Genesis 18:28

Posted on January 18, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 18:28 Quid si minus quinquaginta iustis quinque fuerint? delebis, propter quadraginta quinque, universam urbem? Et ait: Non delebo, si invenero ibi quadraginta quinque.

What if five are lacking from the fifty righteous? Will You destroy the whole city because of forty-five?” And He said: “I will not destroy it, if I find forty-five there.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Quid what / what if INTERROG.PRON.NOM/ACC.SG.N
2 si if CONJ.COND
3 minus less / lacking ADV/INDECL
4 quinquaginta fifty NUM.INDECL
5 iustis righteous (men) ABL.PL.M.ADJ.SUBST
6 quinque five NUM.INDECL
7 fuerint should be / are 3PL.FUTPERF.ACT.IND
8 delebis will You destroy 2SG.FUT.ACT.IND
9 propter because of PREP+ACC
10 quadraginta forty NUM.INDECL
11 quinque five NUM.INDECL
12 universam whole / entire ACC.SG.F.ADJ
13 urbem city ACC.SG.F
14 Et and CONJ
15 ait he said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
16 Non not ADV
17 delebo I will not destroy 1SG.FUT.ACT.IND
18 si if CONJ.COND
19 invenero I find 1SG.FUTPERF.ACT.IND
20 ibi there ADV
21 quadraginta forty NUM.INDECL
22 quinque five NUM.INDECL

Syntax

First Conditional Question: Quid si minus quinquaginta iustis quinque fuerint? — Abraham poses a hypothetical situation using the future perfect fuerint (“should be”). The construction minus quinquaginta iustis quinque literally means “five less than fifty righteous.” This elliptical form reflects colloquial brevity, emphasizing Abraham’s humility and precision.
Second Question: delebis, propter quadraginta quinque, universam urbem? — The future indicative delebis expresses a rhetorical question expecting “No.” The phrase propter quadraginta quinque gives reason or cause: “because of forty-five.” The direct object universam urbem (“the whole city”) conveys the shocking extent of judgment Abraham questions.
Divine Response: Et ait: Non delebo, si invenero ibi quadraginta quinque. — The LORD replies with divine restraint. The future active delebo mirrors the human question, and invenero (future perfect) reiterates the condition of discovery: mercy depends on the presence of the righteous.

Morphology

  1. Quid — Lemma: quis, quid; Part of Speech: interrogative pronoun; Form: nominative or accusative singular neuter; Function: introduces question; Translation: “what / what if”; Notes: Serves as an exclamatory or hypothetical particle beginning Abraham’s humble reasoning.
  2. si — Lemma: si; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: conditional; Function: introduces hypothetical condition; Translation: “if”; Notes: Opens conditional phrase.
  3. minus — Lemma: minus; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: comparative modifier; Translation: “less / lacking”; Notes: Used elliptically with numerals to indicate subtraction.
  4. quinquaginta — Lemma: quinquaginta; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: indeclinable; Function: numeric modifier; Translation: “fifty”; Notes: Refers back to the fifty righteous in Abraham’s negotiation.
  5. iustis — Lemma: iustus; Part of Speech: adjective (substantive); Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: ablative of comparison; Translation: “righteous (men)”; Notes: Indicates group from which five are lacking.
  6. quinque — Lemma: quinque; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: indeclinable; Function: numeric modifier; Translation: “five”; Notes: Specifies number subtracted from fifty.
  7. fuerint — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future perfect active indicative, third person plural; Function: verb of conditional clause; Translation: “should be”; Notes: Expresses hypothetical existence.
  8. delebis — Lemma: deleo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative, second person singular; Function: main verb of question; Translation: “will You destroy”; Notes: Abraham’s rhetorical inquiry into divine justice.
  9. propter — Lemma: propter; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: causal; Translation: “because of”; Notes: Indicates reason for hypothetical destruction.
  10. quadraginta — Lemma: quadraginta; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: indeclinable; Function: numeric modifier; Translation: “forty”; Notes: Part of compound numeral “forty-five.”
  11. quinque — Lemma: quinque; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: indeclinable; Function: numeric modifier; Translation: “five”; Notes: Completes the numeral “forty-five.”
  12. universam — Lemma: universus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: modifies “urbem”; Translation: “whole / entire”; Notes: Expresses totality of the city under threat.
  13. urbem — Lemma: urbs; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object; Translation: “city”; Notes: Refers to Sodom as the potential site of judgment.
  14. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces divine reply; Translation: “and”; Notes: Signals transition to the LORD’s response.
  15. ait — Lemma: aio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative, third person singular; Function: verb of speaking; Translation: “he said”; Notes: Formulaic narrative marker for divine speech.
  16. Non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: negation; Translation: “not”; Notes: Negates “delebo,” affirming divine mercy.
  17. delebo — Lemma: deleo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative, first person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “I will destroy”; Notes: Future indicative used for solemn divine assurance.
  18. si — Lemma: si; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: conditional; Function: introduces condition; Translation: “if”; Notes: Conditional clause repeats Abraham’s terms.
  19. invenero — Lemma: invenio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future perfect active indicative, first person singular; Function: verb of condition; Translation: “I find”; Notes: Indicates anticipated discovery as the basis of mercy.
  20. ibi — Lemma: ibi; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: adverb of place; Translation: “there”; Notes: Refers to the city of Sodom.
  21. quadraginta — Lemma: quadraginta; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: indeclinable; Function: numeric modifier; Translation: “forty”; Notes: Reiterates the revised number of righteous.
  22. quinque — Lemma: quinque; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: indeclinable; Function: numeric modifier; Translation: “five”; Notes: Completes the numeral and closes this stage of Abraham’s intercession.

 

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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