Genesis 13:12

Posted on January 13, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 13:12 Abram habitavit in terra Chanaan: Lot vero moratus est in oppidis, quæ erant circa Iordanem, et habitavit in Sodomis.

Abram lived in the land of Chanaan, but Lot stayed in the towns that were around Jordan, and he lived in Sodom.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Abram Abram NOM.SG.M (indecl. Hebr.)
2 habitavit lived / dwelt 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
3 in in PREP+ABL
4 terra land ABL.SG.F
5 Chanaan Chanaan (Canaan) ABL.SG.F (indecl. Hebr.)
6 Lot Lot NOM.SG.M (indecl. Hebr.)
7 vero but / however ADV
8 moratus stayed / remained PERF.PASS.PART.NOM.SG.M
9 est was 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND (auxiliary)
10 in in PREP+ABL
11 oppidis towns ABL.PL.N
12 quæ which REL.PRON.NOM.PL.N
13 erant were 3PL.IMPF.ACT.IND
14 circa around / near PREP+ACC
15 Iordanem Jordan ACC.SG.M (indecl. Hebr.)
16 et and CONJ
17 habitavit lived 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
18 in in PREP+ABL
19 Sodomis Sodom ABL.PL.F (indecl. Hebr.)

Syntax

Main Clause 1: Abram habitavit in terra Chanaan — Abram is the subject, habitavit the main verb, and in terra Chanaan a prepositional phrase of location.
Main Clause 2: Lot vero moratus est in oppidis — contrastive clause introduced by vero (“but”), using a perfect deponent construction (moratus est) meaning “remained” or “stayed.”
Relative Clause: quæ erant circa Iordanem — modifies oppidis, describing location: “which were around Jordan.”
Main Clause 3: et habitavit in Sodomis — independent clause connected by et, expressing final settlement of Lot in Sodom.

Morphology

  1. Abram — Lemma: Abram; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Nominative singular masculine (indeclinable Hebrew name); Function: Subject; Translation: “Abram”; Notes: Patriarchal figure, central subject of the clause.
  2. habitavit — Lemma: habito; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect active indicative, 3rd person singular; Function: Main verb; Translation: “lived / dwelt”; Notes: Perfect indicates a completed, settled habitation.
  3. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs ablative; Function: Expresses location; Translation: “in”; Notes: Standard locative use with ablative.
  4. terra — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative singular feminine; Function: Object of in; Translation: “land”; Notes: Indicates geographic region.
  5. Chanaan — Lemma: Chanaan; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Ablative singular feminine (indeclinable Hebrew name); Function: Modifies terra; Translation: “Chanaan (Canaan)”; Notes: Refers to the Promised Land region.
  6. Lot — Lemma: Lot; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Nominative singular masculine (indeclinable Hebrew name); Function: Subject of second clause; Translation: “Lot”; Notes: Abram’s nephew, contrasted with Abram by vero.
  7. vero — Lemma: vero; Part of Speech: Adverb; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Contrastive particle; Translation: “but / however”; Notes: Introduces contrast between Abram’s and Lot’s actions.
  8. moratus — Lemma: moror; Part of Speech: Deponent verb (participle); Form: Perfect participle nominative singular masculine; Function: Predicate participle in periphrastic tense; Translation: “stayed / remained”; Notes: Perfect deponent construction with est.
  9. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb (auxiliary); Form: Present active indicative, 3rd person singular; Function: Auxiliary in periphrastic perfect; Translation: “was / has”; Notes: Used with deponent participle to form perfect tense.
  10. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs ablative; Function: Indicates location; Translation: “in”; Notes: Standard locative use.
  11. oppidis — Lemma: oppidum; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative plural neuter; Function: Object of in; Translation: “towns / settlements”; Notes: Refers to urban areas near the Jordan plain.
  12. quæ — Lemma: qui, quae, quod; Part of Speech: Relative pronoun; Form: Nominative plural neuter; Function: Subject of erant; Translation: “which”; Notes: Introduces the relative clause modifying oppidis.
  13. erant — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Imperfect active indicative, 3rd person plural; Function: Main verb of relative clause; Translation: “were”; Notes: Describes ongoing state of existence.
  14. circa — Lemma: circa; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs accusative; Function: Expresses location “around”; Translation: “around / near”; Notes: Spatial preposition showing proximity.
  15. Iordanem — Lemma: Iordanis; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Accusative singular masculine; Function: Object of circa; Translation: “Jordan”; Notes: Refers to the Jordan River region.
  16. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Connects final clause; Translation: “and”; Notes: Joins last narrative element.
  17. habitavit — Lemma: habito; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect active indicative, 3rd person singular; Function: Main verb; Translation: “he lived”; Notes: Repetition from earlier for stylistic emphasis.
  18. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs ablative; Function: Indicates location; Translation: “in”; Notes: Prepositional phrase indicating habitation site.
  19. Sodomis — Lemma: Sodoma; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Ablative plural feminine (Hebrew indeclinable adapted to Latin declension); Function: Object of in; Translation: “in Sodom”; Notes: Indicates Lot’s ultimate dwelling place among the cities of the plain.

 

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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