Genesis 19:35

Posted on January 19, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 19:35 Dederunt etiam et illa nocte patri suo bibere vinum, ingressaque minor filia, dormivit cum eo: et ne tunc quidem sensit quando concubuerit, vel quando illa surrexerit.

And they also gave their father to drink wine that night; and the younger daughter went in and lay with him, and even then he did not know when she lay with him or when she arose.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Dederunt they gave 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
2 etiam also ADV
3 et and CONJ
4 illa that ABL.SG.F.DEMONSTR.PRON
5 nocte night ABL.SG.F
6 patri to (their) father DAT.SG.M
7 suo their own DAT.SG.M.POSS.ADJ
8 bibere to drink INF.PRES.ACT
9 vinum wine ACC.SG.N
10 ingressaque and having entered PERF.PASS.PTCP.NOM.SG.F (DEPONENT) + CONJ
11 minor the younger NOM.SG.F
12 filia daughter NOM.SG.F
13 dormivit lay / slept 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
14 cum with PREP+ABL
15 eo him ABL.SG.M.PRON
16 et and CONJ
17 ne not even CONJ.NEG
18 tunc then ADV
19 quidem indeed / even ADV.EMPH
20 sensit perceived / knew 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
21 quando when ADV
22 concubuerit had lain with / had relations 3SG.PERF.ACT.SUBJ
23 vel or CONJ
24 quando when ADV
25 illa she NOM.SG.F.PRON
26 surrexerit had risen / got up 3SG.PERF.ACT.SUBJ

Syntax

Main Clause 1: Dederunt etiam et illa nocte patri suo bibere vinum — The perfect Dederunt introduces the repeated act of giving wine. The double intensifiers etiam et (“also and”) add emphasis. The dative patri suo marks the indirect object, while bibere vinum is the infinitive construction expressing purpose.
Main Clause 2: ingressaque minor filia dormivit cum eo — The deponent participle ingressa with auxiliary sense introduces the action of the younger daughter. The subject minor filia and verb dormivit (“lay”) narrate the act itself.
Adversative Clause: et ne tunc quidem sensit — Intensely negated structure meaning “and not even then did he perceive.”
Subordinate Clauses: quando concubuerit vel quando illa surrexerit — Two temporal clauses depending on sensit. The perfect subjunctive indicates an indefinite temporal reference, showing complete unawareness both of the beginning and end of the event.

Morphology

  1. Dederunt — Lemma: do; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative active, third person plural; Function: main verb; Translation: “they gave”; Notes: Describes the repeated act of giving wine to their father.
  2. etiam — Lemma: etiam; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: adds emphasis; Translation: “also / again”; Notes: Indicates the repetition of the act from the previous night.
  3. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links intensifiers; Translation: “and”; Notes: Double coordination for emphasis: “etiam et.”
  4. illa — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: modifies “nocte”; Translation: “that”; Notes: Refers to the specific night of repetition.
  5. nocte — Lemma: nox; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: ablative of time; Translation: “at night”; Notes: Temporal specification of the act.
  6. patri — Lemma: pater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: indirect object of “dederunt”; Translation: “to (their) father”; Notes: Recipient of the act.
  7. suo — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: modifies “patri”; Translation: “their own”; Notes: Possessive pronoun intensifying filial relation.
  8. bibere — Lemma: bibo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present infinitive active; Function: complementary infinitive with “dederunt”; Translation: “to drink”; Notes: Purpose infinitive describing what they caused him to do.
  9. vinum — Lemma: vinum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of “bibere”; Translation: “wine”; Notes: The instrument of their manipulation.
  10. ingressaque — Lemma: ingredior; Part of Speech: verb (deponent participle); Form: perfect participle nominative singular feminine + enclitic -que; Function: introduces next clause; Translation: “and having entered”; Notes: Deponent participle acting with active sense, marking transition.
  11. minor — Lemma: parvus; Part of Speech: adjective (comparative used substantively); Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: modifies “filia”; Translation: “the younger”; Notes: Identifies Lot’s younger daughter.
  12. filia — Lemma: filia; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject of “dormivit”; Translation: “daughter”; Notes: Acts as subject performing the act.
  13. dormivit — Lemma: dormio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative active, third person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “lay / slept”; Notes: Euphemistic reference to sexual intercourse.
  14. cum — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: indicates accompaniment; Translation: “with”; Notes: Introduces the partner.
  15. eo — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of “cum”; Translation: “him”; Notes: Refers to Lot.
  16. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Connects new clause with preceding statement.
  17. ne — Lemma: ne; Part of Speech: conjunction (negative); Form: indeclinable; Function: negates entire clause; Translation: “not even”; Notes: Strong negative for emphasis.
  18. tunc — Lemma: tunc; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: temporal marker; Translation: “then”; Notes: Refers to the second night.
  19. quidem — Lemma: quidem; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: adds emphasis; Translation: “indeed / even”; Notes: Strengthens negation with “ne.”
  20. sensit — Lemma: sentio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative active, third person singular; Function: main verb of clause; Translation: “perceived / knew”; Notes: Indicates Lot’s ignorance under intoxication.
  21. quando — Lemma: quando; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces temporal clause; Translation: “when”; Notes: Introduces first subordinate clause.
  22. concubuerit — Lemma: concumbo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect subjunctive active, third person singular; Function: verb of temporal clause; Translation: “had lain with”; Notes: Subjunctive shows indefinite temporal sense.
  23. vel — Lemma: vel; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: offers alternative; Translation: “or”; Notes: Connects second temporal clause.
  24. quando — Lemma: quando; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces second temporal clause; Translation: “when”; Notes: Parallels first subordinate clause.
  25. illa — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject of “surrexerit”; Translation: “she”; Notes: Refers to the younger daughter.
  26. surrexerit — Lemma: surgo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect subjunctive active, third person singular; Function: verb of temporal clause; Translation: “had risen / got up”; Notes: Parallels “concubuerit,” indicating Lot’s ignorance of both actions.

 

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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