Genesis 3:8

Posted on January 3, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 3:8 Et cum audissent vocem Domini Dei deambulantis in paradiso ad auram post meridiem, abscondit se Adam et uxor eius a facie Domini Dei in medio ligni paradisi.

And when they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden at the breeze of the afternoon, Adam and his wife hid themselves from the face of the LORD God in the midst of the tree of the garden.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Et and CONJ
2 cum when CONJ
3 audissent had heard 3PL.PLUPERF.ACT.SUBJ
4 vocem voice ACC.SG.F
5 Domini of the LORD GEN.SG.M
6 Dei of God GEN.SG.M
7 deambulantis walking GEN.SG.M.PRES.ACT.PTCP
8 in in PREP+ABL
9 paradiso garden ABL.SG.M
10 ad at / toward PREP+ACC
11 auram breeze ACC.SG.F
12 post after PREP+ACC
13 meridiem noon / afternoon ACC.SG.M
14 abscondit hid 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
15 se himself / themselves ACC.SG.REFL.PRON
16 Adam Adam NOM.SG.M
17 et and CONJ
18 uxor wife NOM.SG.F
19 eius his GEN.SG.M.PRON
20 a from PREP+ABL
21 facie face / presence ABL.SG.F
22 Domini of the LORD GEN.SG.M
23 Dei of God GEN.SG.M
24 in in PREP+ABL
25 medio midst ABL.SG.N
26 ligni of the tree GEN.SG.N
27 paradisi of the garden GEN.SG.M

Syntax

Temporal Clause: cum audissent vocem Domini Dei deambulantis in paradiso ad auram post meridiem — “when they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden at the breeze of the afternoon.”
The pluperfect subjunctive audissent (after cum) expresses a temporal condition preceding the main event. The genitive construction Domini Dei deambulantis (“of the LORD God walking”) describes divine movement in anthropomorphic terms.
Main Clause: abscondit se Adam et uxor eius — “Adam and his wife hid themselves.”
The reflexive pronoun se functions with abscondit to express self-concealment.
Prepositional Phrases: a facie Domini Dei and in medio ligni paradisi — “from the face of the LORD God” and “in the midst of the tree of the garden.” These indicate cause (divine presence) and location (among the trees).

Morphology

  1. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Connective; Translation: “and”; Notes: Joins narrative events.
  2. cum — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Temporal clause introducer; Translation: “when”; Notes: Governs subjunctive verb audissent.
  3. audissent — Lemma: audio; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Pluperfect active subjunctive 3rd plural; Function: Verb of temporal clause; Translation: “had heard”; Notes: Indicates prior perception of divine presence.
  4. vocem — Lemma: vox; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular feminine; Function: Direct object; Translation: “voice”; Notes: Object of hearing.
  5. Domini — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Genitive singular masculine; Function: Possessive; Translation: “of the LORD”; Notes: Refers to YHWH (rendered as LORD).
  6. Dei — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Genitive singular masculine; Function: Apposition; Translation: “of God”; Notes: Reinforces divine identity of the LORD.
  7. deambulantis — Lemma: deambulo; Part of Speech: Present participle; Form: Genitive singular masculine; Function: Modifies Domini Dei; Translation: “walking”; Notes: Anthropomorphic image of divine movement.
  8. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs ablative; Function: Locative; Translation: “in”; Notes: Introduces setting of divine movement.
  9. paradiso — Lemma: paradisus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative singular masculine; Function: Object of in; Translation: “garden”; Notes: Refers to Edenic setting.
  10. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs accusative; Function: Temporal; Translation: “at / toward”; Notes: Indicates time of day.
  11. auram — Lemma: aura; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular feminine; Function: Object of ad; Translation: “breeze”; Notes: Gentle wind at evening, symbolizing divine approach.
  12. post — Lemma: post; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs accusative; Function: Temporal; Translation: “after”; Notes: Defines time after midday.
  13. meridiem — Lemma: meridies; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular masculine; Function: Object of post; Translation: “noon / afternoon”; Notes: Marks temporal setting of divine presence.
  14. abscondit — Lemma: abscondo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: Main verb; Translation: “hid”; Notes: Used distributively for both Adam and Eve.
  15. se — Lemma: sui; Part of Speech: Reflexive pronoun; Form: Accusative singular; Function: Object of abscondit; Translation: “himself / themselves”; Notes: Reflexive use expressing self-concealment.
  16. Adam — Lemma: Adam; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Subject; Translation: “Adam”; Notes: First man, representing humanity’s guilt.
  17. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Connects the coordinated subjects Adam and uxor eius; Translation: “and”; Notes: Serves as a simple copulative conjunction linking the two human subjects acting together in the verb abscondit. Unlike the initial narrative Et, this et joins the participants of the same clause rather than successive events.
  18. uxor — Lemma: uxor; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular feminine; Function: Coordinated subject; Translation: “wife”; Notes: Eve joins Adam in fear and concealment.
  19. eius — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: Genitive singular masculine; Function: Possessive modifier; Translation: “his”; Notes: Refers to Adam’s wife.
  20. a — Lemma: a (ab); Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs ablative; Function: Separation; Translation: “from”; Notes: Marks avoidance of presence.
  21. facie — Lemma: facies; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative singular feminine; Function: Object of a; Translation: “face / presence”; Notes: Symbolic of divine encounter.
  22. Domini — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Genitive singular masculine; Function: Possessive; Translation: “of the LORD”; Notes: Refers to YHWH.
  23. Dei — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Genitive singular masculine; Function: Appositive; Translation: “of God”; Notes: Emphasizes the divine presence of YHWH God.
  24. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs ablative; Function: Locative; Translation: “in”; Notes: Marks place of concealment.
  25. medio — Lemma: medium; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative singular neuter; Function: Object of in; Translation: “midst”; Notes: Spatial center of the scene.
  26. ligni — Lemma: lignum; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Genitive singular neuter; Function: Possessive genitive; Translation: “of the tree”; Notes: Possibly collective reference to the trees of paradise.
  27. paradisi — Lemma: paradisus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Genitive singular masculine; Function: Genitive of location; Translation: “of the garden”; Notes: Locates the scene within Eden.

 

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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