Genesis 19:15

Posted on January 19, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 19:15 Cumque esset mane, cogebant eum Angeli, dicentes: Surge, tolle uxorem tuam, et duas filias quas habes: ne et tu pariter pereas in scelere civitatis.

And when it was morning, the Angels urged him, saying: “Arise, take your wife and your two daughters whom you have, lest you also perish together in the iniquity of the city.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Cumque and when CONJ
2 esset was 3SG.IMPF.ACT.SUBJ
3 mane morning NOM/ABL.SG.N
4 cogebant were urging / compelling 3PL.IMPF.ACT.IND
5 eum him ACC.SG.M.PRON
6 Angeli Angels NOM.PL.M
7 dicentes saying NOM.PL.M.PRES.PART.ACT
8 Surge arise 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP
9 tolle take 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP
10 uxorem wife ACC.SG.F
11 tuam your ACC.SG.F.POSS.ADJ
12 et and CONJ
13 duas two ACC.PL.F.NUM
14 filias daughters ACC.PL.F
15 quas whom ACC.PL.F.REL.PRON
16 habes you have 2SG.PRES.ACT.IND
17 ne lest CONJ
18 et also CONJ
19 tu you NOM.SG.M.PRON
20 pariter together / likewise ADV
21 pereas you perish 2SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
22 in in PREP+ABL
23 scelere wickedness / crime ABL.SG.N
24 civitatis of the city GEN.SG.F

Syntax

Temporal Clause: Cumque esset mane — “And when it was morning.” The conjunction Cumque introduces a subordinate clause of time, with the subjunctive esset marking narrative circumstance.
Main Clause: cogebant eum Angeli — The imperfect cogebant (“they were urging”) indicates persistent action. Angeli serves as the subject, eum as the object.
Participial Clause: dicentes: Surge, tolle uxorem tuam… — The participle dicentes describes the Angels’ concurrent speech acts. The quoted commands include two imperatives (Surge, tolle) followed by objects.
Relative Clause: quas habes — Defines which daughters to take. The relative pronoun quas introduces the clause, with habes as the predicate.
Final Clause: ne et tu pariter pereas in scelere civitatis — Introduced by ne (“lest”), expressing negative purpose or warning. The subjunctive pereas conveys potential danger: “lest you also perish.” The prepositional phrase in scelere civitatis denotes the moral context of destruction.

Morphology

  1. Cumque — Lemma: cum + que; Part of Speech: conjunction + enclitic; Form: subordinating; Function: introduces temporal clause; Translation: “and when”; Notes: Combines temporal sense with continuity in narrative.
  2. esset — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperfect active subjunctive, third person singular; Function: verb of temporal clause; Translation: “was”; Notes: Subjunctive for background circumstance.
  3. mane — Lemma: mane; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter (temporal use); Function: adverbial; Translation: “in the morning”; Notes: Common idiom for time expression.
  4. cogebant — Lemma: cogo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperfect active indicative, third person plural; Function: main verb; Translation: “they were urging”; Notes: Indicates repeated or continuous urging.
  5. eum — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of “cogebant”; Translation: “him”; Notes: Refers to Lot as the recipient of the command.
  6. Angeli — Lemma: Angelus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “Angels”; Notes: Divine messengers urging prompt obedience.
  7. dicentes — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative plural masculine, present active participle; Function: modifies “Angeli”; Translation: “saying”; Notes: Expresses speech simultaneous with main action.
  8. Surge — Lemma: surgo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active imperative, second person singular; Function: direct command; Translation: “arise”; Notes: Urgent call to immediate action.
  9. tolle — Lemma: tollo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active imperative, second person singular; Function: direct command; Translation: “take”; Notes: Demands action for preservation.
  10. uxorem — Lemma: uxor; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of “tolle”; Translation: “wife”; Notes: Refers to Lot’s spouse, who will later disobey.
  11. tuam — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: modifies “uxorem”; Translation: “your”; Notes: Possessive emphasizing personal responsibility.
  12. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: joins nouns; Translation: “and”; Notes: Connects two objects of the imperative.
  13. duas — Lemma: duo; Part of Speech: numeral adjective; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: modifies “filias”; Translation: “two”; Notes: Specifies number of Lot’s daughters to be saved.
  14. filias — Lemma: filia; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: object of “tolle”; Translation: “daughters”; Notes: Direct object of command to rescue family.
  15. quas — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: introduces relative clause; Translation: “whom”; Notes: Refers specifically to Lot’s daughters.
  16. habes — Lemma: habeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative, second person singular; Function: predicate of relative clause; Translation: “you have”; Notes: Implies immediate possession and duty.
  17. ne — Lemma: ne; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: negative purpose marker; Function: introduces purpose clause; Translation: “lest”; Notes: Warns against potential consequence.
  18. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: emphasizes inclusion; Translation: “also / even”; Notes: Reinforces Lot’s vulnerability.
  19. tu — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of “pereas”; Translation: “you”; Notes: Emphatic pronoun stressing Lot himself is in danger.
  20. pariter — Lemma: pariter; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies “pereas”; Translation: “together / likewise”; Notes: Denotes shared fate with the condemned.
  21. pereas — Lemma: pereo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active subjunctive, second person singular; Function: verb of purpose clause; Translation: “you perish”; Notes: Subjunctive of warning, dependent on “ne.”
  22. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: denotes circumstance; Translation: “in / within”; Notes: Indicates the moral condition causing destruction.
  23. scelere — Lemma: scelus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: object of “in”; Translation: “wickedness / crime”; Notes: Refers to moral corruption of Sodom.
  24. civitatis — Lemma: civitas; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: possessive genitive; Translation: “of the city”; Notes: Specifies Sodom as the city whose sin brings destruction.

 

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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