Genesis 2:9

Posted on January 2, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 2:9 Produxitque Dominus Deus de humo omne lignum pulchrum visu, et ad vescendum suave: lignum etiam vitæ in medio paradisi, lignumque scientiæ boni et mali.

And the LORD God brought forth from the soil every tree beautiful to the sight and pleasant for food: the tree also of life in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Produxitque and brought forth 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND + ENCLITIC
2 Dominus LORD NOM.SG.M
3 Deus God NOM.SG.M
4 de from PREP+ABL
5 humo soil / ground ABL.SG.F
6 omne every ACC.SG.N
7 lignum tree ACC.SG.N
8 pulchrum beautiful ACC.SG.N
9 visu to the sight ABL.SG.M
10 et and CONJ
11 ad for / to PREP+ACC
12 vescendum for eating GERUND.ACC.SG
13 suave pleasant ACC.SG.N
14 lignum tree ACC.SG.N
15 etiam also ADV
16 vitæ of life GEN.SG.F
17 in in PREP+ABL
18 medio middle ABL.SG.N
19 paradisi of the garden GEN.SG.M
20 lignumque and tree NOM/ACC.SG.N + ENCLITIC
21 scientiæ of knowledge GEN.SG.F
22 boni of good GEN.SG.N
23 et and CONJ
24 mali of evil GEN.SG.N

Syntax

Main Clause: Produxitque Dominus Deus de humo omne lignum — “And the LORD God brought forth from the soil every tree.”
Modifiers: pulchrum visu, et ad vescendum suave — two parallel adjectival and prepositional phrases qualifying lignum: “beautiful to the sight and pleasant for food.”
Apposition: lignum etiam vitæ — “the tree also of life,” and lignumque scientiæ boni et mali — “and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil,” both in apposition to the earlier lignum.
Location Phrase: in medio paradisi — “in the midst of the garden,” indicating spatial placement of the two special trees.

Morphology

  1. Produxitque — Lemma: produco; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect active indicative 3rd singular + enclitic -que; Function: Main verb; Translation: “and brought forth”; Notes: Perfect tense marks completed creative act; enclitic joins it to the preceding verse.
  2. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Subject; Translation: “LORD”; Notes: Refers to YHWH; translated in small caps convention when denoting the divine name.
  3. Deus — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Apposition to Dominus; Translation: “God”; Notes: Identifies the Creator as YHWH God.
  4. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs ablative; Function: Indicates source; Translation: “from”; Notes: Denotes material origin.
  5. humo — Lemma: humus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative singular feminine; Function: Object of de; Translation: “soil / ground”; Notes: Material from which the trees grow.
  6. omne — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: Adjective/Pronoun; Form: Accusative singular neuter; Function: Modifies lignum; Translation: “every”; Notes: Emphasizes comprehensiveness.
  7. lignum — Lemma: lignum; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular neuter; Function: Direct object of Produxitque; Translation: “tree”; Notes: Collective sense covering all trees.
  8. pulchrum — Lemma: pulcher; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: Accusative singular neuter; Function: Predicate adjective modifying lignum; Translation: “beautiful”; Notes: Visual appeal emphasized.
  9. visu — Lemma: visus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative singular masculine; Function: Ablative of respect; Translation: “to the sight”; Notes: Specifies the respect in which the trees are beautiful.
  10. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Coordinating; Function: Links attributes; Translation: “and”; Notes: Joins the dual qualities of the trees.
  11. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs accusative; Function: Expresses purpose; Translation: “for / to”; Notes: Used with gerund vescendum to show purpose.
  12. vescendum — Lemma: vescor; Part of Speech: Gerund; Form: Accusative singular; Function: Object of ad; Translation: “for eating”; Notes: Expresses intended use or function.
  13. suave — Lemma: suavis; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: Accusative singular neuter; Function: Predicate adjective modifying lignum; Translation: “pleasant”; Notes: Conveys sensory delight or taste.
  14. lignum — Lemma: lignum; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular neuter; Function: Appositional repetition; Translation: “tree”; Notes: Reintroduces specific trees.
  15. etiam — Lemma: etiam; Part of Speech: Adverb; Form: —; Function: Adds emphasis; Translation: “also”; Notes: Emphasizes inclusion of the special tree of life.
  16. vitæ — Lemma: vita; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Genitive singular feminine; Function: Genitive of specification; Translation: “of life”; Notes: Defines the unique property of this tree.
  17. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: With ablative; Function: Locative; Translation: “in”; Notes: Marks the placement of the trees.
  18. medio — Lemma: medium; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative singular neuter; Function: Object of in; Translation: “middle”; Notes: Indicates central position.
  19. paradisi — Lemma: paradisus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Genitive singular masculine; Function: Possessive genitive; Translation: “of the garden”; Notes: Defines location within Eden.
  20. lignumque — Lemma: lignum + -que; Part of Speech: Noun + enclitic conjunction; Form: Accusative singular neuter; Function: Coordinated object; Translation: “and (the) tree”; Notes: Links second special tree.
  21. scientiæ — Lemma: scientia; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Genitive singular feminine; Function: Genitive of content; Translation: “of knowledge”; Notes: Defines the nature of the second tree.
  22. boni — Lemma: bonum; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Genitive singular neuter; Function: Genitive dependent on scientiæ; Translation: “of good”; Notes: First element of the moral pair.
  23. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Coordinating; Function: Connects boni and mali; Translation: “and”; Notes: Joins contrasting moral terms.
  24. mali — Lemma: malum; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Genitive singular neuter; Function: Second genitive dependent on scientiæ; Translation: “of evil”; Notes: Completes dual concept of moral discernment.

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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