Genesis 4:1

Posted on January 4, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn4:1 Adam vero cognovit uxorem suam Hevam: quæ concepit et peperit Cain, dicens: Possedi hominem per Deum.

But Adam knew his wife Eve; and she conceived and bore Cain, saying: “I have acquired a man through God.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Adam Adam NOM.SG.M
2 vero but ADV
3 cognovit knew 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
4 uxorem wife ACC.SG.F
5 suam his ACC.SG.F.POSS
6 Hevam Eve ACC.SG.F
7 quæ who NOM.SG.F.REL
8 concepit conceived 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
9 et and CONJ
10 peperit bore 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
11 Cain Cain ACC.SG.M
12 dicens saying PRES.ACT.PART.NOM.SG.F
13 Possedi I have acquired 1SG.PERF.ACT.IND
14 hominem a man ACC.SG.M
15 per through PREP+ACC
16 Deum God ACC.SG.M

Syntax

Main Clause: Adam (subject) + cognovit (verb) + uxorem suam Hevam (direct object) — euphemistic marital knowledge.
Relative Clause: quæ (subject) + concepit et peperit (verbs) + Cain (object) — result of the union.
Participial Link: dicens introduces direct speech.
Quoted Clause: Possedi hominem per Deum — first-person declaration attributing acquisition to divine agency.

Morphology

  1. Adam — Lemma: Adam; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Subject of the main clause; Translation: “Adam”; Notes: Personal name functioning as grammatical subject.
  2. vero — Lemma: vero; Part of Speech: Adverb; Form: Invariable; Function: Discourse connector; Translation: “but”; Notes: Marks contrast/transition from the preceding context.
  3. cognovit — Lemma: cognoscere; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect active indicative, 3rd person singular; Function: Main verbal nucleus; Translation: “knew (had relations with)”; Notes: Conventional biblical euphemism for marital intimacy.
  4. uxorem — Lemma: uxor; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular feminine; Function: Direct object of cognovit; Translation: “wife”; Notes: Head of the object phrase.
  5. suam — Lemma: suus, -a, -um; Part of Speech: Possessive adjective; Form: Accusative singular feminine agreeing with uxorem; Function: Possessive modifier; Translation: “his”; Notes: Reflexive to the clause’s subject (Adam).
  6. Hevam — Lemma: Heva; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Accusative singular feminine (apposition to uxorem); Function: Appositional specification; Translation: “Eve”; Notes: Identifies the wife.
  7. quæ — Lemma: qui, quae, quod; Part of Speech: Relative pronoun; Form: Nominative singular feminine; Function: Subject of the relative clause; Translation: “who”; Notes: Agrees with antecedent Heva.
  8. concepit — Lemma: concipere; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect active indicative, 3rd singular; Function: Predicate of the relative clause; Translation: “conceived”; Notes: First of two coordinated predicates.
  9. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Coordinating conjunction; Form: Invariable; Function: Links coordinated verbs; Translation: “and”; Notes: Simple coordination.
  10. peperit — Lemma: parere; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect active indicative, 3rd singular; Function: Second coordinated predicate; Translation: “bore”; Notes: Completes the birth event.
  11. Cain — Lemma: Cain; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Accusative singular masculine; Function: Direct object of peperit; Translation: “Cain”; Notes: Name of the child born.
  12. dicens — Lemma: dicere; Part of Speech: Participle; Form: Present active participle, nominative singular feminine; Function: Circumstantial participle introducing quoted speech; Translation: “saying”; Notes: Syntactically linked to Heva as the speaker.
  13. Possedi — Lemma: possidere; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect active indicative, 1st person singular; Function: Finite verb within the quotation; Translation: “I have acquired”; Notes: Expresses accomplished acquisition.
  14. hominem — Lemma: homo; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular masculine; Function: Direct object of Possedi; Translation: “a man”; Notes: Internal object of the quoted clause.
  15. per — Lemma: per; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs the accusative; Function: Marks means/agency; Translation: “through”; Notes: Indicates divine mediation.
  16. Deum — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular masculine; Function: Object of per; Translation: “God”; Notes: Completes the prepositional phrase.

 

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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