Genesis 10:19

Posted on January 10, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 10:19 Factique sunt termini Chanaan venientibus a Sidone Geraram usque Gazam, donec ingrediaris Sodomam et Gomorrham, et Adamam, et Seboim usque Lesa.

And the borders of Canaan were established, as you go from Sidon to Gerara even unto Gaza, until you enter Sodom and Gomorrah, and Adama, and Seboim, even unto Lesa.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Factique and were made NOM.PL.M.PERF.PASS.PART
2 sunt were 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND.AUX
3 termini borders NOM.PL.M
4 Chanaan of Canaan GEN.SG.M
5 venientibus coming ABL.PL.PRES.ACT.PART
6 a from PREP+ABL
7 Sidone Sidon ABL.SG.F
8 Geraram Gerara ACC.SG.F
9 usque unto PREP+ACC
10 Gazam Gaza ACC.SG.F
11 donec until CONJ
12 ingrediaris you enter 2SG.PRES.SUBJ.DEP
13 Sodomam Sodom ACC.SG.F
14 et and CONJ
15 Gomorrham Gomorrah ACC.SG.F
16 et and CONJ
17 Adamam Adama ACC.SG.F
18 et and CONJ
19 Seboim Seboim ACC.PL.F
20 usque unto PREP+ACC
21 Lesa Lesa ACC.SG.F

Syntax

Main Clause: Factique sunt termini Chanaan — “And the borders of Canaan were established.” The participle Facti with sunt forms a perfect passive verb (“were made”).
Participial Phrase: venientibus a Sidone Geraram usque Gazam — “as you go from Sidon to Gerara even unto Gaza.” The ablative participle indicates movement along the boundary.
Subordinate Clause: donec ingrediaris… marks the farthest extent, “until you enter Sodom and Gomorrah, and Adama, and Seboim, even unto Lesa.”
The sentence blends description and geography: the northern boundary begins at Sidon and the southern reaches Lesa near the Dead Sea.

Morphology

  1. Factique — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: Verb (participle); Form: Perfect passive participle, nominative plural masculine; Function: Predicate complement; Translation: “were made / were established”; Notes: The enclitic -que joins it with the previous genealogy; describes the completion of a boundary or territorial setting.
  2. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present indicative active, 3rd person plural; Function: Auxiliary verb forming perfect passive; Translation: “were”; Notes: Serves with Facti to indicate completed past action (“were made”).
  3. termini — Lemma: terminus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative plural masculine; Function: Subject; Translation: “borders”; Notes: Indicates fixed geographic boundaries or territorial limits in covenant or genealogical context.
  4. Chanaan — Lemma: Chanaan; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Genitive singular masculine; Function: Possessive genitive modifying termini; Translation: “of Canaan”; Notes: Denotes ownership—territory belonging to the Canaanites, descendants of Cham.
  5. venientibus — Lemma: venio; Part of Speech: Verb (participle); Form: Ablative plural present active participle; Function: Ablative of attendant circumstance (“as one comes”); Translation: “coming / as you go”; Notes: Describes ongoing movement tracing the boundary from north to south.
  6. a — Lemma: a (ab); Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs ablative; Function: Expresses point of origin; Translation: “from”; Notes: Marks the starting point of the border description.
  7. Sidone — Lemma: Sidon; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Ablative singular feminine; Function: Object of a; Translation: “Sidon”; Notes: Phoenician port city, northern boundary marker of the Canaanite domain.
  8. Geraram — Lemma: Gerara; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Accusative singular feminine; Function: Directional object; Translation: “Gerara”; Notes: City near the Negev; site later associated with Abraham and Isaac’s sojourns.
  9. usque — Lemma: usque; Part of Speech: Preposition/adverb; Form: Governs accusative; Function: Indicates spatial limit; Translation: “unto / even unto”; Notes: Marks the continuous range of territory.
  10. Gazam — Lemma: Gaza; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Accusative singular feminine; Function: Object of usque; Translation: “Gaza”; Notes: Southern coastal city, a major Philistine stronghold; serves as western terminus.
  11. donec — Lemma: donec; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Introduces temporal/terminal clause; Translation: “until”; Notes: Marks the extent of the southern boundary of Canaan.
  12. ingrediaris — Lemma: ingredior; Part of Speech: Verb (deponent); Form: Present subjunctive, 2nd person singular; Function: Verb of subordinate clause introduced by donec; Translation: “you enter”; Notes: Subjunctive expresses potential or eventual entry into the region.
  13. Sodomam — Lemma: Sodoma; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Accusative singular feminine; Function: Object of ingrediaris; Translation: “Sodom”; Notes: City near the Dead Sea, representing the southern limit of the Canaanite plain.
  14. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Links coordinate objects; Translation: “and”; Notes: Connects subsequent cities within the same geographic region.
  15. Gomorrham — Lemma: Gomorrha; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Accusative singular feminine; Function: Coordinated object; Translation: “Gomorrah”; Notes: Another city of the plain, traditionally paired with Sodom in biblical narratives.
  16. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Continues list; Translation: “and”; Notes: Used repetitively for rhythm and clarity in genealogical or territorial lists.
  17. Adamam — Lemma: Adama; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Accusative singular feminine; Function: Coordinated object; Translation: “Adama”; Notes: City belonging to the pentapolis near the Dead Sea, often destroyed with Sodom and Gomorrah.
  18. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Connects final members of the enumeration; Translation: “and”; Notes: Keeps syntactic symmetry.
  19. Seboim — Lemma: Seboim; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Accusative plural feminine; Function: Coordinated object; Translation: “Seboim”; Notes: City associated with Sodom’s region; plural may indicate a district or twin settlement.
  20. usque — Lemma: usque; Part of Speech: Preposition/adverb; Form: Governs accusative; Function: Marks spatial limit; Translation: “even unto”; Notes: Emphasizes continuity of the territorial boundary.
  21. Lesa — Lemma: Lesa; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Accusative singular feminine; Function: Object of usque; Translation: “Lesa”; Notes: Likely corresponds to Lasha (Genesis 10:19 MT), southeast of the Dead Sea; the southernmost marker of Canaan’s border.

 

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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