Genesis 9:17

Posted on January 9, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 9:17 Dixitque Deus ad Noe: Hoc erit signum fœderis, quod constitui inter me et omnem carnem super terram.

And God said to Noe: “This shall be the sign of the covenant, which I have established between me and all flesh upon the earth.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Dixitque and said 3SG.PERF.IND.ACT
2 Deus God N.NOM.SG.M
3 ad to PREP+ACC
4 Noe Noah N.ACC.SG.M
5 Hoc this PRON.DEM.NOM.SG.N
6 erit shall be 3SG.FUT.IND.ACT
7 signum sign N.NOM.SG.N
8 fœderis of the covenant N.GEN.SG.N
9 quod which REL.PRON.NOM.SG.N
10 constitui I have established 1SG.PERF.IND.ACT
11 inter between PREP+ACC
12 me me PRON.ACC.SG
13 et and CONJ
14 omnem all ADJ.ACC.SG.F
15 carnem flesh N.ACC.SG.F
16 super upon PREP+ACC
17 terram earth N.ACC.SG.F

Syntax

Main Clause 1: Dixitque Deus ad Noe — introductory narrative formula marking divine speech: “And God said to Noah.”
Direct Speech: Hoc erit signum fœderis — declaration identifying the token of the covenant.
Relative Clause: quod constitui inter me et omnem carnem super terram — modifies signum fœderis, describing the covenant’s institution between God and all flesh.
Word Order: The demonstrative Hoc introduces divine emphasis, foregrounding the physical sign (rainbow) as a memorial of grace.

Morphology

  1. Dixitque — Lemma: dico + que; Part of Speech: Verb (with enclitic conjunction); Form: Perfect indicative active 3rd person singular; Function: Main narrative verb; Translation: “and said”; Notes: Perfect tense indicates a completed speech act introducing divine revelation.
  2. Deus — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Subject of Dixit; Translation: “God”; Notes: The speaker of the covenant declaration.
  3. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs accusative; Function: Expresses direction toward; Translation: “to”; Notes: Marks the recipient of speech.
  4. Noe — Lemma: Noe; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Accusative singular masculine; Function: Object of ad; Translation: “Noah”; Notes: Latinized form of Hebrew נֹחַ (Noaḥ).
  5. Hoc — Lemma: hic, hæc, hoc; Part of Speech: Pronoun (demonstrative); Form: Nominative singular neuter; Function: Subject of erit; Translation: “this”; Notes: Refers to the sign soon identified (the rainbow).
  6. erit — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Future indicative active 3rd person singular; Function: Main verb; Translation: “shall be”; Notes: Expresses future designation.
  7. signum — Lemma: signum; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular neuter; Function: Predicate nominative; Translation: “sign”; Notes: Refers to the token of divine remembrance.
  8. fœderis — Lemma: fœdus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Genitive singular neuter; Function: Possessive genitive; Translation: “of the covenant”; Notes: Defines what the sign represents.
  9. quod — Lemma: qui, quæ, quod; Part of Speech: Relative pronoun; Form: Nominative singular neuter; Function: Subject of constitui; Translation: “which”; Notes: Refers to fœderis (the covenant).
  10. constitui — Lemma: constituo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect indicative active 1st person singular; Function: Main verb of the relative clause; Translation: “I have established”; Notes: Perfect tense emphasizes completed divine institution of covenant.
  11. inter — Lemma: inter; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs accusative; Function: Indicates relation or partnership; Translation: “between”; Notes: Marks parties involved in the covenant.
  12. me — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: Accusative singular; Function: First member of prepositional phrase; Translation: “me”; Notes: Refers to God Himself as covenant partner.
  13. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Invariable; Function: Connects parallel nouns; Translation: “and”; Notes: Links divine and created participants.
  14. omnem — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: Accusative singular feminine; Function: Modifies carnem; Translation: “all”; Notes: Universal scope of covenant participants.
  15. carnem — Lemma: caro; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular feminine; Function: Object of inter (second participant); Translation: “flesh”; Notes: Refers to all living creatures.
  16. super — Lemma: super; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs accusative; Function: Indicates spatial relation; Translation: “upon”; Notes: Denotes habitation domain.
  17. terram — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular feminine; Function: Object of super; Translation: “earth”; Notes: Represents the inhabited world under covenant protection.

 

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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