Genesis 6:17

Posted on January 6, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 6:17 Ecce ego adducam aquas diluvii super terram, ut interficiam omnem carnem, in qua spiritus vitæ est subter cælum: Universa quæ in terra sunt, consumentur.

Behold I will bring the waters of the flood upon the earth to destroy every living thing in which is the breath of life under the heavens; all that is on the earth shall be consumed.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Ecce Behold INTERJ
2 ego I PRON.NOM.SG.1ST
3 adducam I will bring VERB.1SG.FUT.ACT.IND
4 aquas waters NOUN.ACC.PL.F
5 diluvii of the flood NOUN.GEN.SG.M
6 super upon PREP+ACC
7 terram earth NOUN.ACC.SG.F
8 ut that / in order that CONJ.PURPOSE
9 interficiam I may destroy VERB.1SG.PRES.SUBJ.ACT
10 omnem every / all ADJ.ACC.SG.F
11 carnem flesh / living thing NOUN.ACC.SG.F
12 in in / in which PREP+ABL
13 qua which PRON.REL.NOM.SG.F
14 spiritus breath / spirit NOUN.NOM.SG.M
15 vitæ of life NOUN.GEN.SG.F
16 est is VERB.3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
17 subter under PREP+ACC
18 cælum the heavens NOUN.ACC.SG.N
19 Universa All things ADJ.NOM.PL.N
20 quæ which PRON.REL.NOM.PL.N
21 in on / in PREP+ABL
22 terra the earth NOUN.ABL.SG.F
23 sunt are VERB.3PL.PRES.ACT.IND
24 consumentur shall be consumed VERB.3PL.FUT.PASS.IND

Syntax

The verse begins with the demonstrative interjection Ecce drawing attention to the imminent act.
The main clause ego adducam aquas diluvii super terram is declarative and promissive, with adducam (future) as the principal verb and aquas diluvii as its direct object; super terram specifies the target domain.
A purpose clause introduced by ut (ut interficiam omnem carnem) states the intended outcome — the destruction of “every living thing.” Interficiam appears in the subjunctive to mark purpose.
The relative clause in qua spiritus vitæ est modifies carnem, specifying which living things are meant: those “in which is the breath of life.” The locative phrase subter cælum places the living beings “under the heavens.”
The closing sentence Universa quæ in terra sunt, consumentur is a summary, with consumentur (future passive) declaring the consummation: all things on the earth will be consumed.

Morphology

  1. Ecce — Lemma: ecce; Part of Speech: Interjection; Form: indeclinable; Function: demonstrative attention marker; Translation: Behold; Notes: summons attention to God’s declaration.
  2. ego — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: nominative singular first person; Function: emphatic subject; Translation: I; Notes: emphatic contrast to human agency.
  3. adducam — Lemma: adduco; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: first person singular future active indicative; Function: main predicative verb; Translation: I will bring; Notes: prophetic action marking divine causation.
  4. aquas — Lemma: aqua; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: direct object of “adducam”; Translation: waters; Notes: plural denotes a mass or inundation.
  5. diluvii — Lemma: diluvium; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: genitive of specification modifying “aquas”; Translation: of the flood; Notes: specifies type of waters.
  6. super — Lemma: super; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: indicates direction/target; Translation: upon; Notes: spatial application of inundation.
  7. terram — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of “super”; Translation: the earth; Notes: the sphere to be inundated.
  8. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces purpose clause; Translation: that / in order that; Notes: governs subjunctive mood.
  9. interficiam — Lemma: interficio; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: first person singular present subjunctive active; Function: verb of purpose clause; Translation: I may destroy; Notes: subjunctive marks intended result.
  10. omnem — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: modifies “carnem”; Translation: every / all; Notes: universalizing quantifier.
  11. carnem — Lemma: caro; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object of “interficiam”; Translation: flesh / living thing; Notes: collective term for life-bearing beings.
  12. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: governs ablative here; Function: introduces relative clause antecedent; Translation: in / in which; Notes: links to relative pronoun “qua.”
  13. qua — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: Relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: introduces relative clause modifying “carnem”; Translation: which; Notes: refers to those living things possessing breath.
  14. spiritus — Lemma: spiritus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of “est”; Translation: breath / spirit; Notes: denotes vital breath.
  15. vitæ — Lemma: vita; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: genitive of specification with “spiritus”; Translation: of life; Notes: specifies the kind of spirit.
  16. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: third person singular present active indicative; Function: copula; Translation: is; Notes: affirms presence of the breath.
  17. subter — Lemma: subter; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: indicates position beneath; Translation: under; Notes: spatial relation to heaven(s).
  18. cælum — Lemma: cælum; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of “subter”; Translation: the heavens; Notes: cosmic sphere above earth.
  19. Universa — Lemma: universus; Part of Speech: Adjective / substantive; Form: nominative plural neuter; Function: subject of final verb; Translation: all things / everything; Notes: summary universal subject.
  20. quæ — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: Relative pronoun; Form: nominative plural neuter; Function: introduces relative clause “which are on the earth”; Translation: which; Notes: picks out those items on the earth.
  21. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: marks location; Translation: on / in; Notes: spatial relation with “terra.”
  22. terra — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of “in”; Translation: the earth; Notes: locale of those things to be consumed.
  23. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: third person plural present active indicative; Function: copula in relative clause; Translation: are; Notes: states existence on earth.
  24. consumentur — Lemma: consumo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: third person plural future passive indicative; Function: main predicative verb of the final clause; Translation: shall be consumed; Notes: announces final divine consummation.

 

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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