Genesis 7:8

Posted on January 7, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 7:8 De animantibus quoque mundis et immundis, et de volucribus, et ex omni, quod movetur super terram,

And of the clean and unclean animals also, and of the birds, and of every thing that moves upon the earth,

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 De of / from PREP+ABL
2 animantibus living creatures / animals NOUN.ABL.PL.N
3 quoque also ADV
4 mundis clean ADJ.ABL.PL.N
5 et and CONJ
6 immundis unclean ADJ.ABL.PL.N
7 et and CONJ
8 de of / from PREP+ABL
9 volucribus birds NOUN.ABL.PL.F
10 et and CONJ
11 ex from / out of PREP+ABL
12 omni every / all ADJ.ABL.SG.N
13 quod which / that PRON.REL.NOM.SG.N
14 movetur moves / is moved VERB.3SG.PRES.IND.PASS
15 super upon / over PREP+ACC
16 terram earth NOUN.ACC.SG.F

Syntax

The prepositional series beginning with de animantibus introduces categories of creatures designated for the ark.
De governs the ablative plural animantibus (“from the living creatures”), which is modified by the paired adjectives mundis et immundis (“clean and unclean”), reflecting ritual distinctions.
Subsequent phrases—de volucribus and ex omni, quod movetur super terram—expand the scope: “of the birds” and “of every thing that moves upon the earth.”
The relative clause quod movetur super terram describes the universal motion of life across the land, syntactically dependent on omni.
This verse functions as a preparatory clause leading into the next, which details their entry into the ark.

Morphology

  1. De — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses source or kind; Translation: of / from; Notes: introduces category “of animals.”
  2. animantibus — Lemma: animal, animantis; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: ablative plural neuter; Function: object of “de”; Translation: animals / living creatures; Notes: collective term for land creatures.
  3. quoque — Lemma: quoque; Part of Speech: Adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: adds emphasis; Translation: also; Notes: coordinates this phrase with previous verse.
  4. mundis — Lemma: mundus; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: ablative plural neuter; Function: modifies “animantibus”; Translation: clean; Notes: ritually pure species.
  5. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: joins coordinate adjectives; Translation: and; Notes: links “clean and unclean.”
  6. immundis — Lemma: immundus; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: ablative plural neuter; Function: modifies “animantibus”; Translation: unclean; Notes: contrasts ritual impurity.
  7. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: joins new category; Translation: and; Notes: connects “animals” and “birds.”
  8. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces new group; Translation: of / from; Notes: same prepositional construction as before.
  9. volucribus — Lemma: volucris; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: ablative plural feminine; Function: object of “de”; Translation: birds; Notes: general term for winged creatures.
  10. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: coordinates third group; Translation: and; Notes: continuation of parallel structure.
  11. ex — Lemma: ex; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: denotes origin; Translation: from / out of; Notes: introduces comprehensive category.
  12. omni — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: object of “ex”; Translation: every / all; Notes: totalizing force.
  13. quod — Lemma: qui, quæ, quod; Part of Speech: Relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: subject of “movetur”; Translation: which; Notes: refers back to “omni.”
  14. movetur — Lemma: moveo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: third person singular present indicative passive; Function: main verb of relative clause; Translation: moves / is moved; Notes: middle sense: “that moves.”
  15. super — Lemma: super; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses spatial relation; Translation: upon / over; Notes: standard biblical locative.
  16. terram — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of “super”; Translation: earth; Notes: represents the inhabited world.

 

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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