Genesis 2:22

Posted on January 2, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 2:22 Et ædificavit Dominus Deus costam, quam tulerat de Adam, in mulierem: et adduxit eam ad Adam.

And the LORD God built the rib which He had taken from Adam into a woman; and He brought her to Adam.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Et and CONJ
2 ædificavit built / fashioned 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
3 Dominus LORD NOM.SG.M
4 Deus God NOM.SG.M
5 costam rib ACC.SG.F
6 quam which REL.PRON.ACC.SG.F
7 tulerat had taken 3SG.PLUPERF.ACT.IND
8 de from / out of PREP+ABL
9 Adam Adam ABL.SG.M (PROPER)
10 in into / as PREP+ACC
11 mulierem woman ACC.SG.F
12 et and CONJ
13 adduxit brought 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
14 eam her ACC.SG.F.PRON
15 ad to / toward PREP+ACC
16 Adam Adam ACC.SG.M (PROPER)

Syntax

Main Clause 1: Et ædificavit Dominus Deus costam, quam tulerat de Adam, in mulierem — “And the LORD God built the rib which He had taken from Adam into a woman.”
The verb ædificavit governs the direct object costam, and the phrase in mulierem expresses transformation (“into a woman”).
The relative clause quam tulerat de Adam specifies the rib’s origin.
Main Clause 2: et adduxit eam ad Adam — “and He brought her to Adam.” The LORD God acts as both Creator and Presenter, completing the union of man and woman.

Morphology

  1. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Connective; Translation: “and”; Notes: Joins this creative act to the preceding narrative.
  2. ædificavit — Lemma: ædifico; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: Main verb; Translation: “built / fashioned”; Notes: Used metaphorically for forming or constructing; reflects careful craftsmanship.
  3. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Subject; Translation: “LORD”; Notes: Refers to YHWH, rendered in small caps.
  4. Deus — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Apposition to Dominus; Translation: “God”; Notes: Identifies the actor as YHWH Elohim.
  5. costam — Lemma: costa; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular feminine; Function: Direct object of ædificavit; Translation: “rib”; Notes: The material from which woman is created.
  6. quam — Lemma: qui, quae, quod; Part of Speech: Relative pronoun; Form: Accusative singular feminine; Function: Object of tulerat; Translation: “which”; Notes: Introduces relative clause explaining the rib’s source.
  7. tulerat — Lemma: fero; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Pluperfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: Main verb of relative clause; Translation: “had taken”; Notes: Refers to the prior extraction of the rib.
  8. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs ablative; Function: Source; Translation: “from / out of”; Notes: Marks point of origin.
  9. Adam — Lemma: Adam; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Ablative singular masculine; Function: Object of de; Translation: “Adam”; Notes: The source from which the rib is taken.
  10. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs accusative; Function: Expresses transformation; Translation: “into / as”; Notes: Marks the resulting state of formation.
  11. mulierem — Lemma: mulier; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular feminine; Function: Object of in; Translation: “woman”; Notes: Result of the LORD’s creative act.
  12. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Connective; Translation: “and”; Notes: Links creation to presentation.
  13. adduxit — Lemma: adduco; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: Main verb of the second clause; Translation: “brought”; Notes: Depicts divine action of presentation and introduction.
  14. eam — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: Accusative singular feminine; Function: Direct object of adduxit; Translation: “her”; Notes: Refers to the newly created woman.
  15. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs accusative; Function: Direction toward goal; Translation: “to / toward”; Notes: Indicates destination of divine action.
  16. Adam — Lemma: Adam; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Accusative singular masculine; Function: Object of ad; Translation: “Adam”; Notes: Recipient of the woman; the scene of the first human relationship.

 

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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