Book of Genesis: First Chapter with Cultural, Lexical and Grammatical Commentary

In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth,

Gyna, Sog ert t'óisha ot toy shel,

"Gyna..." – is a great example of thematicalization. As a more prominent feature in Loina than in English, it is used not only to state a topic, but aso to indicate a place or time without prepositional constructions.

"ert" – Indicative Past Singular of "rir" – "to create".

the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters.

kái-vo shel isht parkuvabgin gosotaj ot gam int eí-ur béis deséigen koymart knosk muk Sog kinet ur béis skoy.

"kái-vo" – lit. "then", "at that time". It is not the typical way to introduce a temporal clause, yet it is used to keep together the original narration.

"parkuvabgin gosotaj" is a literal translation of "formless void". Parkuvabgin < kvab (form, shape) + par...g (circumfix similar to English suffix "less"). Gosotaj < gosotin ("void").

"int eí-ur béis" – "to cover" is literally "eíneir ur". "Neir" means to "lie", while "eí" is a separable flexion of a position in space in general, which also attaches to a preposition.

"kinet" – while "kinir" means "to run", it is used as "to sweep" or "to blow" in collocation with "wind".

Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light.

Tos, Sog imt: pel sev. Ot pel est.

"Tos" – "then", a common way to bring the narration further.

And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness.

Sog shoít toy pel, o isht ain. Ot Sog mitet toy pel ot toy gam.

"Sog shoít toy pel, o isht ain" – "God saw the light, it was good" is a more sopisticated way to translate the passage. The more natural option is "Sog shoít: pel isht ain" – literally "God saw the light was good".

God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.

Sog ert toy shanot mu pel – Peléigen, ot mu gam – Gameln. Ot ese mitis peléigen ot mitis gameln, o est kein Peléigen.

"ert toy shanot mu" – gave name to...

This passage barely makes sense in Loina: "peléigen", "day", is a derivative of "pel" which is light. The same with "night" and "darkness" ("gameln" and "gam"). There are also no literal translation for evening and morning: mitanu peléigen (border of day) and mitanu gameln (border of night).

And God said, "Let there be a dome in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters."

Ot Sog imt: timpaséigen eí-sev ol skoy, o mitev toy skoy ot toy skoy,

"timpaséigen" is literally "a sphere" or "a dome", the term was inherited from ancient texts and is evidently constructed; the word cosely related is "pasab", a circle.

So God made the dome and separated the waters that were under the dome from the waters that were above the dome. And it was so.

Tos Sog ert toy timpaséigen ot mitet toy skoy ar-sái eí-est royks timpaséigen ot toy skoy ar-sái eí-est dash timpaséigen. Ot o est art.

Some decision should have been made between "yst" – "under, but toching" and "royks" – "under but not touching". "Royks" is chosen as a clearer opposition to "above" ("dash").

God called the dome Sky. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day

Sog ert toy shanot mu timpaséigen: Klid. Ot ese mitis peléigen ot mitis gameln, o est bain Peléigen.

"klid" and "óisha" are used to differentiate between "heavens" and "sky". "Klid" is a space of clouds, while "óisha" is a place for moon and stars.

God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good.

Sog ert toy shanot mu shel gyjin: Shel – ot mu skoy vi kvanu éi svan toy shanot: Yló. Et Sog shoít t'o o isht ain.

"skoy vi kvanu éi svan" – lit: "in his arrangement together".

Then God said, "Let the earth put forth vegetation: plants yielding seed, and fruit trees of every kind on earth that bear fruit with the seed in it." And it was so.

Tos Sog imt shel gev toy zonusa: pors dils toy gusú, nesmoy klotý keíl ur shel a-óiu gems klotý lot gusú vi a. Ot o est art.

"zonusa" – any plant.

"pors" – tall grass.

"keíl" – comparative degree of "keín" ("single") means, in fact, "numerous" or sometimes "various".

The earth brought forth vegetation: plants yielding seed of every kind, and trees of every kind bearing fruit with the seed in it. And God saw that it was good.

Shel isht toy zonusa: pors ide toy gusú keíl ot nesmoy ege klotý lot gusú vi o. Ot Sog shoít t'o o isht ain.

Plural being marked on a verb but not on a noun is a typical strategy for Loina ("pors ide", "nesmoy ege").

And there was evening and there was morning, the third day.

Ot ese mitis peléigen ot mitis gameln, o est zyshin Peléigen.

And God said, "Let there be lights in the dome of the sky to separate the day from the night; and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years,

Ot Sog imt pela sems vi timpaséigen klid, óia mitems toy peléigen ot toy gameln ot ban zisúi ot ban mitisa vi supasú ot ban koynza ot supasúi.

"zisúi" – a sign, an omen, a hint

"mitisa vi supasú" – lit. "borders in year", i.e. seasons.

"koynz" means not only "the Sun", bur also "a single cycle of day and night".

and let them be lights in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth." And it was so.

ot pela eí-sev vi timpaséigen klid, óia bils toy pel tur shel. Ot o est art.

God made the two great lights - the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night - and the stars.

Sog ert toy ba lashin pela: toy lashil pel, o lushiv toy peléigen; ot toy vizil pel, o lushiv toy gameln, ot t'uslai.

God set them in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth

Sog est t'óia tvi timpaséigen, óia bils toy pel tur shel,

"est" – here: "put" (Past Indicative Singular of "spir"), a rare, strongly marked as literary form, more common option: "espet".

to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good.

óia lishils toy peléigen ot toy gamel ot mitems toy pel ot toy gam. Ot Sog shoít t'o, o isht ain.

And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.

Ot ese mitis peléigen ot mitis gameln, o est nosrin Peléigen.

And God said, "Let the waters bring forth swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the dome of the sky."

Ot Sog imt, skoy gev suva rai oyklin ot shtolorta iómems dash shel ot bars tmpaséigen klid.

"suv" – a load, a mass

So God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, of every kind, with which the waters swarm, and every winged bird of every kind. And God saw that it was good.

Tos, Sog ert toy lushin skoy shafóisa ot t'er timkeín keíl oyklin ra pu pyí lot skoy ot toy timkeín keíl shtolort. Ot Sog shoít t'o, o isht ain.

God blessed them, saying, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth."

Sog ift t'ain me éi, óia shils keíl ot oshengin par fytreir skoy yló gosotin, ot shtolorta shils keíl ur shel.

"ift t'ain me éi" – gave his good word – a descriptive adaptation of "blessed" as no such concept is present in a single Loina lemma.

And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day.

Ot ese mitis peléigen ot mitis gameln, o est slamin Peléigen.

And God said, "Let the earth bring forth living creatures of every kind: cattle and creeping things and wild animals of the earth of every kind." And it was so.

Ot Sog imt shel gev rai keíl: shisai ot lemzorta ot nusai. Ot o est art.

"Shiúsa" – "shiú" ("field") + "-sa"

"Lemzort" – "lemzeir" (to creep, to crawl) + "-ort"

"Nusa" – "nusin" ("wild") + "-sa"

God made the wild animals of the earth of every kind, and the cattle of every kind, and everything that creeps upon the ground of every kind. And God saw that it was good.

Sog ert toy nusai keíl ot toy shiúsai keíl ot lemzorta keíl. Ot Sot shoít t'o o isht ain

Then God said, "Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth."

Tos Sog imt stoy rems deiáj ur dysab stoy, ur a dysab t'óiu stoy taiém. Dei lushiv toy rezas vi skoy ot toy shtolort bars klid ot toy shiúsa ot timkeín nusa ot timkeín lemzort ur shel.

So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.

Ot Sog ert toy deiáj ur dysab éi, ur dysab er Sog pu ert t'iés: syn ot soyr

"syn o soyr" – traditionally, female knship terms are put before male ones. Female kinship terms have other terms derived too (i.g. "oshengin", "timsuynaj")

God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth."

Sog ift t'ain me éi mu iés, ot Sog imt, iés shils keíl ot oshengin, shils suvin ur shel ot tishems eí-royks t'o, lushils toy rezas vi skoy ot toy shtolort bars klid et t'er timkeín ra pu pyí ur shel.

God said, "See, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food.

Sog imt: Shoív, li ift mu iés t'a timkeín zonusa lot gusú ot toy timkeín nesmoy lot gusú vi klotý. Iés norsems óia.

And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food." And it was so.

Ot mu timkeín ra ur shel ot mu timkeín shtolort bars klid ot mu timkeín lemzort ot mu timkeín ra lot oykle ave. Li ift timkeín zonusa ban norsa. Ot o est art.

"oykle ave" – is a literal translation of "breath of life".

God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

Sog shoít er vi o t'óiu éi it ot o isht ain. O ese mitis peléigen ot mitis gameln, o est jin Peléigen.