Genesis 9:3

Posted on January 9, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 9:3 Et omne, quod movetur et vivit, erit vobis in cibum: quasi olera virentia tradidi vobis omnia.

And every moving and living thing shall be for you as food; just as the green herbs, I have given you all things.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Et And CONJ
2 omne every ADJ.NOM.SG.N
3 quod which REL.PRON.NOM.SG.N
4 movetur moves 3SG.PRES.IND.PASS
5 et and CONJ
6 vivit lives 3SG.PRES.IND.ACT
7 erit shall be 3SG.FUT.IND.ACT
8 vobis for you PRON.DAT.PL
9 in as PREP+ACC
10 cibum food N.ACC.SG.M
11 quasi just as ADV
12 olera green herbs N.ACC.PL.N
13 virentia living/fresh ADJ.ACC.PL.N
14 tradidi I have given 1SG.PERF.IND.ACT
15 vobis to you PRON.DAT.PL
16 omnia all things ADJ.ACC.PL.N

Syntax

Main Clause: omne … erit vobis in cibum — the main statement declaring all living things as food.
Relative Clause: quod movetur et vivit — modifies omne, describing what kind of things are included (“that move and live”).
Comparative Phrase: quasi olera virentia — expresses comparison, meaning “just as the green herbs.”
Verb Phrase: tradidi vobis omnia — completes the comparison, “I have given you all things.”

Morphology

  1. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Coordinating conjunction; Function: Links this statement to the previous context; Translation: “And”; Notes: Connects continuity with preceding divine speech.
  2. omne — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: Nominative singular neuter; Function: Subject of erit; Translation: “every”; Notes: Refers generically to all living creatures.
  3. quod — Lemma: qui, quae, quod; Part of Speech: Relative pronoun; Form: Nominative singular neuter; Function: Introduces a relative clause modifying omne; Translation: “which”; Notes: Refers to the antecedent “omne.”
  4. movetur — Lemma: moveo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present indicative passive 3rd person singular; Function: Verb within the relative clause; Translation: “is moved” or “moves”; Notes: Passive in form but semantically middle (“moves about”).
  5. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Coordinating conjunction; Function: Connects two verbs; Translation: “and”; Notes: Simple additive link joining movetur and vivit.
  6. vivit — Lemma: vivo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present indicative active 3rd person singular; Function: Second verb in the relative clause; Translation: “lives”; Notes: Denotes vitality and contrasts with vegetation implied later.
  7. erit — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Future indicative active 3rd person singular; Function: Main verb; Translation: “shall be”; Notes: Expresses divine decree concerning human diet.
  8. vobis — Lemma: vos; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: Dative plural; Function: Indirect object; Translation: “for you”; Notes: Indicates benefit or purpose (“for your use”).
  9. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs accusative; Function: Expresses purpose or role; Translation: “as”; Notes: Marks the resultant state.
  10. cibum — Lemma: cibus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular masculine; Function: Object of preposition in; Translation: “food”; Notes: Denotes sustenance or nourishment.
  11. quasi — Lemma: quasi; Part of Speech: Adverb; Form: Invariable; Function: Introduces comparison; Translation: “just as”; Notes: Signals an analogy between animals and plants as provision.
  12. olera — Lemma: olus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative plural neuter; Function: Object of implicit comparison; Translation: “green herbs”; Notes: Refers to vegetation formerly permitted for food.
  13. virentia — Lemma: virens; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: Accusative plural neuter; Function: Modifies olera; Translation: “fresh” or “green”; Notes: Emphasizes living vegetation as food source.
  14. tradidi — Lemma: trado; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect indicative active 1st person singular; Function: Main verb of comparison; Translation: “I have given”; Notes: Indicates divine grant of food to humankind.
  15. vobis — Lemma: vos; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: Dative plural; Function: Indirect object of tradidi; Translation: “to you”; Notes: Emphasizes human recipients of divine provision.
  16. omnia — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: Accusative plural neuter; Function: Direct object of tradidi; Translation: “all things”; Notes: Completes the parallelism: all life now permitted as food.

 

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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