Genesis 14:10

Posted on January 14, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 14:10 Vallis autem Silvestris habebat puteos multos bituminis. Itaque rex Sodomorum, et Gomorrhæ, terga verterunt, cecideruntque ibi: et qui remanserant, fugerunt ad montem.

Now the Valley of the Wood had many wells of bitumen. Therefore the king of Sodom and of Gomorrha turned their backs and fell there, and those who remained fled to the mountain.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Vallis valley NOM.SG.F
2 autem however / now CONJ.ADV
3 Silvestris of the Wood GEN.SG.F
4 habebat was having / had 3SG.IMPF.ACT.IND
5 puteos wells / pits ACC.PL.M
6 multos many ACC.PL.M
7 bituminis of bitumen GEN.SG.N
8 Itaque therefore CONJ
9 rex king NOM.SG.M
10 Sodomorum of Sodom GEN.PL.M (INDECL. HEBR.)
11 et and CONJ
12 Gomorrhæ of Gomorrah GEN.SG.F (INDECL. HEBR.)
13 terga backs ACC.PL.N
14 verterunt they turned 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
15 cecideruntque and they fell 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND + ENCLITIC -QUE
16 ibi there ADV
17 et and CONJ
18 qui who NOM.PL.M
19 remanserant had remained 3PL.PLUPERF.ACT.IND
20 fugerunt they fled 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
21 ad to / toward PREP+ACC
22 montem mountain ACC.SG.M

Syntax

Main Clause 1: Vallis autem Silvestris habebat puteos multos bituminis — the valley serves as subject; habebat as the main verb; puteos multos bituminis as its direct object with genitive specification (“wells of bitumen”).
Main Clause 2: Itaque rex Sodomorum et Gomorrhæ terga verterunt — introduces consequence; rex … verterunt indicates collective subject action.
Clause 3: cecideruntque ibi — continuation by -que; emphasizes the defeat of the kings.
Clause 4: et qui remanserant fugerunt ad montem — relative clause functioning as a new subject group; survivors flee for safety.

Morphology

  1. Vallis — Lemma: vallis; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular feminine; Function: Subject; Translation: “valley”; Notes: Refers to the battlefield (“Valley of the Wood”), previously identified as the Valley of Siddim.
  2. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: Conjunction / adverb; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Transitional connector; Translation: “now / however”; Notes: Shifts narrative focus from the kings to the landscape.
  3. Silvestris — Lemma: silvestris; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: Genitive singular feminine; Function: Genitive of description modifying Vallis; Translation: “of the Wood / wooded”; Notes: Describes the valley’s character or proper name.
  4. habebat — Lemma: habeo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Imperfect active indicative, 3rd person singular; Function: Main verb; Translation: “had / was having”; Notes: Describes a continuous or background condition.
  5. puteos — Lemma: puteus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative plural masculine; Function: Direct object of habebat; Translation: “wells / pits”; Notes: Physical feature of the valley, relevant for the kings’ downfall.
  6. multos — Lemma: multus; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: Accusative plural masculine; Function: Modifier of puteos; Translation: “many”; Notes: Emphasizes abundance of tar pits.
  7. bituminis — Lemma: bitumen; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Genitive singular neuter; Function: Genitive of material; Translation: “of bitumen”; Notes: Indicates the composition of the pits (asphalt/tar).
  8. Itaque — Lemma: itaque; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Introduces logical consequence; Translation: “therefore”; Notes: Connects result (flight of kings) to preceding physical detail.
  9. rex — Lemma: rex; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Subject (collective with next genitives); Translation: “king”; Notes: Singular noun collectively represents two kings as joint subjects.
  10. Sodomorum — Lemma: Sodomæ; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Genitive plural masculine; Function: Genitive of possession with rex; Translation: “of Sodom”; Notes: Specifies city ruled by first king.
  11. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Joins genitives under common rex; Translation: “and.”
  12. Gomorrhæ — Lemma: Gomorrha; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Genitive singular feminine; Function: Genitive with rex; Translation: “of Gomorrah”; Notes: Identifies the second ruler allied with the king of Sodom.
  13. terga — Lemma: tergum; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative plural neuter; Function: Object of verterunt; Translation: “backs”; Notes: Idiomatically, “to turn one’s back” = “to flee.”
  14. verterunt — Lemma: verto; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect active indicative, 3rd person plural; Function: Main verb; Translation: “they turned”; Notes: Marks decisive military retreat.
  15. cecideruntque — Lemma: cado; Part of Speech: Verb + enclitic; Form: Perfect active indicative, 3rd person plural + -que; Function: Adds coordinate verb; Translation: “and they fell”; Notes: Describes their physical fall, possibly into bitumen pits or from defeat.
  16. ibi — Lemma: ibi; Part of Speech: Adverb; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Locative adverb; Translation: “there”; Notes: Refers back to the valley where battle took place.
  17. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Introduces new subject clause; Translation: “and.”
  18. qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: Relative pronoun; Form: Nominative plural masculine; Function: Subject of subordinate clause; Translation: “who”; Notes: Refers to survivors or remnants of the fleeing forces.
  19. remanserant — Lemma: remaneo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Pluperfect active indicative, 3rd person plural; Function: Verb of relative clause; Translation: “had remained”; Notes: Indicates those not yet fallen or captured.
  20. fugerunt — Lemma: fugio; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect active indicative, 3rd person plural; Function: Main verb; Translation: “fled”; Notes: Denotes completed escape action following defeat.
  21. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs accusative; Function: Expresses direction; Translation: “to / toward.”; Notes: Marks destination of retreat.
  22. montem — Lemma: mons; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular masculine; Function: Object of ad; Translation: “mountain”; Notes: Symbolic place of refuge and safety after defeat.

 

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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