Genesis 2:3

Posted on January 2, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 2:3 Et benedixit diei septimo; et sanctificavit illum: quia in ipso cessaverat ab omni opere suo quod creavit Deus ut faceret.

And He blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because on it He had ceased from all His work which God created to make.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Et and CONJ
2 benedixit he blessed 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
3 diei to the day DAT.SG.M
4 septimo seventh DAT.SG.M
5 et and CONJ
6 sanctificavit he sanctified 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
7 illum it ACC.SG.M
8 quia because CONJ
9 in in PREP+ABL
10 ipso in it ABL.SG.M
11 cessaverat he had ceased 3SG.PLUPERF.ACT.IND
12 ab from PREP+ABL
13 omni all ABL.SG.N
14 opere work ABL.SG.N
15 suo his ABL.SG.N
16 quod which REL.PRON.NOM/ACC.SG.N
17 creavit he created 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
18 Deus God NOM.SG.M
19 ut to CONJ/PURP
20 faceret he might make 3SG.IMPERF.ACT.SUBJ

Syntax

Main Clause: Et benedixit diei septimo; et sanctificavit illum — two coordinated verbs describing divine actions of blessing and consecration.
Subject: (understood) Deus — implied from context as the acting subject.
Objects: diei septimo (dative of advantage) and illum (accusative direct object).
Subordinate Clause: quia in ipso cessaverat ab omni opere suo — causal clause explaining reason for sanctification.
Relative Clause: quod creavit Deus ut faceret — modifies opere suo, elaborating the divine creative work.
Purpose Clause: ut faceret — final clause indicating divine intention in creation (“to make” or “in order to do”).

Morphology

  1. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Coordinating; Function: Links actions of blessing and sanctification; Translation: “and”; Notes: Repeated for rhythm and emphasis.
  2. benedixit — Lemma: benedico; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: Main verb; Translation: “he blessed”; Notes: Perfect tense marks completed divine action of conferring favor.
  3. diei — Lemma: dies; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Dative singular masculine; Function: Indirect object; Translation: “to the day”; Notes: Dative of advantage expresses the object of blessing.
  4. septimo — Lemma: septimus; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: Dative singular masculine; Function: Modifies diei; Translation: “seventh”; Notes: Specifies the sacred temporal period.
  5. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Coordinating; Function: Connects two finite verbs; Translation: “and”; Notes: Reinforces divine dual action.
  6. sanctificavit — Lemma: sanctifico; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: Main verb; Translation: “he sanctified”; Notes: Denotes setting apart or consecrating to sacred use.
  7. illum — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: Accusative singular masculine; Function: Direct object of sanctificavit; Translation: “it”; Notes: Refers to die septimo (the seventh day).
  8. quia — Lemma: quia; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Subordinating; Function: Introduces causal clause; Translation: “because”; Notes: Explains reason for divine blessing.
  9. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs ablative; Function: Marks location; Translation: “in”; Notes: Expresses situational context.
  10. ipso — Lemma: ipse; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: Ablative singular masculine; Function: Object of in; Translation: “in it”; Notes: Intensified demonstrative indicating the same day.
  11. cessaverat — Lemma: cesso; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Pluperfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: Verb of causal clause; Translation: “he had ceased”; Notes: Describes completion of work prior to sanctification.
  12. ab — Lemma: ab; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs ablative; Function: Introduces separation; Translation: “from”; Notes: Indicates cessation of activity.
  13. omni — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: Ablative singular neuter; Function: Modifies opere; Translation: “all”; Notes: Denotes entirety of divine operations.
  14. opere — Lemma: opus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative singular neuter; Function: Object of ab; Translation: “work”; Notes: Indicates source of cessation.
  15. suo — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: Possessive adjective; Form: Ablative singular neuter; Function: Modifies opere; Translation: “his”; Notes: Reflects possessive relation to the divine actor.
  16. quod — Lemma: qui, quae, quod; Part of Speech: Relative pronoun; Form: Accusative singular neuter; Function: Introduces relative clause referring to opere; Translation: “which”; Notes: Refers to all creative works.
  17. creavit — Lemma: creo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: Verb of relative clause; Translation: “created”; Notes: Indicates divine creative act already completed.
  18. Deus — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Subject of creavit; Translation: “God”; Notes: The creator as the grammatical agent.
  19. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Introduces purpose clause; Function: Expresses purpose; Translation: “to”; Notes: Marks intended result or purpose.
  20. faceret — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Imperfect active subjunctive 3rd singular; Function: Verb of purpose clause; Translation: “he might make”; Notes: Subjunctive used to denote finality or divine intent.

 

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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