Genesis 18:24

Posted on January 18, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 18:24 Si fuerint quinquaginta iusti in civitate, peribunt simul? et non parces loco illi propter quinquaginta iustos, si fuerint in eo?

If there are fifty righteous in the city, will they perish together? And will You not spare that place for the sake of the fifty righteous who are in it?

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Si if CONJ.COND
2 fuerint there are / should be 3PL.FUTPERF.ACT.IND
3 quinquaginta fifty NUM.INDECL
4 iusti righteous (men) NOM.PL.M.ADJ.SUBST
5 in in PREP+ABL
6 civitate city ABL.SG.F
7 peribunt will they perish 3PL.FUT.ACT.IND
8 simul together ADV
9 et and CONJ
10 non not ADV
11 parces will You spare 2SG.FUT.ACT.IND
12 loco place DAT.SG.M
13 illi to that DAT.SG.M.DEMON.PRON
14 propter because of / for the sake of PREP+ACC
15 quinquaginta fifty NUM.INDECL
16 iustos righteous (men) ACC.PL.M.ADJ.SUBST
17 si if CONJ.COND
18 fuerint they are / should be 3PL.FUTPERF.ACT.IND
19 in in PREP+ABL
20 eo in it ABL.SG.M.DEMON.PRON

Syntax

Conditional Clause 1: Si fuerint quinquaginta iusti in civitate — A future more vivid condition (“If there are fifty righteous in the city”). The verb fuerint (future perfect) expresses a condition of existence that is hypothetical yet possible.
Main Clause 1: peribunt simul? — The verb peribunt (future indicative) asks rhetorically whether the righteous should perish along with the guilty, using simul to imply collective destruction.
Coordinated Clause: et non parces loco illi propter quinquaginta iustos, si fuerint in eo? — A second conditional appeal: parces (future active) expresses Abraham’s plea for divine mercy. The prepositional phrase propter quinquaginta iustos indicates the cause for sparing, while the subordinate si fuerint in eo repeats the conditional for emphasis. loco illi (dative) marks the beneficiary of divine mercy (“that place”).

Morphology

  1. Si — Lemma: si; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: conditional; Function: introduces condition; Translation: “if”; Notes: Opens Abraham’s hypothetical question appealing to divine justice.
  2. fuerint — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future perfect active indicative, third person plural; Function: verb of condition; Translation: “there are / should be”; Notes: Expresses potential existence of righteous individuals.
  3. quinquaginta — Lemma: quinquaginta; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: indeclinable; Function: numeral modifier; Translation: “fifty”; Notes: Symbolic round number initiating Abraham’s negotiation with God.
  4. iusti — Lemma: iustus; Part of Speech: adjective (substantive); Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject of “fuerint”; Translation: “righteous”; Notes: Represents morally upright individuals in the city.
  5. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: locative; Translation: “in”; Notes: Indicates position within the city.
  6. civitate — Lemma: civitas; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of “in”; Translation: “city”; Notes: Refers contextually to Sodom.
  7. peribunt — Lemma: pereo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative, third person plural; Function: main verb; Translation: “will they perish”; Notes: Expresses Abraham’s concern about indiscriminate destruction.
  8. simul — Lemma: simul; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: adverb of manner; Translation: “together”; Notes: Emphasizes unity of fate between righteous and wicked.
  9. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: connects questions; Translation: “and”; Notes: Introduces second rhetorical plea.
  10. non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: negation; Translation: “not”; Notes: Negates “parces,” implying expectation of mercy.
  11. parces — Lemma: parco; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative, second person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “will You spare”; Notes: Expresses appeal for divine restraint.
  12. loco — Lemma: locus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to the place”; Notes: Refers to Sodom as the potential recipient of mercy.
  13. illi — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: modifies “loco”; Translation: “that”; Notes: Emphasizes specific reference to the city under judgment.
  14. propter — Lemma: propter; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: causal; Translation: “because of / for the sake of”; Notes: Expresses motive for divine leniency.
  15. quinquaginta — Lemma: quinquaginta; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: indeclinable; Function: numeral modifier; Translation: “fifty”; Notes: Reiterates Abraham’s chosen benchmark of righteousness.
  16. iustos — Lemma: iustus; Part of Speech: adjective (substantive); Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object of “propter”; Translation: “righteous”; Notes: Refers to those whose presence might preserve the city.
  17. si — Lemma: si; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: conditional; Function: introduces subordinate clause; Translation: “if”; Notes: Repetition adds persuasive emphasis.
  18. fuerint — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future perfect active indicative, third person plural; Function: verb of subordinate clause; Translation: “they are / should be”; Notes: Conditional presence of righteous individuals.
  19. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: locative; Translation: “in”; Notes: Indicates position within the city’s limits.
  20. eo — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of “in”; Translation: “in it”; Notes: Refers to Sodom, completing the condition.

 

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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