Genesis 6:21

Posted on January 6, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 6:21 Tolles igitur tecum ex omnibus escis, quæ mandi possunt, et comportabis apud te: et erunt tam tibi, quam illis in cibum.

You shall therefore take with you of all foods that can be eaten, and you shall store them with you: and they shall be for food, both for you and for them.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Tolles you shall take VERB.2SG.FUT.ACT.IND
2 igitur therefore ADV.INFERENTIAL
3 tecum with you PREP+PRON.ABL.SG.2ND
4 ex from / of PREP+ABL
5 omnibus all / every ADJ.ABL.PL.F
6 escis foods NOUN.ABL.PL.F
7 quæ which PRON.REL.NOM.PL.F
8 mandi to be eaten VERB.GERUND.PASS.GEN
9 possunt can / are able VERB.3PL.PRES.IND.ACT
10 et and CONJ
11 comportabis you shall gather / store VERB.2SG.FUT.ACT.IND
12 apud with / near PREP+ACC
13 te you / yourself PRON.ACC.SG.2ND
14 et and CONJ
15 erunt they shall be VERB.3PL.FUT.ACT.IND
16 tam as much / both ADV.CORRELATIVE
17 tibi for you PRON.DAT.SG.2ND
18 quam as / as well as CONJ.CORRELATIVE
19 illis for them PRON.DAT.PL.M/F
20 in for / as PREP+ACC
21 cibum food NOUN.ACC.SG.M

Syntax

The structure begins with an inferential adverb igitur (“therefore”), signaling a practical conclusion from the prior divine commands.
The main clause Tolles igitur tecum ex omnibus escis forms a future imperative-like directive: “You shall therefore take with you from all kinds of food.”
The relative clause quæ mandi possunt specifies a subset of those foods — literally, “which can be eaten,” where mandi is a gerund in the genitive dependent on quæ.
The second main clause et comportabis apud te expresses the act of storing provisions, with apud te (“with you”) emphasizing Noe’s direct custodianship.
Finally, et erunt tam tibi, quam illis in cibum provides the result: “and they shall be for food both for you and for them.” The correlatives tam… quam… bind Noe and the animals in shared sustenance, underscoring divine provision and order.

Morphology

  1. Tolles — Lemma: tollo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: second person singular future active indicative; Function: main verb of command; Translation: you shall take; Notes: expresses divine imperative with future indicative.
  2. igitur — Lemma: igitur; Part of Speech: Adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: logical connector; Translation: therefore; Notes: signals continuation of divine instruction.
  3. tecum — Lemma: cum + tu; Part of Speech: Prepositional phrase; Form: ablative singular; Function: accompaniment; Translation: with you; Notes: indicates personal responsibility of Noe.
  4. ex — Lemma: ex; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses source; Translation: from / of; Notes: introduces partitive phrase.
  5. omnibus — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: ablative plural feminine; Function: modifies “escis”; Translation: all; Notes: indicates variety of edible substances.
  6. escis — Lemma: esca; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: ablative plural feminine; Function: object of “ex”; Translation: foods; Notes: generic term for nourishment.
  7. quæ — Lemma: qui, quæ, quod; Part of Speech: Relative pronoun; Form: nominative plural feminine; Function: subject of “possunt”; Translation: which; Notes: links relative clause.
  8. mandi — Lemma: mando (in passive sense); Part of Speech: Gerund; Form: genitive singular; Function: genitive of specification; Translation: to be eaten; Notes: rare genitive gerund form used substantively.
  9. possunt — Lemma: possum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: third person plural present indicative active; Function: main verb of relative clause; Translation: can; Notes: defines edibility as capacity.
  10. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: joins main clauses; Translation: and; Notes: coordinates parallel commands.
  11. comportabis — Lemma: comporto; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: second person singular future active indicative; Function: second main verb; Translation: you shall gather / store; Notes: logistical verb of preparation.
  12. apud — Lemma: apud; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: indicates proximity or possession; Translation: with / near; Notes: used in personal sense of “beside.”
  13. te — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: accusative singular; Function: object of “apud”; Translation: you / yourself; Notes: reinforces subject focus.
  14. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: connects result clause; Translation: and; Notes: transition to consequence.
  15. erunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: third person plural future indicative active; Function: main verb of result clause; Translation: they shall be; Notes: predictive of ongoing provision.
  16. tam — Lemma: tam; Part of Speech: Adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: correlates with “quam”; Translation: both / as much; Notes: part of correlative pair emphasizing equivalence.
  17. tibi — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: dative singular; Function: indirect object; Translation: for you; Notes: dative of advantage.
  18. quam — Lemma: quam; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: correlates with “tam”; Translation: as / as well as; Notes: joins comparative pair.
  19. illis — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: dative plural masculine/feminine; Function: indirect object; Translation: for them; Notes: refers to animals in context.
  20. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses purpose; Translation: for / as; Notes: introduces predicate use of noun.
  21. cibum — Lemma: cibus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: predicate accusative; Translation: food; Notes: identifies role of stored provisions.

 

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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