Genesis 9:5

Posted on January 9, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 9:5 Sanguinem enim animarum vestrarum requiram de manu cunctarum bestiarum: et de manu hominis, de manu viri, et fratris eius requiram animam hominis.

For your lifeblood I will require it from the hand of every beast, and from the hand of man, from the hand of a man and his brother I will require the life of man.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Sanguinem blood N.ACC.SG.M
2 enim for CONJ
3 animarum of souls N.GEN.PL.F
4 vestrarum your PRON.POSS.GEN.PL.F
5 requiram I will require 1SG.FUT.IND.ACT
6 de from PREP+ABL
7 manu hand N.ABL.SG.F
8 cunctarum of all ADJ.GEN.PL.F
9 bestiarum beasts N.GEN.PL.F
10 et and CONJ
11 de from PREP+ABL
12 manu hand N.ABL.SG.F
13 hominis of man N.GEN.SG.M
14 de from PREP+ABL
15 manu hand N.ABL.SG.F
16 viri of a man N.GEN.SG.M
17 et and CONJ
18 fratris of brother N.GEN.SG.M
19 eius his PRON.POSS.GEN.SG.M
20 requiram I will require 1SG.FUT.IND.ACT
21 animam life N.ACC.SG.F
22 hominis of man N.GEN.SG.M

Syntax

Main Clause: Sanguinem enim animarum vestrarum requiram — the principal declaration: “For your lifeblood I will require it.”
Prepositional Phrases: de manu cunctarum bestiarum and de manu hominis — indicate sources from which divine retribution will be demanded.
Parallel Phrase: de manu viri et fratris eius — elaborates human accountability: “from the hand of a man and his brother.”
Final Clause: requiram animam hominis — restates divine justice, emphasizing that the human life itself will be required.

Morphology

  1. Sanguinem — Lemma: sanguis; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular masculine; Function: Direct object of requiram; Translation: “blood”; Notes: Refers to lifeblood, representing life itself.
  2. enim — Lemma: enim; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Invariable; Function: Causal connector; Translation: “for”; Notes: Explains the reason following the preceding prohibition.
  3. animarum — Lemma: anima; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Genitive plural feminine; Function: Possessive genitive modifying sanguinem; Translation: “of souls” or “of lives”; Notes: Indicates that the blood belongs to living beings.
  4. vestrarum — Lemma: vester; Part of Speech: Pronoun (possessive); Form: Genitive plural feminine; Function: Modifies animarum; Translation: “your”; Notes: Refers to human ownership of life entrusted by God.
  5. requiram — Lemma: requiro; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Future indicative active 1st person singular; Function: Main verb; Translation: “I will require”; Notes: Expresses divine justice and accountability.
  6. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs ablative; Function: Indicates source or agent; Translation: “from”; Notes: Marks the agent held responsible.
  7. manu — Lemma: manus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative singular feminine; Function: Object of de; Translation: “hand”; Notes: Symbolic of power or agency.
  8. cunctarum — Lemma: cunctus; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: Genitive plural feminine; Function: Modifies bestiarum; Translation: “of all”; Notes: Universalizes the scope of responsibility.
  9. bestiarum — Lemma: bestia; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Genitive plural feminine; Function: Dependent genitive with manu; Translation: “of beasts”; Notes: Even animals are accountable in the divine order.
  10. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Invariable; Function: Coordinates clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Adds another class of agents, humans.
  11. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs ablative; Function: Introduces second source phrase; Translation: “from”; Notes: Repeats pattern for emphasis.
  12. manu — Lemma: manus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative singular feminine; Function: Object of de; Translation: “hand”; Notes: Again denotes agency or culpability.
  13. hominis — Lemma: homo; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Genitive singular masculine; Function: Dependent genitive modifying manu; Translation: “of man”; Notes: Broadly refers to humankind.
  14. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs ablative; Function: Introduces a third source phrase; Translation: “from”; Notes: Continues parallelism.
  15. manu — Lemma: manus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative singular feminine; Function: Object of de; Translation: “hand”; Notes: Same syntactic function as previous occurrences.
  16. viri — Lemma: vir; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Genitive singular masculine; Function: Specifies a particular human agent; Translation: “of a man”; Notes: Contrasts with homo (humanity in general).
  17. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Invariable; Function: Connects viri and fratris; Translation: “and”; Notes: Joins two related human agents.
  18. fratris — Lemma: frater; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Genitive singular masculine; Function: Linked with viri; Translation: “of brother”; Notes: Alludes to fraternal relationships and moral bonds.
  19. eius — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: Genitive singular masculine; Function: Possessive modifying fratris; Translation: “his”; Notes: Emphasizes personal moral responsibility.
  20. requiram — Lemma: requiro; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Future indicative active 1st person singular; Function: Repeated verb for emphasis; Translation: “I will require”; Notes: Reinforces divine accountability theme.
  21. animam — Lemma: anima; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular feminine; Function: Direct object of requiram; Translation: “life” or “soul”; Notes: Represents the living being demanded in justice.
  22. hominis — Lemma: homo; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Genitive singular masculine; Function: Possessive genitive; Translation: “of man”; Notes: Specifies the life that is to be required—human life itself.

 

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.