Genesis 3:20

Posted on January 3, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 3:20 Et vocavit Adam nomen uxoris suæ, Heva: eo quod mater esset cunctorum viventium.

And Adam called the name of his wife Eve, because she was the mother of all the living.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Et and CONJ
2 vocavit called 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
3 Adam Adam NOM.SG.M
4 nomen name ACC.SG.N
5 uxoris of (his) wife GEN.SG.F
6 suæ his GEN.SG.F.POSS.ADJ
7 Heva Eve NOM.SG.F
8 eo because / for that reason ABL.SG.N.DEMON.PRON
9 quod that / because CONJ
10 mater mother NOM.SG.F
11 esset was 3SG.IMPF.SUBJ.ACT
12 cunctorum of all GEN.PL.M
13 viventium living (ones) GEN.PL.M.PRES.PTCP

Syntax

Main Clause: Et vocavit Adam nomen uxoris suæ Heva — “And Adam called the name of his wife Eve.”
Here Adam is the subject; vocavit is the main verb. The double accusative construction (nomen uxoris suæ + Heva) expresses the act of naming, with Heva as the predicate accusative.

Causal Clause: eo quod mater esset cunctorum viventium — “because she was the mother of all the living.”
The conjunction eo quod introduces reason, followed by the subjunctive esset indicating indirect discourse or explanation. The genitive phrase cunctorum viventium modifies mater, emphasizing her role as progenitor of humankind.

Morphology

  1. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Connective; Translation: “and”; Notes: Links this event to the preceding divine discourse.
  2. vocavit — Lemma: voco; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: Main verb; Translation: “called”; Notes: Perfect tense denotes completed naming action.
  3. Adam — Lemma: Adam; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Subject; Translation: “Adam”; Notes: The agent performing the naming.
  4. nomen — Lemma: nomen; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular neuter; Function: Direct object of vocavit; Translation: “name”; Notes: Object of the naming action.
  5. uxoris — Lemma: uxor; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Genitive singular feminine; Function: Possessive genitive modifying nomen; Translation: “of (his) wife”; Notes: Indicates whose name is being given.
  6. suæ — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: Genitive singular feminine; Function: Possessive modifier; Translation: “his”; Notes: Refers reflexively to Adam.
  7. Heva — Lemma: Heva; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Nominative singular feminine; Function: Predicate accusative naming term; Translation: “Eve”; Notes: Name meaning “life” or “living.”
  8. eo — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: Ablative singular neuter; Function: Adverbial of cause; Translation: “for that reason / because”; Notes: Combined with quod to form causal conjunction.
  9. quod — Lemma: quod; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Introduces causal clause; Translation: “that / because”; Notes: Common Latin construction for “because.”
  10. mater — Lemma: mater; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular feminine; Function: Predicate nominative; Translation: “mother”; Notes: Predicate complement explaining the reason for her name.
  11. esset — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Imperfect subjunctive active 3rd singular; Function: Verb of causal clause; Translation: “was”; Notes: Subjunctive due to indirect or explanatory clause.
  12. cunctorum — Lemma: cunctus; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: Genitive plural masculine; Function: Modifies viventium; Translation: “of all”; Notes: Indicates universality of humanity.
  13. viventium — Lemma: vivo; Part of Speech: Participle; Form: Genitive plural masculine present active participle; Function: Substantive genitive complement to cunctorum; Translation: “living (ones)”; Notes: Refers to all living humans and creatures descended from her.

 

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.
This entry was posted in Genesis. Bookmark the permalink.

Comments are closed.