Genesis 3:15

Posted on January 3, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 3:15 Inimicitias ponam inter te et mulierem, et semen tuum et semen illius: ipsa conteret caput tuum, et tu insidiaberis calcaneo eius.

“I will put enmities between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring: she shall crush your head, and you shall lie in wait for her heel.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Inimicitias enmities ACC.PL.F
2 ponam I will put 1SG.FUT.ACT.IND
3 inter between PREP+ACC
4 te you ACC.SG.2P.PRON
5 et and CONJ
6 mulierem woman ACC.SG.F
7 et and CONJ
8 semen offspring / seed ACC.SG.N
9 tuum your ACC.SG.N.POSS.ADJ
10 et and CONJ
11 semen offspring / seed ACC.SG.N
12 illius of her GEN.SG.F.PRON
13 ipsa she NOM.SG.F.PRON
14 conteret shall crush 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND
15 caput head ACC.SG.N
16 tuum your ACC.SG.N.POSS.ADJ
17 et and CONJ
18 tu you NOM.SG.2P.PRON
19 insidiaberis you shall lie in wait 2SG.FUT.DEP.IND
20 calcaneo heel DAT.SG.M
21 eius of her GEN.SG.F.PRON

Syntax

Main Clause: Inimicitias ponam inter te et mulierem — “I will put enmities between you and the woman.”
The direct object Inimicitias precedes the verb ponam for emphasis. inter + accusative defines mutual opposition.
Parallel Clause: et semen tuum et semen illius — “and between your offspring and her offspring.”
The repetition of et (correlative conjunction) stresses complete enmity between two lineages.
Consequential Clauses: ipsa conteret caput tuum — “she shall crush your head,” and tu insidiaberis calcaneo eius — “and you shall lie in wait for her heel.”
The future tense verbs express prophetic permanence of conflict, the first denoting triumph and the second retaliation.

Morphology

  1. Inimicitias — Lemma: inimicitia; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative plural feminine; Function: Direct object of ponam; Translation: “enmities”; Notes: Plural denotes ongoing hostility or rivalry.
  2. ponam — Lemma: pono; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Future active indicative 1st singular; Function: Main verb; Translation: “I will put”; Notes: Expresses divine decree of permanent division.
  3. inter — Lemma: inter; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs accusative; Function: Spatial / relational; Translation: “between”; Notes: Marks mutual opposition.
  4. te — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: Accusative singular; Function: Object of inter; Translation: “you”; Notes: Refers to the serpent as adversary.
  5. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Connective; Translation: “and”; Notes: Links contrasting entities in the divine curse.
  6. mulierem — Lemma: mulier; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular feminine; Function: Object of inter; Translation: “woman”; Notes: Represents humanity and maternal lineage.
  7. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Correlative repetition; Translation: “and”; Notes: Joins the second pair of opposing forces.
  8. semen — Lemma: semen; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular neuter; Function: Object of inter (understood); Translation: “offspring / seed”; Notes: Collective singular denoting descendants or lineage.
  9. tuum — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: Accusative singular neuter; Function: Possessive modifier; Translation: “your”; Notes: Refers to serpent’s lineage or spiritual progeny.
  10. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Coordination; Translation: “and”; Notes: Balances second pair “semen tuum et semen illius.”
  11. semen — Lemma: semen; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular neuter; Function: Coordinated object; Translation: “offspring / seed”; Notes: Refers to the woman’s lineage, ultimately messianic in typology.
  12. illius — Lemma: ille, illa, illud; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: Genitive singular feminine; Function: Possessive genitive; Translation: “of her”; Notes: Indicates ownership of the seed or offspring.
  13. ipsa — Lemma: ipse, ipsa, ipsum; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: Nominative singular feminine; Function: Subject of conteret; Translation: “she”; Notes: Feminine pronoun emphasizes the woman as active agent in the conflict.
  14. conteret — Lemma: contero; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Future active indicative 3rd singular; Function: Main verb; Translation: “shall crush”; Notes: Prophetic verb denoting final victory and subjugation.
  15. caput — Lemma: caput; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular neuter; Function: Direct object of conteret; Translation: “head”; Notes: Symbol of authority and power of the serpent.
  16. tuum — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: Accusative singular neuter; Function: Possessive modifier; Translation: “your”; Notes: Refers to serpent’s head as target of defeat.
  17. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Coordinates final contrast; Translation: “and”; Notes: Balances reciprocal actions of serpent and woman.
  18. tu — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: Nominative singular; Function: Subject of insidiaberis; Translation: “you”; Notes: Refers directly to the serpent.
  19. insidiaberis — Lemma: insidior; Part of Speech: Verb (deponent); Form: Future indicative 2nd singular; Function: Main verb; Translation: “you shall lie in wait”; Notes: Deponent form, active meaning; expresses hostile intent.
  20. calcaneo — Lemma: calx; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Dative singular masculine; Function: Indirect object of insidiaberis; Translation: “heel”; Notes: Symbolic of human vulnerability or mortality.
  21. eius — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: Genitive singular feminine; Function: Possessive genitive; Translation: “of her”; Notes: Refers back to ipsa, the woman or her seed.

 

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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