Genesis 14:2

Posted on January 14, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 14:2 inirent bellum contra Bara regem Sodomorum, et contra Bersa regem Gomorrhæ, et contra Sennaab regem Adamæ, et contra Semeber regem Seboim, contraque regem Balæ, ipsa est Segor.

They went to war against Bara king of the Sodomites, and against Bersa king of Gomorrha, and against Sennaab king of Adama, and against Semeber king of Seboim, and against the king of Bela, that is Segor.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 inirent they went into / they entered upon 3PL.IMPF.ACT.SUBJ
2 bellum war ACC.SG.N
3 contra against PREP+ACC
4 Bara Bara ACC.SG.M (INDECL. HEBR.)
5 regem king ACC.SG.M
6 Sodomorum of the Sodomites GEN.PL.M
7 et and CONJ
8 contra against PREP+ACC
9 Bersa Bersa ACC.SG.M (INDECL. HEBR.)
10 regem king ACC.SG.M
11 Gomorrhæ of Gomorrah GEN.SG.F
12 et and CONJ
13 contra against PREP+ACC
14 Sennaab Sennaab ACC.SG.M (INDECL. HEBR.)
15 regem king ACC.SG.M
16 Adamæ of Admah GEN.SG.F
17 et and CONJ
18 contra against PREP+ACC
19 Semeber Semeber ACC.SG.M (INDECL. HEBR.)
20 regem king ACC.SG.M
21 Seboim of Zeboiim GEN.PL.F (INDECL. HEBR.)
22 contraque and against PREP+ACC + ENCLITIC -que
23 regem king ACC.SG.M
24 Balæ of Bela GEN.SG.F (INDECL. HEBR.)
25 ipsa itself / the same NOM.SG.F (DEM.PRON.)
26 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
27 Segor Zoar NOM.SG.F (INDECL. HEBR.)

Syntax

Main Clause: inirent bellum contra… — a subjunctive clause expressing purpose or result, “that they might go to war against.”
Objects of contra: a coordinated list of five kings, each followed by their dominion in the genitive.
Appositive Clause: ipsa est Segor — parenthetical clarification identifying Bala as the same city later known as Zoar.
Series Coordination: The repetition of et contra and contraque gives rhythmic emphasis to the enumeration of adversaries, typical of Latin biblical style.

Morphology

  1. inirent — Lemma: ineo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Imperfect active subjunctive, 3rd person plural; Function: Main verb in implied purpose/result clause (after ut understood from context); Translation: “they might go into / enter upon”; Notes: Idiomatically pairs with bellum to mean “to go to war.”
  2. bellum — Lemma: bellum; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular neuter; Function: Direct object of inirent; Translation: “war”; Notes: Standard collocation: inire bellum.
  3. contra — Lemma: contra; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs accusative; Function: Introduces opponents; Translation: “against”; Notes: Repeated to mark each adversary.
  4. Bara — Lemma: Bara; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Accusative singular masculine (indeclinable); Function: Object of contra; Translation: “Bara”; Notes: King associated with Sodom.
  5. regem — Lemma: rex; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular masculine; Function: Apposition to Bara; Translation: “king”; Notes: Title clarifying role.
  6. Sodomorum — Lemma: Sodomita / Sodoma (gens); Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Genitive plural masculine; Function: Genitive of dominion (“king of the Sodomites”); Translation: “of the Sodomites”; Notes: Peoples over whom the king rules.
  7. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Coordinates prepositional phrases; Translation: “and”; Notes: Serial connector.
  8. contra — Lemma: contra; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs accusative; Function: Introduces next opponent; Translation: “against”; Notes: Parallel to previous contra.
  9. Bersa — Lemma: Bersa; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Accusative singular masculine (indeclinable); Function: Object of contra; Translation: “Bersa”; Notes: King associated with Gomorrah.
  10. regem — Lemma: rex; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular masculine; Function: Apposition to Bersa; Translation: “king”; Notes: Repeated royal title.
  11. Gomorrhæ — Lemma: Gomorrha; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Genitive singular feminine; Function: Genitive of dominion; Translation: “of Gomorrah”; Notes: City over which Bersa rules.
  12. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Continues coordination; Translation: “and”; Notes: Maintains list rhythm.
  13. contra — Lemma: contra; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs accusative; Function: Introduces opponent; Translation: “against”; Notes: Repetition is stylistic.
  14. Sennaab — Lemma: Sennaab; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Accusative singular masculine (indeclinable); Function: Object of contra; Translation: “Sennaab”; Notes: King associated with Admah.
  15. regem — Lemma: rex; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular masculine; Function: Apposition to Sennaab; Translation: “king”; Notes: Title maintained.
  16. Adamæ — Lemma: Adama; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Genitive singular feminine; Function: Genitive of dominion; Translation: “of Admah”; Notes: City/domain identification.
  17. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Coordinates further item; Translation: “and”; Notes: Serial connector.
  18. contra — Lemma: contra; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs accusative; Function: Introduces next opponent; Translation: “against”; Notes: Parallel structure persists.
  19. Semeber — Lemma: Semeber; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Accusative singular masculine (indeclinable); Function: Object of contra; Translation: “Semeber”; Notes: King associated with Zeboiim.
  20. regem — Lemma: rex; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular masculine; Function: Apposition to Semeber; Translation: “king”; Notes: Royal title repeated.
  21. Seboim — Lemma: Seboim; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Genitive plural feminine (indeclinable place name); Function: Genitive of dominion; Translation: “of Zeboiim”; Notes: Likely plural toponyms/region.
  22. contraque — Lemma: contra + -que; Part of Speech: Preposition + enclitic conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Adds final coordinated opponent (“and against”); Translation: “and against”; Notes: Enclitic -que binds tightly to the preceding series.
  23. regem — Lemma: rex; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular masculine; Function: Object of contraque; Translation: “king”; Notes: Title for the final ruler.
  24. Balæ — Lemma: Bala; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Genitive singular feminine; Function: Genitive of dominion (“king of Bela”); Translation: “of Bela”; Notes: City later identified as Zoar.
  25. ipsa — Lemma: ipse; Part of Speech: Demonstrative pronoun; Form: Nominative singular feminine; Function: Subject of copular clause; Translation: “itself / the same”; Notes: Emphasizes identity of Bala with Segor.
  26. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present active indicative, 3rd person singular; Function: Copula; Translation: “is”; Notes: Links subject and predicate nominative.
  27. Segor — Lemma: Segor; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Nominative singular feminine (indeclinable); Function: Predicate nominative; Translation: “Zoar”; Notes: Parenthetical gloss identifying alternate city name.

 

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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