Genesis 19:1

Posted on January 19, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 19:1 Veneruntque duo Angeli Sodomam vespere, et sedente Lot in foribus civitatis. Qui cum vidisset eos, surrexit, et ivit obviam eis: adoravitque pronus in terram,

And the two Angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting at the gate of the city. When he saw them, he rose and went to meet them, and bowed himself with his face to the ground.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Veneruntque and came 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND + ENCLITIC -QUE
2 duo two NOM.PL.M.NUM
3 Angeli Angels NOM.PL.M
4 Sodomam to Sodom ACC.SG.F
5 vespere in the evening ABL.SG.N
6 et and CONJ
7 sedente sitting ABL.SG.M.PRES.ACT.PTCP
8 Lot Lot ABL.SG.M
9 in in / at PREP+ABL
10 foribus at the gates ABL.PL.N
11 civitatis of the city GEN.SG.F
12 Qui who NOM.SG.M.REL.PRON
13 cum when CONJ.TEMPORAL
14 vidisset had seen 3SG.PLUPERF.ACT.SUBJ
15 eos them ACC.PL.M.PRON
16 surrexit he rose 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
17 et and CONJ
18 ivit went 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
19 obviam to meet ADV
20 eis them DAT.PL.M.PRON
21 adoravitque and bowed / worshipped 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND + ENCLITIC -QUE
22 pronus bowed / prone NOM.SG.M.ADJ
23 in on / upon PREP+ACC
24 terram the ground ACC.SG.F

Syntax

Main Clause: Veneruntque duo Angeli Sodomam vespere — The perfect venerunt with enclitic -que joins this episode to the previous one. The phrase means “And the two Angels came to Sodom in the evening.” The adverbial ablative vespere expresses time when.
Circumstantial Clause: et sedente Lot in foribus civitatis — An ablative absolute: “and Lot sitting at the gate of the city.” This construction sets the scene for the encounter.
Relative Clause: Qui cum vidisset eos — “Who, when he had seen them.” The pluperfect subjunctive vidisset follows cum in a temporal sense.
Main Verbs: surrexit, et ivit obviam eis — Two perfect verbs, “he rose and went to meet them,” showing respectful haste.
Final Action: adoravitque pronus in terram — The verb adoravit (“bowed down / worshipped”) with pronus in terram (“bowed with face to the ground”) conveys deep reverence.

Morphology

  1. Veneruntque — Lemma: venio; Part of Speech: verb + enclitic; Form: perfect active indicative, third person plural + -que; Function: main verb; Translation: “and came”; Notes: Perfect tense marks narrative completion; -que connects to prior event.
  2. duo — Lemma: duo; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: numeral modifier of “Angeli”; Translation: “two”; Notes: Specifies the number of angelic visitors.
  3. Angeli — Lemma: angelus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject of “venerunt”; Translation: “Angels”; Notes: Divine messengers, continuing the narrative from the previous chapter.
  4. Sodomam — Lemma: Sodoma; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of motion; Translation: “to Sodom”; Notes: Indicates destination; expresses goal of divine visitation.
  5. vespere — Lemma: vesper; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: ablative of time when; Translation: “in the evening”; Notes: Marks the time of arrival, setting a solemn tone.
  6. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: connects clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Joins the circumstantial clause to the main action.
  7. sedente — Lemma: sedeo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: ablative singular masculine, present active; Function: part of ablative absolute; Translation: “sitting”; Notes: Sets background circumstance for the event.
  8. Lot — Lemma: Lot; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: agent in ablative absolute; Translation: “Lot”; Notes: Represents Abraham’s nephew, judge-like figure at the gate.
  9. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses location; Translation: “in / at”; Notes: Describes Lot’s position within the city gate.
  10. foribus — Lemma: foris; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural neuter; Function: object of preposition; Translation: “gates”; Notes: Symbolic location of justice and civic duty in ancient cities.
  11. civitatis — Lemma: civitas; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: genitive of possession; Translation: “of the city”; Notes: Clarifies the location of the gate.
  12. Qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: introduces relative clause; Translation: “who”; Notes: Refers to Lot.
  13. cum — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: temporal; Function: introduces subordinate clause; Translation: “when”; Notes: Establishes temporal relationship with main verb “surrexit.”
  14. vidisset — Lemma: video; Part of Speech: verb; Form: pluperfect active subjunctive, third person singular; Function: verb of temporal clause; Translation: “he had seen”; Notes: Subjunctive used after “cum” for temporal clause in narrative context.
  15. eos — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object of “vidisset”; Translation: “them”; Notes: Refers to the two angels.
  16. surrexit — Lemma: surgo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative, third person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “he rose”; Notes: Expresses respectful reaction to the visitors’ arrival.
  17. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: joins verbs; Translation: “and”; Notes: Connects Lot’s actions of rising and approaching.
  18. ivit — Lemma: eo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative, third person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “he went”; Notes: Describes movement toward the angels.
  19. obviam — Lemma: obviam; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies “ivit”; Translation: “to meet”; Notes: Common idiom with verbs of motion meaning “to meet someone.”
  20. eis — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative plural masculine; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to them”; Notes: Indicates the recipients of Lot’s action.
  21. adoravitque — Lemma: adoro; Part of Speech: verb + enclitic; Form: perfect active indicative, third person singular + -que; Function: main verb; Translation: “and bowed / worshipped”; Notes: Gesture of deep respect, not necessarily divine worship in this context.
  22. pronus — Lemma: pronus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: predicate adjective; Translation: “bowed / prone”; Notes: Describes Lot’s bodily posture of humility.
  23. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses direction; Translation: “onto / upon”; Notes: Denotes downward motion toward the ground.
  24. terram — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of preposition; Translation: “the ground”; Notes: Completes idiom “pronus in terram,” meaning “bowed to the ground.”

 

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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