Genesis 6:16

Posted on January 6, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 6:16 Fenestram in arca facies, et in cubito consummabis summitatem eius: ostium autem arcæ pones ex latere: deorsum, cœnacula, et tristega facies in ea.

You shall make a window in the ark, and in a cubit you shall finish its top; but the door of the ark you shall place on the side: below, second, and third stories you shall make in it.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Fenestram window NOUN.ACC.SG.F
2 in in / on PREP+ABL
3 arca ark NOUN.ABL.SG.F
4 facies you shall make VERB.2SG.FUT.ACT.IND
5 et and CONJ
6 in in / within PREP+ABL
7 cubito by a cubit NOUN.ABL.SG.M
8 consummabis you shall finish / complete VERB.2SG.FUT.ACT.IND
9 summitatem top / summit NOUN.ACC.SG.F
10 eius of it / its PRON.GEN.SG.F
11 ostium door NOUN.ACC.SG.N
12 autem however / but CONJ.ADV
13 arcæ of the ark NOUN.GEN.SG.F
14 pones you shall place VERB.2SG.FUT.ACT.IND
15 ex from / out of PREP+ABL
16 latere side NOUN.ABL.SG.N
17 deorsum below / lower ADV
18 cœnacula upper rooms / second story NOUN.ACC.PL.N
19 et and CONJ
20 tristega third stories NOUN.ACC.PL.N
21 facies you shall make VERB.2SG.FUT.ACT.IND
22 in in / within PREP+ABL
23 ea it / in it PRON.ABL.SG.F

Syntax

The divine instruction continues with Fenestram in arca facies, a direct command where Fenestram serves as the object and in arca marks location.
The second clause, et in cubito consummabis summitatem eius, specifies proportion — the ark’s roof shall be completed “within a cubit,” expressing measurement through the ablative of extent.
In ostium autem arcæ pones ex latere, autem introduces contrast, with ostium as the object and ex latere (“on the side”) specifying placement.
The sequence deorsum, cœnacula, et tristega facies in ea details the internal structure, literally “you shall make lower, second, and third stories in it.” The adverb deorsum denotes the base level, while cœnacula and tristega describe successively higher tiers.
The style is architectural and procedural, maintaining the rhythmic parallelism characteristic of the Vulgate’s instructional syntax.

Morphology

  1. Fenestram — Lemma: fenestra; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object of “facies”; Translation: window; Notes: functional opening for light and ventilation.
  2. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: denotes position; Translation: in; Notes: indicates placement within the ark.
  3. arca — Lemma: arca; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of “in”; Translation: ark; Notes: vessel of preservation, contextually Noah’s ark.
  4. facies — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: second person singular future active indicative; Function: directive future; Translation: you shall make; Notes: continuation of divine instruction.
  5. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses measure; Translation: in / within; Notes: used to define spatial limitation.
  6. cubito — Lemma: cubitus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: ablative of measure; Translation: by a cubit; Notes: indicates the measure of finishing height.
  7. consummabis — Lemma: consummo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: second person singular future active indicative; Function: main verb of instruction; Translation: you shall complete / finish; Notes: denotes finalization of the ark’s structure.
  8. summitatem — Lemma: summitas; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object of “consummabis”; Translation: top; Notes: architectural term for uppermost portion.
  9. eius — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: possessive modifier of “summitatem”; Translation: of it / its; Notes: refers back to “arca.”
  10. ostium — Lemma: ostium; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of “pones”; Translation: door; Notes: entrance structure of the ark.
  11. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: contrastive connector; Translation: however / but; Notes: introduces variation in command.
  12. arcæ — Lemma: arca; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: possessive genitive; Translation: of the ark; Notes: specifies which door is meant.
  13. pones — Lemma: pono; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: second person singular future active indicative; Function: command-like future; Translation: you shall place; Notes: directive to position the door.
  14. ex — Lemma: ex; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: indicates position or origin; Translation: from / on; Notes: specifies spatial relation.
  15. latere — Lemma: latus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: object of “ex”; Translation: side; Notes: location for the ark’s entrance.
  16. deorsum — Lemma: deorsum; Part of Speech: Adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies “facies”; Translation: below / lower; Notes: first level of construction.
  17. cœnacula — Lemma: cœnaculum; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: direct object of “facies”; Translation: upper rooms / second story; Notes: middle level of the ark.
  18. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: coordinates items in a list; Translation: and; Notes: unites three-tier structure.
  19. tristega — Lemma: tristegum; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: direct object of “facies”; Translation: third stories; Notes: refers to third upper level.
  20. facies — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: second person singular future active indicative; Function: repeated directive verb; Translation: you shall make; Notes: emphasizes detailed obedience.
  21. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: indicates location; Translation: in; Notes: placement inside the ark.
  22. ea — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of “in”; Translation: in it; Notes: refers again to “arca.”

 

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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