes: Indicates ownership or association.

 

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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