Genesis 7

Gn 7.1Dīxitque Dominus ad eum: Ingredere tū et omnis domus tua in arcam: tē enim vīdī iūstum cōram mē in generātiōne hāc.

And the Lord said to him: "Go in, you and all your house, into the ark: for you I have seen just in my presence in this generation.

Note. Ingredere: imperative of the deponent ingredior; deponents form the singular imperative in -re. omnis domus tua: 'all your household'. tē … vīdī iūstum: 'I have seen you (to be) righteous', a double accusative.

Gn 7.2Ex omnibus animantibus mundīs tolle septēna et septēna, masculum et fēminam: dē animantibus vērō immundīs duo et duo, masculum et fēminam.

Out of all clean living things take sevens and sevens, male and female: of the unclean living things, however, two and two, male and female.

Note. septēna et septēna: 'seven and seven', i.e. seven pairs (or seven of each). The distinction between clean animals (fit for sacrifice) and unclean anticipates Noah's offering in 8:20. duo et duo: 'two by two'.

Gn 7.3Sed et dē volātilibus caelī septēna et septēna, masculum et fēminam: ut salvētur sēmen super faciem ūniversae terrae.

But also of the flying things of the sky sevens and sevens, male and female: so that seed may be kept safe over the face of the whole earth.

Note. volātilia: 'flying things, birds', a noun formed from the adjective volātilis. ut salvētur sēmen: 'so that their seed (offspring) may be preserved'.

Gn 7.4Adhūc enim, et post diēs septem ego pluam super terram quadrāgintā diēbus et quadrāgintā noctibus: et dēlēbō omnem substantiam, quam fēcī, dē superficiē terrae.

For yet (a while), and after seven days I will rain over the earth for forty days and forty nights: and I will destroy every substance which I made from the surface of the earth."

Note. Adhūc … et post diēs septem: 'yet seven more days, and…'. pluam: future of pluō, 'I will send rain'. quadrāgintā diēbus et quadrāgintā noctibus: the ablative of time again. Forty is a round number of trial in the Bible (the forty years in the desert, Jesus' forty days).

Gn 7.5Fēcit ergō Noë omnia quae mandāverat eī Dominus.

Noe therefore did all the things which the Lord had commanded him.

Gn 7.6Eratque sexcentōrum annōrum quandō dīluviī aquae inundāvērunt super terram.

And he was of six hundred years when the waters of the deluge overflowed over the earth.

Note. Erat-que sexcentōrum annōrum: genitive of description, 'he was 600 years old'. quandō: 'when', a simple temporal conjunction in the Vulgate.

Gn 7.7Et ingressus est Noë et fīliī eius, uxor eius et uxōrēs fīliōrum eius cum eō in arcam propter aquās dīluviī.

And Noe went in, and his sons, his wife and the wives of his sons with him, into the ark, on account of the waters of the deluge.

Note. ingressus est Noë et fīliī eius …: the verb agrees with the first subject, Noah, though several follow. This is common in Latin when a verb stands before a list.

Gn 7.8Dē animantibus quoque mundīs et immundīs, et dē volucribus, et ex omnī quod movētur super terram,

Of the living things also, clean and unclean, and of the birds, and out of everything which is moved over the earth,

Gn 7.9duo et duo ingressa sunt ad Noë in arcam, masculus et fēmina, sīcut praecēperat Dominus Noë.

two and two went in to Noe into the ark, male and female, just as the Lord had ordered Noe.

Note. duo et duo ingressa sunt: neuter plural participle, agreeing with the implied animālia. ad Noë: Noë does not decline, so the preposition shows the case.

Gn 7.10Cumque trānsīssent septem diēs, aquae dīluviī inundāvērunt super terram.

And when seven days had passed, the waters of the deluge overflowed over the earth.

Gn 7.11Annō sexcentēsimō vītae Noë, mēnse secundō, septimōdecimō diē mēnsis, ruptī sunt omnēs fontēs abyssī magnae, et cataractae caelī apertae sunt:

In the six hundredth year of the life of Noe, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, all the springs of the great abyss were burst, and the floodgates of the sky were opened:

Note. The date is given precisely, as in a chronicle: Annō sexcentēsimō, mēnse secundō, septimōdecimō diē mēnsis: 'in the 600th year, in the second month, on the 17th day of the month'. Ordinals (sexcentēsimus, septimus decimus) are adjectives. fontēs abyssī magnae: in the ancient picture of the world, waters lay below the earth (the great deep) and above the sky (behind the cataractae, 'floodgates').

Gn 7.12et facta est pluvia super terram quadrāgintā diēbus et quadrāgintā noctibus.

and rain came about over the earth for forty days and forty nights.

Gn 7.13In articulō diēī illīus ingressus est Noë, et Sem, et Cham, et Iapheth fīliī eius; uxor illīus, et trēs uxōrēs fīliōrum eius cum eīs in arcam:

At the very point of that day Noe went in, and Sem and Cham and Iapheth, his sons; his wife, and the three wives of his sons with them, into the ark:

Note. In articulō diēī illīus: 'at the very point of that day', i.e. on that very day. filiī eius stands in apposition to Sem, Cham et Iapheth.

Gn 7.14ipsī et omne animal secundum genus suum, ūniversaque iūmenta in genere suō, et omne quod movētur super terram in genere suō, cūnctumque volātile secundum genus suum, ūniversae avēs, omnēsque volucrēs,

they and every animal according to its kind, and all the beasts of burden in their kind, and everything which is moved over the earth in its kind, and every flying thing according to its kind, all the birds and all the winged ones,

Note. A long list of subjects for ingressae sunt in the next verse: every kind of animal, named in the order of the creation account.

Gn 7.15ingressae sunt ad Noë in arcam, bīna et bīna ex omnī carne, in quā erat spīritus vītae.

went in to Noe into the ark, pairs and pairs out of all flesh, in which was the spirit of life.

Note. bīna et bīna: 'two by two'. in quā erat spīritus vītae: 'in which was the breath of life', a phrase that defines who goes into the ark: everything that breathes.

Gn 7.16Et quae ingressa sunt, masculus et fēmina ex omnī carne introiērunt, sīcut praecēperat eī Deus: et inclūsit eum Dominus dēforīs.

And those which went in, male and female out of all flesh, entered just as God had ordered him: and the Lord shut him in from outside.

Note. inclūsit eum Dominus dēforīs: 'the Lord shut him in from outside': God himself closes the door.

Gn 7.17Factumque est dīluvium quadrāgintā diēbus super terram: et multiplicātae sunt aquae, et ēlevāvērunt arcam in sublīme ā terrā.

And the deluge came about for forty days over the earth: and the waters were multiplied, and raised the ark into the height from the earth.

Note. Factum est dīluvium: 'the flood came about'. elevāvērunt arcam in sublīme: 'they raised the ark up high'; in sublīme is an adverbial phrase, 'aloft'.

Gn 7.18Vehementer enim inundāvērunt, et omnia replēvērunt in superficiē terrae: porrō arca ferēbātur super aquās.

For they overflowed violently, and filled all things on the surface of the earth: further, the ark was borne over the waters.

Note. ferēbātur: imperfect passive, 'was being carried, kept being carried', of continuing action.

Gn 7.19Et aquae praevaluērunt nimis super terram: opertīque sunt omnēs montēs excelsī sub ūniversō caelō.

And the waters prevailed exceedingly over the earth: and all the lofty mountains under the whole sky were covered.

Gn 7.20Quīndecim cubitīs altior fuit aqua super montēs, quōs operuerat.

By fifteen cubits higher was the water over the mountains which it had covered.

Note. Quīndecim cubitīs altior: ablative of the degree of difference with a comparative: 'higher by fifteen cubits'.

Gn 7.21Cōnsūmptaque est omnis carō quae movēbātur super terram, volucrum, animantium, bēstiārum, omniumque rēptilium, quae rēptant super terram: ūniversī hominēs,

And all flesh which was moved over the earth was consumed, of birds, of living things, of wild beasts, and of all creeping things which creep over the earth: all men,

Note. volucrum, animantium, bēstiārum, … rēptilium: partitive genitives depending on omnis carō, 'all flesh, (that is) of birds, animals…'.

Gn 7.22et cūncta, in quibus spīrāculum vītae est in terrā, mortua sunt.

and all things in which is the breathing of life on the earth died.

Gn 7.23Et dēlēvit omnem substantiam quae erat super terram, ab homine usque ad pecus, tam rēptile quam volucrēs caelī: et dēlēta sunt dē terrā. Remānsit autem sōlus Noë, et quī cum eō erant in arcā.

And he destroyed every substance which was over the earth, from man up to beast, creeping thing as much as the flying ones of the sky: and they were destroyed from the earth. Noe alone, however, remained, and (those) who were with him in the ark.

Note. tam rēptile quam volucrēs caelī: 'the creeping things as well as the birds of the sky'. Remānsit … sōlus Noë: 'Noah alone remained'. sōlus is an adjective agreeing with Noë.

Gn 7.24Obtinuēruntque aquae terram centum quīnquāgintā diēbus.

And the waters held the earth for a hundred and fifty days.