Genesis 7:2

Posted on January 7, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 7:2 Ex omnibus animantibus mundis tolle septena et septena, masculum et feminam: de animantibus vero immundis duo et duo, masculum et feminam.

Of every clean animal take seven and seven, the male and the female; but of the unclean animals, two and two, the male and the female.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Ex from / of PREP+ABL
2 omnibus all / every ADJ.ABL.PL.N
3 animantibus living creatures NOUN.ABL.PL.N
4 mundis clean ADJ.ABL.PL.N
5 tolle take VERB.2SG.PRES.IMPER.ACT
6 septena seven each / by sevens NUM.DISTR.NOM.PL.N
7 et and CONJ
8 septena seven each / by sevens NUM.DISTR.NOM.PL.N
9 masculum male NOUN.ACC.SG.M
10 et and CONJ
11 feminam female NOUN.ACC.SG.F
12 de of / from PREP+ABL
13 animantibus living creatures NOUN.ABL.PL.N
14 vero indeed / but ADV.CONTRAST
15 immundis unclean ADJ.ABL.PL.N
16 duo two NUM.CARD.NOM.PL.N
17 et and CONJ
18 duo two NUM.CARD.NOM.PL.N
19 masculum male NOUN.ACC.SG.M
20 et and CONJ
21 feminam female NOUN.ACC.SG.F

Syntax

The verse divides into two parallel commands.
The first, Ex omnibus animantibus mundis tolle septena et septena, begins with a prepositional phrase (Ex omnibus animantibus mundis, “of every clean animal”) identifying the source.
The imperative tolle governs the distributive numeral septena et septena (“seven and seven”), an idiomatic expression meaning “seven pairs.”
The appositional phrase masculum et feminam (“male and female”) specifies gender complementarity, mirroring creation order.
The second clause, de animantibus vero immundis duo et duo, masculum et feminam, repeats the same structure with contrastive vero (“but indeed”), denoting the reduced number of unclean animals.
This balance between clean and unclean sets the framework for postdiluvian sacrifice and dietary law.

Morphology

  1. Ex — Lemma: ex; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses source; Translation: from / of; Notes: introduces class of creatures to be taken.
  2. omnibus — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: ablative plural neuter; Function: modifies “animantibus”; Translation: all; Notes: universal inclusion of species.
  3. animantibus — Lemma: animal / animans; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: ablative plural neuter; Function: object of “ex”; Translation: living creatures; Notes: general term for all sentient beings.
  4. mundis — Lemma: mundus; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: ablative plural neuter; Function: modifies “animantibus”; Translation: clean; Notes: ritual purity designation preceding Mosaic law.
  5. tolle — Lemma: tollo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: second person singular present active imperative; Function: main command; Translation: take; Notes: imperative of divine instruction.
  6. septena — Lemma: septeni; Part of Speech: Distributive numeral; Form: nominative plural neuter; Function: object complement; Translation: seven each; Notes: indicates pairs in sevens.
  7. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: repetition; Translation: and; Notes: balances numerical expression.
  8. septena — Lemma: septeni; Part of Speech: Distributive numeral; Form: nominative plural neuter; Function: coordinated repetition; Translation: seven and seven; Notes: poetic duplication for emphasis.
  9. masculum — Lemma: masculus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: gender specification; Translation: male; Notes: complement to “feminam.”
  10. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: joins pairs; Translation: and; Notes: unites the genders.
  11. feminam — Lemma: femina; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: complement to “masculum”; Translation: female; Notes: natural counterpart completing reproductive pair.
  12. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses origin; Translation: of / from; Notes: introduces contrasting group.
  13. animantibus — Lemma: animal / animans; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: ablative plural neuter; Function: object of “de”; Translation: living creatures; Notes: parallels prior class but distinct by purity.
  14. vero — Lemma: vero; Part of Speech: Adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: contrastive particle; Translation: but / indeed; Notes: introduces contrast with “mundis.”
  15. immundis — Lemma: immundus; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: ablative plural neuter; Function: modifies “animantibus”; Translation: unclean; Notes: denotes ritually impure species.
  16. duo — Lemma: duo; Part of Speech: Numeral; Form: nominative plural neuter; Function: distributive count; Translation: two; Notes: minimal survival pair.
  17. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: repetition; Translation: and; Notes: links second numeral.
  18. duo — Lemma: duo; Part of Speech: Numeral; Form: nominative plural neuter; Function: repetition for rhythm; Translation: two; Notes: completes distributive pair.
  19. masculum — Lemma: masculus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: appositional to pair; Translation: male; Notes: as above, marks reproductive complement.
  20. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: connects final pair; Translation: and; Notes: conjunction of genders repeated for clarity.
  21. feminam — Lemma: femina; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: completes pair; Translation: female; Notes: establishes reproductive balance across species.

 

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.
This entry was posted in Genesis. Bookmark the permalink.

Comments are closed.