Genesis 6:19

Posted on January 6, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 6:19 Et ex cunctis animantibus universæ carnis bina induces in arcam, ut vivant tecum: masculini sexus et feminini.

And of every living creature of all flesh you shall bring two into the ark, that they may live with you — of the male sex and of the female.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Et and CONJ
2 ex from / out of PREP+ABL
3 cunctis all / every ADJ.ABL.PL.N
4 animantibus living creatures NOUN.ABL.PL.N
5 universæ of all ADJ.GEN.SG.F
6 carnis of flesh NOUN.GEN.SG.F
7 bina two each / pairs NUM.DISTR.NOM.PL.N
8 induces you shall bring VERB.2SG.FUT.ACT.IND
9 in into PREP+ACC
10 arcam ark NOUN.ACC.SG.F
11 ut that / in order that CONJ.PURPOSE
12 vivant they may live VERB.3PL.PRES.SUBJ.ACT
13 tecum with you PREP+PRON.ABL.SG.2ND
14 masculini of male ADJ.GEN.SG.M
15 sexus sex / gender NOUN.GEN.SG.M
16 et and CONJ
17 feminini of female ADJ.GEN.SG.M

Syntax

The construction begins with Et ex cunctis animantibus universæ carnis, a prepositional phrase describing the source: “and from every living creature of all flesh.”
The main clause bina induces in arcam uses the distributive numeral bina (“two each”) as the subject complement of induces (“you shall bring”), indicating pairs of every species.
The purpose clause ut vivant tecum expresses divine intent, “that they may live with you,” with vivant in the subjunctive mood.
The closing phrase masculini sexus et feminini specifies gender distinction — literally “of male and of female sex” — forming a genitive of description that clarifies the nature of the pairs.
This verse shows both divine preservation strategy and ordered taxonomy consistent with biblical precision.

Morphology

  1. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: connects with prior divine instruction; Translation: and; Notes: indicates continuation of command sequence.
  2. ex — Lemma: ex; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses source or origin; Translation: from / out of; Notes: introduces the source group (all living beings).
  3. cunctis — Lemma: cunctus; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: ablative plural neuter; Function: modifies “animantibus”; Translation: all; Notes: emphasizes totality of creatures.
  4. animantibus — Lemma: animal / animans; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: ablative plural neuter; Function: object of “ex”; Translation: living creatures; Notes: refers to all living, breathing beings.
  5. universæ — Lemma: universus; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: modifies “carnis”; Translation: of all; Notes: total and comprehensive modifier.
  6. carnis — Lemma: caro; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: genitive of classification; Translation: of flesh; Notes: refers to embodied living beings.
  7. bina — Lemma: bini; Part of Speech: Distributive numeral; Form: nominative plural neuter; Function: subject complement of “induces”; Translation: two each / pairs; Notes: specifies numerical order in pairs.
  8. induces — Lemma: induco; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: second person singular future active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: you shall bring; Notes: divine command for preservation.
  9. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: direction or goal; Translation: into; Notes: expresses motion toward the ark.
  10. arcam — Lemma: arca; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of “in”; Translation: ark; Notes: vessel of salvation.
  11. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces purpose clause; Translation: that / in order that; Notes: expresses divine intent of preservation.
  12. vivant — Lemma: vivo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: third person plural present subjunctive active; Function: verb of purpose clause; Translation: they may live; Notes: subjunctive marks intended outcome.
  13. tecum — Lemma: cum + tu; Part of Speech: Prepositional phrase; Form: ablative singular; Function: accompaniment; Translation: with you; Notes: Noe as custodian and companion of life.
  14. masculini — Lemma: masculinus; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: modifies “sexus”; Translation: of male; Notes: specifies gender distinction.
  15. sexus — Lemma: sexus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: genitive of description; Translation: sex; Notes: clarifies biological pairing.
  16. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: links paired terms; Translation: and; Notes: joins both genders as complementary counterparts.
  17. feminini — Lemma: femininus; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: modifies implied “sexus”; Translation: of female; Notes: closes gender pair emphasizing natural duality.

 

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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