Genesis 2:4

Posted on January 2, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 2:4 Istæ sunt generationes cæli et terræ, quando creata sunt, in die quo fecit Dominus Deus cælum et terram:

These are the generations of the heaven and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the heaven and the earth.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Istæ These NOM.PL.F
2 sunt are 3PL.PRES.ACT.IND
3 generationes generations NOM.PL.F
4 cæli of heaven GEN.SG.M
5 et and CONJ
6 terræ of earth GEN.SG.F
7 quando when CONJ
8 creata created NOM.PL.N
9 sunt were 3PL.PERF.IND.PASS
10 in in PREP+ABL
11 die day ABL.SG.M
12 quo when / in which REL.PRON.ABL.SG.M
13 fecit he made 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
14 Dominus LORD NOM.SG.M
15 Deus God NOM.SG.M
16 cælum heaven ACC.SG.M
17 et and CONJ
18 terram earth ACC.SG.F

Syntax

Main Clause: Istæ sunt generationes cæli et terræ — “These are the generations of the heaven and of the earth.”
Subject: Istæ generationes — feminine plural subject referring to the record or account of creation.
Genitive Phrase: cæli et terræ — dependent genitives expressing possession (“of heaven and of earth”).
Temporal Clause: quando creata sunt — “when they were created,” explaining the time of origin.
Prepositional Phrase: in die quo — “in the day when,” ablative of time and relative pronoun clause.
Relative Clause: quo fecit Dominus Deus cælum et terram — expands the time reference by describing divine action, “in which the Lord God made the heaven and the earth.”

Morphology

  1. Istæ — Lemma: iste; Part of Speech: Demonstrative pronoun; Form: Nominative plural feminine; Function: Subject modifier of generationes; Translation: “these”; Notes: Deictic pronoun introducing a new narrative section.
  2. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present active indicative 3rd plural; Function: Copula; Translation: “are”; Notes: Links subject and predicate nominative.
  3. generationes — Lemma: generatio; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative plural feminine; Function: Predicate nominative; Translation: “generations”; Notes: Refers to origins or accounts of creation.
  4. cæli — Lemma: cælum; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Genitive singular masculine; Function: Possessive genitive; Translation: “of heaven”; Notes: First member of the genitive pair defining scope of creation.
  5. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Coordinating; Function: Links cæli and terræ; Translation: “and”; Notes: Simple coordination.
  6. terræ — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Genitive singular feminine; Function: Possessive genitive coordinated with cæli; Translation: “of earth”; Notes: Completes the dual expression of total creation.
  7. quando — Lemma: quando; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Temporal; Function: Introduces time clause; Translation: “when”; Notes: Signals temporal subordination.
  8. creata — Lemma: creo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect passive participle nominative plural neuter; Function: Predicate of subordinate clause; Translation: “created”; Notes: Agrees with implied neuter plural antecedent (heaven and earth).
  9. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect indicative passive auxiliary 3rd plural; Function: Auxiliary forming perfect passive; Translation: “were”; Notes: Marks completed divine action.
  10. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs ablative; Function: Introduces time expression; Translation: “in”; Notes: Establishes temporal circumstance.
  11. die — Lemma: dies; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative singular masculine; Function: Ablative of time when; Translation: “day”; Notes: Denotes the temporal occasion of creation.
  12. quo — Lemma: qui, quae, quod; Part of Speech: Relative pronoun; Form: Ablative singular masculine; Function: Introduces relative clause modifying die; Translation: “in which” or “when”; Notes: Expresses temporal relation.
  13. fecit — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: Main verb of relative clause; Translation: “made”; Notes: Indicates completed act of divine creation.
  14. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Subject; Translation: “LORD”; Notes: Refers to YHWH, the covenantal name of God in Latin translation.
  15. Deus — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Apposition to Dominus; Translation: “God”; Notes: Combines titles to emphasize divine authority.
  16. cælum — Lemma: cælum; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular masculine; Function: Direct object of fecit; Translation: “heaven”; Notes: Parallel to terram in compound object.
  17. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Coordinating; Function: Connects objects; Translation: “and”; Notes: Typical coordination.
  18. terram — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular feminine; Function: Second direct object of fecit; Translation: “earth”; Notes: Completes the object pair of creation.

 

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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