Genesis 18:26

Posted on January 18, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 18:26 Dixitque Dominus ad eum: Si invenero Sodomis quinquaginta iustos in medio civitatis, dimittam omni loco propter eos.

And the LORD said to him: “If I find in Sodom fifty righteous in the midst of the city, I will spare the whole place for their sake.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Dixitque and said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND + ENCLITIC -QUE
2 Dominus the LORD NOM.SG.M
3 ad to PREP+ACC
4 eum him ACC.SG.M.PRON
5 Si if CONJ.COND
6 invenero I find 1SG.FUTPERF.ACT.IND
7 Sodomis in Sodom LOC.PL.F
8 quinquaginta fifty NUM.INDECL
9 iustos righteous ACC.PL.M.ADJ.SUBST
10 in in PREP+ABL
11 medio midst ABL.SG.N
12 civitatis of the city GEN.SG.F
13 dimittam I will spare 1SG.FUT.ACT.IND
14 omni whole / every DAT.SG.M.ADJ
15 loco place DAT.SG.M
16 propter because of / for the sake of PREP+ACC
17 eos them ACC.PL.M.PRON

Syntax

Introductory Clause: Dixitque Dominus ad eum — The conjunction -que joins this divine response to Abraham’s previous question. Dominus (LORD) is the subject, and ad eum marks the recipient of the divine address.
Conditional Clause: Si invenero Sodomis quinquaginta iustos in medio civitatis — A future more vivid condition. The verb invenero (future perfect) expresses an anticipated event: “If I find…” The locative Sodomis indicates place, and the phrase in medio civitatis specifies location “in the midst of the city.”
Main Clause: dimittam omni loco propter eos — The verb dimittam (future active indicative) promises divine mercy: “I will spare.” The dative omni loco (“to every place” or “the whole place”) expresses the beneficiary, and propter eos identifies the cause (“for their sake”).

Morphology

  1. Dixitque — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb + enclitic conjunction; Form: perfect active indicative, third person singular + -que; Function: main verb; Translation: “and said”; Notes: The enclitic -que joins this divine utterance to the ongoing dialogue with Abraham.
  2. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of “dixit”; Translation: “the LORD”; Notes: Refers explicitly to YHWH, who personally responds to Abraham’s plea.
  3. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses direction toward; Translation: “to”; Notes: Marks Abraham as the addressee of divine communication.
  4. eum — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of “ad”; Translation: “him”; Notes: Refers to Abraham.
  5. Si — Lemma: si; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: conditional; Function: introduces protasis; Translation: “if”; Notes: Signals conditional statement expressing divine testing of moral proportion.
  6. invenero — Lemma: invenio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future perfect active indicative, first person singular; Function: main verb of condition; Translation: “I find”; Notes: Indicates anticipated divine examination of the city’s morality.
  7. Sodomis — Lemma: Sodoma; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: locative plural feminine; Function: locative of place where; Translation: “in Sodom”; Notes: Locative form marks specific city as the site of investigation.
  8. quinquaginta — Lemma: quinquaginta; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: indeclinable; Function: numerical quantifier; Translation: “fifty”; Notes: Symbolic of completeness and fairness in Abraham’s negotiation.
  9. iustos — Lemma: iustus; Part of Speech: adjective (substantive); Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object of “invenero”; Translation: “righteous”; Notes: Refers to the morally upright inhabitants of Sodom.
  10. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: indicates location; Translation: “in”; Notes: Marks spatial position within the city.
  11. medio — Lemma: medium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: object of “in”; Translation: “midst”; Notes: Indicates central area, emphasizing thorough divine search.
  12. civitatis — Lemma: civitas; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: genitive of possession; Translation: “of the city”; Notes: Specifies the city as belonging to the clause’s spatial description.
  13. dimittam — Lemma: dimitto; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative, first person singular; Function: main verb of apodosis; Translation: “I will spare”; Notes: Expresses divine mercy and restraint contingent on righteousness found.
  14. omni — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: modifies “loco”; Translation: “whole / every”; Notes: Denotes totality of the spared area.
  15. loco — Lemma: locus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: indirect object; Translation: “place”; Notes: Refers to Sodom and its surrounding region, the area spared for the righteous.
  16. propter — Lemma: propter; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: causal; Translation: “for the sake of”; Notes: Indicates the cause of divine mercy.
  17. eos — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object of “propter”; Translation: “them”; Notes: Refers to the fifty righteous whose presence ensures preservation of the city.

 

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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