Genesis 14:17

Posted on January 14, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 14:17 Egressus est autem rex Sodomorum in occursum eius postquam reversus est a cæde Chodorlahomor, et regum qui cum eo erant in valle Save, quæ est vallis regis.

And the king of Sodom went out to meet him, after he had returned from the slaughter of Chodorlahomor and of the kings who were with him, in the valley of Save, which is the valley of the king.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Egressus having gone out NOM.SG.M PERF.DEP.PTCP
2 est was / has 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND AUX
3 autem however / but CONJ.ADV
4 rex king NOM.SG.M
5 Sodomorum of Sodom GEN.PL.F (INDECL. HEBR.)
6 in into / toward PREP+ACC
7 occursum meeting ACC.SG.M
8 eius of him / his GEN.SG.M
9 postquam after CONJ
10 reversus having returned NOM.SG.M PERF.DEP.PTCP
11 est was / has 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND AUX
12 a from PREP+ABL
13 cæde slaughter / defeat ABL.SG.F
14 Chodorlahomor Chodorlahomor GEN.SG.M (INDECL. HEBR.)
15 et and CONJ
16 regum of the kings GEN.PL.M
17 qui who NOM.PL.M REL.PRON
18 cum with PREP+ABL
19 eo him ABL.SG.M
20 erant were 3PL.IMPF.ACT.IND
21 in in PREP+ABL
22 valle valley ABL.SG.F
23 Save Save GEN.SG.F (INDECL. HEBR.)
24 quæ which NOM.SG.F REL.PRON
25 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
26 vallis valley NOM.SG.F
27 regis of the king GEN.SG.M

Syntax

Main Clause: Egressus est autem rex Sodomorum in occursum eius — perfect deponent construction with egressus est functioning as the main verb; rex Sodomorum as subject; in occursum eius as goal phrase meaning “to meet him.”
Subordinate Clause: postquam reversus est a cæde Chodorlahomor, et regum qui cum eo erant — temporal clause introduced by postquam, describing the event following Abram’s victorious return.
Locative Phrase: in valle Save, quæ est vallis regis — identifies the geographical setting, clarified by a relative clause explaining the valley’s significance.

Morphology

  1. Egressus — Lemma: egredior; Part of Speech: Verb (deponent participle); Form: Nominative singular masculine, perfect deponent participle; Function: Main verb (deponent construction); Translation: “having gone out”; Notes: Forms compound tense with est, typical of deponent verbs meaning “to go forth.”
  2. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Auxiliary verb; Form: Present active indicative, 3rd person singular; Function: Auxiliary forming perfect tense; Translation: “was / has”; Notes: Assists deponent participle in forming perfect indicative.
  3. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: Conjunction/adverb; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Transitional connector; Translation: “however / but”; Notes: Introduces contrastive or narrative continuation.
  4. rex — Lemma: rex; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Subject; Translation: “king”; Notes: The ruler of Sodom acting as agent of the clause.
  5. Sodomorum — Lemma: Sodoma; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Genitive plural feminine (indeclinable Hebrew name); Function: Genitive of possession; Translation: “of Sodom”; Notes: Identifies the city-state under the king’s rule.
  6. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs accusative; Function: Directional preposition; Translation: “into / toward”; Notes: Marks motion toward goal.
  7. occursum — Lemma: occursus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular masculine; Function: Object of in; Translation: “meeting”; Notes: Common idiom “in occursum” = “to meet.”
  8. eius — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: Genitive singular masculine; Function: Possessive genitive modifying occursum; Translation: “of him / his”; Notes: Refers to Abram.
  9. postquam — Lemma: postquam; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Introduces temporal clause; Translation: “after”; Notes: Marks sequence in narrative.
  10. reversus — Lemma: revertor; Part of Speech: Verb (deponent participle); Form: Nominative singular masculine, perfect deponent participle; Function: Verb of subordinate clause; Translation: “having returned”; Notes: Complements est to form perfect tense.
  11. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Auxiliary verb; Form: Present active indicative, 3rd person singular; Function: Auxiliary for reversus; Translation: “was / has”; Notes: Part of perfect periphrastic deponent form.
  12. a — Lemma: a / ab; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs ablative; Function: Expresses separation or source; Translation: “from”; Notes: Indicates origin of return.
  13. cæde — Lemma: cædes; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative singular feminine; Function: Object of a; Translation: “slaughter / massacre”; Notes: Refers to Abram’s victory over the kings.
  14. Chodorlahomor — Lemma: Chodorlahomor; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Genitive singular masculine (indeclinable Hebrew name); Function: Dependent genitive on cæde; Translation: “of Chodorlahomor”; Notes: The Elamite king defeated by Abram.
  15. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Connects Chodorlahomor and regum; Translation: “and”; Notes: Continues list of defeated kings.
  16. regum — Lemma: rex; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Genitive plural masculine; Function: Genitive dependent on cæde; Translation: “of the kings”; Notes: Indicates plurality of those slain.
  17. qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: Relative pronoun; Form: Nominative plural masculine; Function: Subject of relative clause; Translation: “who”; Notes: Refers to the accompanying kings.
  18. cum — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs ablative; Function: Introduces accompaniment; Translation: “with”; Notes: Standard construction expressing alliance.
  19. eo — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: Ablative singular masculine; Function: Object of cum; Translation: “him”; Notes: Refers to Chodorlahomor as leader.
  20. erant — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Imperfect active indicative, 3rd person plural; Function: Verb of relative clause; Translation: “were”; Notes: Indicates continuous alliance before defeat.
  21. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs ablative; Function: Locative preposition; Translation: “in”; Notes: Introduces setting of the meeting.
  22. valle — Lemma: vallis; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative singular feminine; Function: Object of in; Translation: “valley”; Notes: Geographic location of encounter.
  23. Save — Lemma: Save; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Genitive singular feminine (indeclinable Hebrew name); Function: Genitive of specification; Translation: “of Save”; Notes: Name of the royal valley near Salem (Jerusalem).
  24. quæ — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: Relative pronoun; Form: Nominative singular feminine; Function: Subject of relative clause; Translation: “which”; Notes: Introduces defining statement.
  25. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present active indicative, 3rd person singular; Function: Copula; Translation: “is”; Notes: Connects quæ and vallis regis.
  26. vallis — Lemma: vallis; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular feminine; Function: Predicate nominative; Translation: “valley”; Notes: Restates identity in explanatory clause.
  27. regis — Lemma: rex; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Genitive singular masculine; Function: Genitive of possession; Translation: “of the king”; Notes: Final specification of the valley’s royal association.

 

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.
This entry was posted in Genesis. Bookmark the permalink.

Comments are closed.