Genesis 3:19

Posted on January 3, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 3:19 In sudore vultus tui vesceris pane, donec revertaris in terram de qua sumptus es: quia pulvis es, et in pulverem reverteris.

“In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, until you return to the earth from which you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 In in PREP+ABL
2 sudore sweat ABL.SG.M
3 vultus face GEN.SG.M
4 tui your GEN.SG.M.POSS.ADJ
5 vesceris you shall eat 2SG.FUT.DEP.IND
6 pane bread ABL.SG.M
7 donec until CONJ
8 revertaris you return 2SG.PRES.SUBJ.DEP
9 in into PREP+ACC
10 terram earth ACC.SG.F
11 de from PREP+ABL
12 qua which ABL.SG.F.REL.PRON
13 sumptus taken NOM.SG.M.PERF.PTCP
14 es you are 2SG.PRES.ACT.IND
15 quia for / because CONJ
16 pulvis dust NOM.SG.M
17 es you are 2SG.PRES.ACT.IND
18 et and CONJ
19 in into PREP+ACC
20 pulverem dust ACC.SG.M
21 reverteris you shall return 2SG.FUT.DEP.IND

Syntax

Main Clause: In sudore vultus tui vesceris pane — “In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread.”
The prepositional phrase In sudore vultus tui expresses the condition or means of sustenance. The deponent verb vesceris governs the ablative pane, its standard construction meaning “to feed on.”

Temporal Clause: donec revertaris in terram de qua sumptus es — “until you return to the earth from which you were taken.”
The conjunction donec introduces the limit of the action. The subjunctive revertaris denotes anticipated completion, while the relative clause de qua sumptus es identifies the origin of humanity.

Causal Clause: quia pulvis es, et in pulverem reverteris — “for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”
The parallel structure emphasizes mortality and the reversal of creation—dust to dust.

Morphology

  1. In — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs ablative; Function: Introduces circumstance; Translation: “in”; Notes: Marks the condition of human labor.
  2. sudore — Lemma: sudor; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative singular masculine; Function: Ablative of manner; Translation: “sweat”; Notes: Symbol of toil and fatigue.
  3. vultus — Lemma: vultus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Genitive singular masculine; Function: Possessive genitive; Translation: “of the face”; Notes: Linked to sudore to mean “sweat of your face.”
  4. tui — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: Genitive singular masculine; Function: Possessive modifier; Translation: “your”; Notes: Refers to Adam directly.
  5. vesceris — Lemma: vescor; Part of Speech: Verb (deponent); Form: Future indicative 2nd singular; Function: Main verb; Translation: “you shall eat”; Notes: Deponent construction with ablative object pane.
  6. pane — Lemma: panis; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative singular masculine; Function: Object of vesceris; Translation: “bread”; Notes: Represents basic sustenance earned through labor.
  7. donec — Lemma: donec; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Temporal clause introducer; Translation: “until”; Notes: Sets temporal limit for activity of eating.
  8. revertaris — Lemma: revertor; Part of Speech: Verb (deponent); Form: Present subjunctive 2nd singular; Function: Verb of temporal clause; Translation: “you return”; Notes: Subjunctive due to future contingency.
  9. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs accusative; Function: Direction; Translation: “into”; Notes: Indicates goal of motion in in terram.
  10. terram — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular feminine; Function: Object of in; Translation: “earth”; Notes: Destination of human return.
  11. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs ablative; Function: Source; Translation: “from”; Notes: Expresses origin.
  12. qua — Lemma: qui, quae, quod; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: Ablative singular feminine; Function: Relative pronoun; Translation: “which”; Notes: Refers back to terram.
  13. sumptus — Lemma: sumo; Part of Speech: Participle; Form: Perfect passive participle nominative singular masculine; Function: Predicate complement; Translation: “taken”; Notes: Refers to man’s formation from dust.
  14. es — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present active indicative 2nd singular; Function: Auxiliary of passive periphrasis; Translation: “you are”; Notes: Forms perfect passive construction “you have been taken.”
  15. quia — Lemma: quia; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Causal connector; Translation: “for / because”; Notes: Introduces reason for divine statement.
  16. pulvis — Lemma: pulvis; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Predicate nominative; Translation: “dust”; Notes: Expresses human mortality and material origin.
  17. es — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present active indicative 2nd singular; Function: Copula; Translation: “you are”; Notes: Defines human substance and nature.
  18. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Connective; Translation: “and”; Notes: Joins the final clause.
  19. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs accusative; Function: Direction; Translation: “into”; Notes: Introduces phrase of return.
  20. pulverem — Lemma: pulvis; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular masculine; Function: Object of in; Translation: “dust”; Notes: Destination of the mortal body.
  21. reverteris — Lemma: revertor; Part of Speech: Verb (deponent); Form: Future indicative 2nd singular; Function: Main verb; Translation: “you shall return”; Notes: Expresses inevitability of death and return to dust.

 

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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