Genesis 19:17

Posted on January 19, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 19:17 Eduxeruntque eum, et posuerunt extra civitatem: ibique locuti sunt ad eum, dicentes: Salva animam tuam: noli respicere post tergum, nec stes in omni circa regione: sed in monte salvum te fac, ne et tu simul pereas.

And they brought him out, and placed him outside the city; and there they spoke to him, saying: “Save your life; do not look behind you, nor stand in any of the surrounding region; but in the mountain make yourself safe, lest you also perish together.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Eduxeruntque and they brought out 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND + ENCLITIC
2 eum him ACC.SG.M.PRON
3 et and CONJ
4 posuerunt they placed 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
5 extra outside PREP+ACC
6 civitatem city ACC.SG.F
7 ibique and there ADV + ENCLITIC
8 locuti having spoken NOM.PL.M.PERF.PART.DEP
9 sunt they are / they did 3PL.PERF.IND.DEP
10 ad to PREP+ACC
11 eum him ACC.SG.M.PRON
12 dicentes saying NOM.PL.M.PRES.PART.ACT
13 Salva save 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP
14 animam soul / life ACC.SG.F
15 tuam your ACC.SG.F.POSS.ADJ
16 noli do not 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP (NEGATIVE)
17 respicere to look back PRES.ACT.INF
18 post after / behind PREP+ACC
19 tergum back ACC.SG.N
20 nec nor CONJ.NEG
21 stes stand 2SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
22 in in PREP+ABL
23 omni every / all ABL.SG.F.ADJ
24 circa around / surrounding ADJ / PREP
25 regione region ABL.SG.F
26 sed but CONJ
27 in in / upon PREP+ABL
28 monte mountain ABL.SG.M
29 salvum safe ACC.SG.M.ADJ
30 te yourself ACC.SG.M.REFL.PRON
31 fac make / cause 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP
32 ne lest CONJ
33 et also / even CONJ
34 tu you NOM.SG.M.PRON
35 simul together ADV
36 pereas you perish 2SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ

Syntax

Main Clause: Eduxeruntque eum, et posuerunt extra civitatem — Two perfect verbs, eduxerunt and posuerunt, joined by enclitic -que and et, describe consecutive acts: removal and placement.
Subsequent Clause: ibique locuti sunt ad eum — “And there they spoke to him”; ibique combines place and continuation. The deponent perfect locuti sunt marks completed divine instruction.
Quoted Commands: The imperatives Salva, noli respicere, nec stes, and fac express urgent imperatives of survival.
Negative Clause: ne et tu simul pereas — A final clause with subjunctive pereas and conjunction ne, expressing warning (“lest you also perish”).
Prepositional Phrases: post tergum (“behind you”) and in monte (“in the mountain”) describe spatial directives contrasting danger and refuge.

Morphology

  1. Eduxeruntque — Lemma: educo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative, third person plural + enclitic -que; Function: main verb; Translation: “and they brought out”; Notes: The enclitic connects this verb closely to subsequent narrative events.
  2. eum — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of “eduxerunt”; Translation: “him”; Notes: Refers to Lot as the one delivered.
  3. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links verbs; Translation: “and”; Notes: Standard narrative connective.
  4. posuerunt — Lemma: pono; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative, third person plural; Function: main verb; Translation: “they placed”; Notes: Conveys divine relocation for safety.
  5. extra — Lemma: extra; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses position beyond; Translation: “outside”; Notes: Marks physical separation from judgment zone.
  6. civitatem — Lemma: civitas; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of “extra”; Translation: “city”; Notes: Refers to Sodom, now abandoned to destruction.
  7. ibique — Lemma: ibi + que; Part of Speech: adverb + enclitic; Form: compound; Function: locative adverb; Translation: “and there”; Notes: Indicates the new location of divine instruction.
  8. locuti — Lemma: loquor; Part of Speech: participle (deponent); Form: nominative plural masculine, perfect; Function: main participle of deponent verb; Translation: “having spoken”; Notes: Deponent form expressing completed communication.
  9. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: auxiliary verb; Form: perfect indicative, third person plural; Function: completes periphrastic deponent construction; Translation: “they (have)”; Notes: Helps form the perfect tense with “locuti.”
  10. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: indicates direction toward; Translation: “to”; Notes: Shows addressee of speech.
  11. eum — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of “ad”; Translation: “him”; Notes: Refers again to Lot.
  12. dicentes — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative plural masculine, present active; Function: introduces direct speech; Translation: “saying”; Notes: Marks the beginning of the angels’ exhortation.
  13. Salva — Lemma: salvo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperative active, second person singular; Function: command; Translation: “save”; Notes: Urgent imperative for immediate self-preservation.
  14. animam — Lemma: anima; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of “salva”; Translation: “soul / life”; Notes: Represents both physical life and spiritual being.
  15. tuam — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: modifies “animam”; Translation: “your”; Notes: Emphasizes personal responsibility for obedience.
  16. noli — Lemma: nolo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active imperative, second person singular; Function: introduces prohibition; Translation: “do not”; Notes: Used with infinitive to express negative command.
  17. respicere — Lemma: respicio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active infinitive; Function: dependent on “noli”; Translation: “to look back”; Notes: Symbolic warning against attachment to sin or the past.
  18. post — Lemma: post; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: denotes direction or location; Translation: “behind”; Notes: Used spatially with “tergum.”
  19. tergum — Lemma: tergum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of “post”; Translation: “back”; Notes: Literal body part, metaphorical for looking backward spiritually.
  20. nec — Lemma: nec; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating negative; Function: continues prohibition; Translation: “nor”; Notes: Links second command negatively.
  21. stes — Lemma: sto; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active subjunctive, second person singular; Function: verb of prohibition; Translation: “stand”; Notes: Subjunctive used jussively with negative particle.
  22. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: locative; Translation: “in”; Notes: Introduces place reference.
  23. omni — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: modifies “regione”; Translation: “every”; Notes: Emphasizes scope of danger.
  24. circa — Lemma: circa; Part of Speech: preposition/adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies “regione”; Translation: “around / surrounding”; Notes: Describes perimeter regions under judgment.
  25. regione — Lemma: regio; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of “in”; Translation: “region”; Notes: Denotes the area near Sodom and Gomorrah.
  26. sed — Lemma: sed; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: introduces contrast; Translation: “but”; Notes: Marks corrective redirection to safety.
  27. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces a locative phrase with “monte”; Translation: “in / upon”; Notes: Used here spatially to indicate the place of refuge — the mountain — where Lot is commanded to flee for safety.
  28. monte — Lemma: mons; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of preposition “in”; Translation: “mountain”; Notes: The mountain is a place of refuge, contrasting with the doomed plains below.
  29. salvum — Lemma: salvus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: predicate complement modifying “te”; Translation: “safe”; Notes: Expresses the state Lot must ensure for himself by obedience.
  30. te — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: reflexive pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of “fac”; Translation: “yourself”; Notes: Reflexive use emphasizes self-preservation through divine instruction.
  31. fac — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active imperative, second person singular; Function: main verb of command; Translation: “make”; Notes: Imperative expressing active effort in seeking safety, implying moral as well as physical response.
  32. ne — Lemma: ne; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: subordinating; Function: introduces negative purpose clause; Translation: “lest”; Notes: Warns of consequence if command ignored.
  33. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: emphasizes inclusion; Translation: “also / even”; Notes: Indicates shared peril with others if disobedient.
  34. tu — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of “pereas”; Translation: “you”; Notes: Emphatic; makes the warning personal and direct.
  35. simul — Lemma: simul; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies “pereas”; Translation: “together”; Notes: Implies collective destruction alongside the wicked if Lot disobeys.
  36. pereas — Lemma: pereo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active subjunctive, second person singular; Function: verb of negative purpose clause; Translation: “you perish”; Notes: Subjunctive following “ne” conveys warning; expresses potential destruction as avoidable through obedience.

 

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.
This entry was posted in Genesis. Bookmark the permalink.

Comments are closed.