Genesis 3:14

Posted on January 3, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 3:14 Et ait Dominus Deus ad serpentem: Quia fecisti hoc, maledictus es inter omnia animantia, et bestias terræ: super pectus tuum gradieris, et terram comedes cunctis diebus vitæ tuæ.

And the LORD God said to the serpent: “Because you have done this, you are cursed above all living creatures and the beasts of the earth; upon your breast you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Et and CONJ
2 ait said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
3 Dominus LORD NOM.SG.M
4 Deus God NOM.SG.M
5 ad to / toward PREP+ACC
6 serpentem serpent ACC.SG.M
7 Quia because CONJ
8 fecisti you have done 2SG.PERF.ACT.IND
9 hoc this ACC.SG.N.DEMON.PRON
10 maledictus cursed NOM.SG.M.PERF.PTCP
11 es you are 2SG.PRES.ACT.IND
12 inter among / above PREP+ACC
13 omnia all ACC.PL.N.ADJ
14 animantia living creatures ACC.PL.N
15 et and CONJ
16 bestias beasts ACC.PL.F
17 terræ of the earth GEN.SG.F
18 super upon PREP+ACC
19 pectus breast / belly ACC.SG.N
20 tuum your ACC.SG.N.POSS.ADJ
21 gradieris you shall go 2SG.FUT.DEP.IND
22 et and CONJ
23 terram earth / dust ACC.SG.F
24 comedes you shall eat 2SG.FUT.ACT.IND
25 cunctis all ABL.PL.M.ADJ
26 diebus days ABL.PL.M
27 vitæ of life GEN.SG.F
28 tuæ your GEN.SG.F.POSS.ADJ

Syntax

Main Clause: Et ait Dominus Deus ad serpentem — “And the LORD God said to the serpent.” The prepositional phrase ad serpentem marks the addressee of divine judgment.
Causal Clause: Quia fecisti hoc — “Because you have done this.” Expresses reason for the curse, with fecisti as the completed act of deception.
Judgment Statement: maledictus es inter omnia animantia, et bestias terræ — “you are cursed above all living creatures and the beasts of the earth.” inter + accusative emphasizes position “among” or “above.”
Command/Consequence Clauses: super pectus tuum gradieris — “upon your breast you shall go,” and terram comedes cunctis diebus vitæ tuæ — “dust you shall eat all the days of your life.” These describe the permanent humbling of the serpent.

Morphology

  1. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Connects sequential divine acts; Translation: “and”; Notes: Introduces the divine judgment speech.
  2. ait — Lemma: aio; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: Main verb; Translation: “said”; Notes: Narrative formula for divine speech.
  3. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Subject; Translation: “LORD”; Notes: Refers to YHWH, thus rendered in small caps.
  4. Deus — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Apposition to Dominus; Translation: “God”; Notes: Completes the divine compound title.
  5. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs accusative; Function: Direction / target; Translation: “to”; Notes: Indicates the serpent as the recipient of the pronouncement.
  6. serpentem — Lemma: serpens; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular masculine; Function: Object of ad; Translation: “serpent”; Notes: Refers to the deceiver in narrative context.
  7. Quia — Lemma: quia; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Introduces causal clause; Translation: “because”; Notes: Explains the rationale for divine curse.
  8. fecisti — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect active indicative 2nd singular; Function: Main verb of causal clause; Translation: “you have done”; Notes: Expresses completed culpable act.
  9. hoc — Lemma: hic, haec, hoc; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: Accusative singular neuter; Function: Object of fecisti; Translation: “this”; Notes: Refers to act of deception.
  10. maledictus — Lemma: maledico; Part of Speech: Participle; Form: Perfect passive participle, nominative singular masculine; Function: Predicate adjective; Translation: “cursed”; Notes: Expresses divine judgment and status.
  11. es — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present active indicative 2nd singular; Function: Copula; Translation: “you are”; Notes: Links subject and predicate “cursed.”
  12. inter — Lemma: inter; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs accusative; Function: Comparison / relation; Translation: “among / above”; Notes: Emphasizes rank of curse relative to others.
  13. omnia — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: Accusative plural neuter; Function: Modifies animantia; Translation: “all”; Notes: Universal scope of the statement.
  14. animantia — Lemma: animans; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative plural neuter; Function: Object of inter; Translation: “living creatures”; Notes: Encompasses all breathing animals.
  15. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Connects animantia and bestias; Translation: “and”; Notes: Coordination of categories of creatures.
  16. bestias — Lemma: bestia; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative plural feminine; Function: Coordinated object; Translation: “beasts”; Notes: Distinguishes terrestrial animals.
  17. terræ — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Genitive singular feminine; Function: Genitive of relation; Translation: “of the earth”; Notes: Specifies habitat or dominion.
  18. super — Lemma: super; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs accusative; Function: Spatial; Translation: “upon”; Notes: Introduces location of movement.
  19. pectus — Lemma: pectus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular neuter; Function: Object of super; Translation: “breast / belly”; Notes: Symbol of humiliation and degradation.
  20. tuum — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: Accusative singular neuter; Function: Possessive modifier; Translation: “your”; Notes: Refers to serpent’s own body.
  21. gradieris — Lemma: gradior; Part of Speech: Verb (deponent); Form: Future indicative 2nd singular; Function: Main verb of consequence; Translation: “you shall go”; Notes: Deponent verb with active meaning, expresses perpetual crawling.
  22. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Coordinates clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Joins results of divine curse.
  23. terram — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular feminine; Function: Direct object of comedes; Translation: “dust / earth”; Notes: Figurative for degradation or subjugation.
  24. comedes — Lemma: comedo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Future active indicative 2nd singular; Function: Main verb; Translation: “you shall eat”; Notes: Expresses enduring consequence of curse.
  25. cunctis — Lemma: cunctus; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: Ablative plural masculine; Function: Modifies diebus; Translation: “all”; Notes: Emphasizes total duration.
  26. diebus — Lemma: dies; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative plural masculine; Function: Ablative of time; Translation: “days”; Notes: Expresses continuous timeframe.
  27. vitæ — Lemma: vita; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Genitive singular feminine; Function: Genitive of possession; Translation: “of life”; Notes: Defines duration of curse.
  28. tuæ — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: Genitive singular feminine; Function: Possessive modifier; Translation: “your”; Notes: Refers to serpent’s lifespan.

 

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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