Genesis 2:16

Posted on January 2, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 2:16 Præcepitque ei dicens: Ex omni ligno paradisi comede:

And He commanded him, saying: From every tree of the garden you may eat.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Præcepitque and commanded 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 ei to him DAT.SG.M.PRON
3 dicens saying PRES.ACT.PART.NOM.SG.M
4 Ex from / out of PREP+ABL
5 omni every ABL.SG.N
6 ligno tree ABL.SG.N
7 paradisi of the garden GEN.SG.M
8 comede eat 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMPER

Syntax

Main Clause: Præcepitque ei dicens — “And He commanded him, saying.”
Subject: (understood) Dominus Deus — the LORD God, implied from the previous verse.
Verb: Præcepit — perfect indicative verb introducing direct speech.
Indirect Object: ei — “to him,” referring to the man (Adam).
Participial Phrase: dicens — “saying,” connecting the narrative verb to direct command.
Quoted Command: Ex omni ligno paradisi comede — “From every tree of the garden eat.”
The prepositional phrase Ex omni ligno paradisi expresses permission, while the imperative comede conveys divine authorization.

Morphology

  1. Præcepitque — Lemma: praecipio; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect active indicative 3rd singular with enclitic conjunction -que; Function: Main verb; Translation: “and commanded”; Notes: Indicates divine speech act introducing command.
  2. ei — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: Dative singular masculine; Function: Indirect object of praecipio; Translation: “to him”; Notes: Refers to Adam, recipient of the command.
  3. dicens — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: Participle; Form: Present active participle nominative singular masculine; Function: Supplementary participle introducing direct discourse; Translation: “saying”; Notes: Links command verb to quotation.
  4. Ex — Lemma: ex; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs ablative; Function: Expresses source or partitive relation; Translation: “from”; Notes: Marks the origin or category from which one may partake.
  5. omni — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: Ablative singular neuter; Function: Modifies ligno; Translation: “every”; Notes: Indicates total permission regarding all trees.
  6. ligno — Lemma: lignum; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative singular neuter; Function: Object of ex; Translation: “tree”; Notes: Refers to edible trees of Paradise.
  7. paradisi — Lemma: paradisus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Genitive singular masculine; Function: Genitive of possession modifying ligno; Translation: “of the garden”; Notes: Specifies the location within Eden.
  8. comede — Lemma: comedo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present active imperative 2nd singular; Function: Command; Translation: “eat”; Notes: Direct divine imperative granting freedom of consumption.

 

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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