Genesis 3:3

Posted on January 3, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 3:3 de fructu vero ligni, quod est in medio paradisi, præcepit nobis Deus ne comederemus: et ne tangeremus illud, ne forte moriamur.

But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has commanded us that we should not eat of it, and that we should not touch it, lest perhaps we die.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 de of / from PREP+ABL
2 fructu fruit ABL.SG.M
3 vero but / indeed ADV
4 ligni of the tree GEN.SG.N
5 quod which REL.PRON.NOM.SG.N
6 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
7 in in PREP+ABL
8 medio midst / middle ABL.SG.N
9 paradisi of the garden GEN.SG.M
10 præcepit has commanded 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
11 nobis to us DAT.PL.PRON
12 Deus God NOM.SG.M
13 ne lest / that not CONJ
14 comederemus we should eat 1PL.IMPERF.ACT.SUBJ
15 et and CONJ
16 ne and that not CONJ
17 tangeremus we should touch 1PL.IMPERF.ACT.SUBJ
18 illud it ACC.SG.N.DEMON.PRON
19 ne lest / that not CONJ
20 forte perhaps ADV
21 moriāmur we die 1PL.PRES.ACT.SUBJ

Syntax

Main Clause: De fructu vero ligni, quod est in medio paradisi, præcepit nobis Deus — “But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has commanded us.”
The prepositional phrase de fructu ligni marks the object under discussion, modified by the relative clause quod est in medio paradisi, specifying its central location.
Content Clauses: ne comederemus et ne tangeremus illud — “that we should not eat of it and that we should not touch it.”
Both clauses depend on præcepit, expressing prohibitions in the imperfect subjunctive.
Final Clause: ne forte moriamur — “lest perhaps we die.”
Introduces potential consequence; moriāmur in the subjunctive conveys uncertainty and fear of divine retribution.

Morphology

  1. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs ablative; Function: Source or object; Translation: “of / from”; Notes: Introduces the object of discussion.
  2. fructu — Lemma: fructus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative singular masculine; Function: Object of de; Translation: “fruit”; Notes: Refers to the produce of the tree forbidden for consumption.
  3. vero — Lemma: vero; Part of Speech: Adverb; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Contrastive particle; Translation: “but / indeed”; Notes: Contrasts this specific fruit with the permitted ones.
  4. ligni — Lemma: lignum; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Genitive singular neuter; Function: Possessive genitive; Translation: “of the tree”; Notes: Specifies source of the fruit.
  5. quod — Lemma: qui, quae, quod; Part of Speech: Relative pronoun; Form: Nominative singular neuter; Function: Subject of est; Translation: “which”; Notes: Refers to ligni.
  6. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present active indicative 3rd singular; Function: Copula; Translation: “is”; Notes: Expresses location of the tree.
  7. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs ablative; Function: Locative; Translation: “in”; Notes: Indicates position within the garden.
  8. medio — Lemma: medium; Part of Speech: Noun used adverbially; Form: Ablative singular neuter; Function: Object of in; Translation: “midst / middle”; Notes: Central point of location.
  9. paradisi — Lemma: paradisus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Genitive singular masculine; Function: Possessive genitive; Translation: “of the garden”; Notes: Locates the tree within paradise.
  10. præcepit — Lemma: praecipio; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: Main verb; Translation: “has commanded”; Notes: Refers to divine instruction given by God.
  11. nobis — Lemma: nos; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: Dative plural; Function: Indirect object of præcepit; Translation: “to us”; Notes: Refers to humankind, Adam and Eve together.
  12. Deus — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Subject of præcepit; Translation: “God”; Notes: Refers to the divine lawgiver; Dominus absent here.
  13. ne — Lemma: ne; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Introduces negative purpose or content clause; Translation: “that not / lest”; Notes: Common in prohibitions.
  14. comederemus — Lemma: comedo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Imperfect active subjunctive 1st plural; Function: Verb of dependent clause; Translation: “we should eat”; Notes: Subjunctive expresses reported prohibition.
  15. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Coordination; Translation: “and”; Notes: Links parallel prohibitions.
  16. ne — Lemma: ne; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Repeated negative; Translation: “that not / and that not”; Notes: Reinforces parallel structure.
  17. tangeremus — Lemma: tango; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Imperfect active subjunctive 1st plural; Function: Verb of dependent clause; Translation: “we should touch”; Notes: Adds further degree of caution.
  18. illud — Lemma: ille, illa, illud; Part of Speech: Demonstrative pronoun; Form: Accusative singular neuter; Function: Direct object; Translation: “it”; Notes: Refers specifically to the forbidden tree or its fruit.
  19. ne — Lemma: ne; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Introduces final clause; Translation: “lest / that not”; Notes: Signals potential consequence.
  20. forte — Lemma: forte; Part of Speech: Adverb; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Modifier; Translation: “perhaps”; Notes: Expresses uncertainty or fear of outcome.
  21. moriāmur — Lemma: morior; Part of Speech: Verb (deponent); Form: Present deponent subjunctive 1st plural; Function: Verb of final clause; Translation: “we die”; Notes: Deponent in form but active in sense; expresses apprehension of divine punishment.

 

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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