Genesis 2:5

Posted on January 2, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 2:5 Et omne virgultum agri antequam orietur in terra, omnemque herbam regionis priusquam germinaret: non enim pluerat Dominus Deus super terram, et homo non erat qui operaretur terram:

And every shrub of the field before it sprang up on the earth, and every herb of the region before it had sprouted: for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was no man to till the ground.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Et and CONJ
2 omne every NOM.SG.N
3 virgultum shrub NOM.SG.N
4 agri of the field GEN.SG.M
5 antequam before CONJ
6 orietur it will arise / might arise 3SG.FUT.IND.DEP
7 in upon PREP+ABL
8 terra the earth ABL.SG.F
9 omnemque and every ACC.SG.F
10 herbam herb ACC.SG.F
11 regionis of the region GEN.SG.F
12 priusquam before CONJ
13 germinaret it might sprout 3SG.IMPERF.ACT.SUBJ
14 non not ADV
15 enim for CONJ
16 pluerat had rained 3SG.PLUPERF.ACT.IND
17 Dominus LORD NOM.SG.M
18 Deus God NOM.SG.M
19 super upon PREP+ACC
20 terram the earth ACC.SG.F
21 et and CONJ
22 homo man NOM.SG.M
23 non not ADV
24 erat was 3SG.IMPERF.ACT.IND
25 qui who REL.PRON.NOM.SG.M
26 operaretur might till 3SG.IMPERF.DEP.SUBJ
27 terram the ground ACC.SG.F

Syntax

Situation Before Growth: Et omne virgultum agri … antequam orietur in terra, omnemque herbam regionis priusquam germinaret — two parallel “before” clauses describing pre-vegetative conditions.
Causal Clause: non enim pluerat Dominus Deus super terram — reason vegetation had not appeared: no rain from the LORD God.
Coordinate Clause: et homo non erat qui operaretur terram — additional reason: no human to cultivate; qui operaretur = relative purpose clause.

Morphology

  1. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Coordinating; Function: Links descriptive units; Translation: “and”; Notes: Narrative connector.
  2. omne — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: Adjective/Pronoun; Form: Nominative singular neuter; Function: Subject with virgultum; Translation: “every”; Notes: Collective sense.
  3. virgultum — Lemma: virgultum; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular neuter; Function: Subject; Translation: “shrub”; Notes: Low-growing plant.
  4. agri — Lemma: ager; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Genitive singular masculine; Function: Possessive; Translation: “of the field”; Notes: Domain specification.
  5. antequam — Lemma: antequam; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Subordinating; Function: Introduces temporal clause; Translation: “before”; Notes: Governs subjunctive/sequence of tenses.
  6. orietur — Lemma: orior; Part of Speech: Deponent verb; Form: Future indicative 3rd singular (deponent); Function: Verb of temporal clause; Translation: “it will/might arise”; Notes: Deponent with active meaning.
  7. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: With ablative; Function: Location; Translation: “upon”; Notes: Spatial setting.
  8. terra — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative singular feminine; Function: Object of in; Translation: “earth”; Notes: Physical ground.
  9. omnemque — Lemma: omnis + -que; Part of Speech: Adjective + enclitic; Form: Accusative singular feminine; Function: Direct object with herbam; Translation: “and every”; Notes: Links to preceding clause.
  10. herbam — Lemma: herba; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular feminine; Function: Object; Translation: “herb”; Notes: Ground vegetation.
  11. regionis — Lemma: regio; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Genitive singular feminine; Function: Possessive; Translation: “of the region”; Notes: Geographic scope.
  12. priusquam — Lemma: priusquam; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Subordinating; Function: Introduces temporal clause; Translation: “before”; Notes: Parallel to antequam.
  13. germinaret — Lemma: germino; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Imperfect active subjunctive 3rd singular; Function: Verb of temporal clause; Translation: “it might sprout”; Notes: Prior/inchoate action.
  14. non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: Adverb; Form: Negative; Function: Negation; Translation: “not”; Notes: Standard negator.
  15. enim — Lemma: enim; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Postpositive; Function: Causal; Translation: “for”; Notes: Explains reason.
  16. pluerat — Lemma: pluo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Pluperfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: Main verb; Translation: “had rained”; Notes: Prior non-occurrence.
  17. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Subject; Translation: “LORD”; Notes: Refers to YHWH; translation uses small caps convention.
  18. Deus — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Apposition; Translation: “God”; Notes: Specifies identity (YHWH God).
  19. super — Lemma: super; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: With accusative; Function: Relation “upon”; Translation: “upon”; Notes: Rain falling on earth.
  20. terram — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular feminine; Function: Object of super; Translation: “the earth”; Notes: Direct object of effect.
  21. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Coordinating; Function: Links clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Adds second cause.
  22. homo — Lemma: homo; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Subject; Translation: “man”; Notes: Generic humanity.
  23. non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: Adverb; Form: Negative; Function: Negates erat; Translation: “not”; Notes: Standard negation.
  24. erat — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Imperfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: Existential; Translation: “was”; Notes: Indicates absence.
  25. qui — Lemma: qui, quae, quod; Part of Speech: Relative pronoun; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Introduces relative clause; Translation: “who”; Notes: Antecedent = homo.
  26. operaretur — Lemma: operor; Part of Speech: Deponent verb; Form: Imperfect subjunctive 3rd singular; Function: Verb of relative/purpose clause; Translation: “might till”; Notes: Deponent with active meaning.
  27. terram — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular feminine; Function: Object of operaretur; Translation: “the ground”; Notes: Field to be cultivated.

 

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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