Genesis 19:12

Posted on January 19, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 19:12 Dixerunt autem ad Lot: Habes hic quempiam tuorum? generum, aut filios, aut filias, omnes, qui tui sunt, educ de urbe hac:

And they said to Lot: “Have you anyone here belonging to you? a son-in-law, or sons, or daughters, all who are yours, bring them out of this city.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Dixerunt they said 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
2 autem but / now CONJ
3 ad to PREP+ACC
4 Lot Lot ACC.SG.M
5 Habes you have 2SG.PRES.ACT.IND
6 hic here ADV
7 quempiam anyone ACC.SG.M.INDEF.PRON
8 tuorum of yours GEN.PL.M.POSS.PRON
9 generum son-in-law ACC.SG.M
10 aut or CONJ
11 filios sons ACC.PL.M
12 aut or CONJ
13 filias daughters ACC.PL.F
14 omnes all ACC.PL.M/F
15 qui who NOM.PL.M.REL.PRON
16 tui of you / yours GEN.SG.M.PRON
17 sunt are 3PL.PRES.ACT.IND
18 educ bring out 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP
19 de from / out of PREP+ABL
20 urbe city ABL.SG.F
21 hac this ABL.SG.F.DEM.PRON

Syntax

Main Clause: Dixerunt autem ad Lot — Narrative transition with autem marking a new development: “And they said to Lot.” The subject is again the angelic messengers.
Direct Speech 1: Habes hic quempiam tuorum? — Present indicative question: “Have you anyone here belonging to you?” The indefinite pronoun quempiam (accusative) and genitive tuorum identify any relatives within the city.
Enumerative Phrase: generum, aut filios, aut filias — Enumerates possible relatives. The repetition of aut (“or”) emphasizes inclusivity of all family relations.
Relative Clause: omnes, qui tui sunt — “All who are yours.” The relative pronoun qui introduces a defining clause specifying those to be saved.
Imperative Clause: educ de urbe hac — Direct imperative commanding Lot to act: “bring them out of this city.” The preposition de with ablative expresses motion from within, implying imminent destruction.

Morphology

  1. Dixerunt — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative, third person plural; Function: main verb; Translation: “they said”; Notes: Marks the beginning of a direct divine command sequence.
  2. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: adds transition or mild contrast; Translation: “and / now”; Notes: Often used to introduce a new event or stage in narrative Latin.
  3. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: marks direction toward recipient; Translation: “to”; Notes: Used with person being addressed.
  4. Lot — Lemma: Lot; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of “ad”; Translation: “Lot”; Notes: Recipient of the angels’ instruction.
  5. Habes — Lemma: habeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative, second person singular; Function: interrogative predicate; Translation: “do you have”; Notes: Used here as a rhetorical prompt for identification.
  6. hic — Lemma: hic; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: indicates location; Translation: “here”; Notes: Locative sense, referring to presence within the city.
  7. quempiam — Lemma: quispiam; Part of Speech: indefinite pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of “Habes”; Translation: “anyone”; Notes: Emphasizes inclusion of any related person.
  8. tuorum — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective used substantively; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: dependent genitive; Translation: “of yours”; Notes: Denotes family relation or belonging.
  9. generum — Lemma: gener; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: appositive example; Translation: “son-in-law”; Notes: One of several familial categories specified for rescue.
  10. aut — Lemma: aut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating disjunctive; Function: introduces alternatives; Translation: “or”; Notes: Used repetitively to expand the set of possible relations.
  11. filios — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: appositive example; Translation: “sons”; Notes: Parallel in syntax with “filias.”
  12. aut — Lemma: aut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating disjunctive; Function: connects final alternative; Translation: “or”; Notes: Marks the inclusive listing of family categories.
  13. filias — Lemma: filia; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: appositive; Translation: “daughters”; Notes: Completes triad of possible relations for evacuation.
  14. omnes — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective used substantively; Form: accusative plural masculine/feminine; Function: object of “educ”; Translation: “all”; Notes: Inclusive quantifier—everyone to be taken out.
  15. qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject of “sunt”; Translation: “who”; Notes: Introduces the relative clause defining those belonging to Lot.
  16. tui — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: possessive pronoun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: complement of “qui”; Translation: “of you / yours”; Notes: Indicates belonging or kinship.
  17. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative, third person plural; Function: copula in relative clause; Translation: “are”; Notes: Expresses identity relationship in defining clause.
  18. educ — Lemma: educo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active imperative, second person singular; Function: main verb of command; Translation: “bring out”; Notes: Urgent imperative calling Lot to immediate action.
  19. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses movement from a place; Translation: “out of”; Notes: Implies departure from within the doomed city.
  20. urbe — Lemma: urbs; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of “de”; Translation: “city”; Notes: Refers to Sodom, soon to be destroyed.
  21. hac — Lemma: hic; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: modifies “urbe”; Translation: “this”; Notes: Specific reference to the present location, Sodom 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.
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