Genesis 9:6

Posted on January 9, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 9:6 Quicumque effuderit humanum sanguinem, fundetur sanguis illius: ad imaginem quippe Dei factus est homo.

Whoever sheds human blood, by a human his blood shall be shed; for in the image of God indeed man was made.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Quicumque Whoever INDEFIN.PRON.NOM.SG.M
2 effuderit shall have shed 3SG.FUT.PERF.IND.ACT
3 humanum human ADJ.ACC.SG.M
4 sanguinem blood N.ACC.SG.M
5 fundetur shall be poured out 3SG.FUT.PASS.IND
6 sanguis blood N.NOM.SG.M
7 illius his PRON.POSS.GEN.SG.M
8 ad to/for PREP+ACC
9 imaginem image N.ACC.SG.F
10 quippe indeed ADV
11 Dei of God N.GEN.SG.M
12 factus made PART.PP.NOM.SG.M
13 est is 3SG.PRES.IND.ACT
14 homo man N.NOM.SG.M

Syntax

Main Clause: Quicumque effuderit humanum sanguinem — Conditional clause establishing the act (“Whoever sheds human blood”) + fundetur sanguis illius — the consequence (“his blood shall be poured out”).
Purpose/Reason Clause: ad imaginem quippe Dei factus est homo — provides the rationale for the consequence: “for in the image of God indeed man was made.”

Morphology

  1. Quicumque — Lemma: quicumque; Part of Speech: Indefinite pronoun; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Subject of conditional clause; Translation: “Whoever”; Notes: Generic subject applying to any person.
  2. effuderit — Lemma: effundo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Future perfect indicative active 3rd person singular; Function: Main verb of antecedent clause; Translation: “shall have shed”; Notes: Emphasizes completion of the act.
  3. humanum — Lemma: humanus; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: Accusative singular masculine; Function: Modifies “sanguinem”; Translation: “human”; Notes: Specifies the type of blood.
  4. sanguinem — Lemma: sanguis; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular masculine; Function: Direct object of “effuderit”; Translation: “blood”; Notes: The blood that is shed.
  5. fundetur — Lemma: fundo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Future indicative passive 3rd person singular; Function: Main verb of consequence clause; Translation: “shall be poured out”; Notes: Passive to show the act done by humans.
  6. sanguis — Lemma: sanguis; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Subject of “fundetur”; Translation: “blood”; Notes: The blood of the offender.
  7. illius — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: Pronoun (possessive); Form: Genitive singular masculine; Function: Modifies “sanguis”; Translation: “his”; Notes: Refers to the offender.
  8. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governing accusative; Function: Introduces purpose or reason; Translation: “for/to”; Notes: Links the clause of reason.
  9. imaginem — Lemma: imago; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular feminine; Function: Object of “ad”; Translation: “image”; Notes: Refers to the divine image.
  10. quippe — Lemma: quippe; Part of Speech: Adverb; Form: Invariable; Function: Emphasizes explanatory clause; Translation: “indeed”; Notes: Strong explanatory tone.
  11. Dei — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Genitive singular masculine; Function: Possessive modifying “imaginem”; Translation: “of God”; Notes: Indicates whose image.
  12. factus — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: Participle (perfect passive) used as adjective; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Predicate participle describing “homo”; <Translation: “made”; Notes: Indicates the creation of man.
  13. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present indicative active 3rd person singular; Function: Linking verb; Translation: “is”; Notes: Connects participle to subject.
  14. homo — Lemma: homo; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Subject of “est”; Translation: “man”; Notes: Humanity made in God’s image.

 

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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