Genesis 19:22

Posted on January 19, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 19:22 Festina, et salvare ibi: quia non potero facere quidquam donec ingrediaris illuc. Idcirco vocatum est nomen urbis illius Segor.

Hurry and be saved there, for I cannot do anything until you enter there.” Therefore, the name of that city was called Segor.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Festina hurry 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP
2 et and CONJ
3 salvare to be saved / save yourself PRES.ACT.INF (IMPERATIVE SENSE)
4 ibi there ADV
5 quia because / for CONJ
6 non not ADV.NEG
7 potero I shall be able 1SG.FUT.ACT.IND
8 facere to do / perform PRES.ACT.INF
9 quidquam anything ACC.SG.N.INDEF.PRON
10 donec until CONJ
11 ingrediaris you enter 2SG.PRES.SUBJ.DEP
12 illuc there / to that place ADV
13 Idcirco therefore ADV
14 vocatum called NOM.SG.N.PERF.PASS.PTCP
15 est was / has been 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
16 nomen name NOM.SG.N
17 urbis of the city GEN.SG.F
18 illius that GEN.SG.F.DEMONSTR.PRON
19 Segor Segor (Zoar) NOM.SG.M.PROPN

Syntax

Imperative Clause: Festina, et salvare ibi — A direct divine command urging immediate escape and self-preservation; salvare functions as an infinitive of exhortation parallel to festina.
Causal Clause: quia non potero facere quidquam donec ingrediaris illuc — Introduced by quia, indicating the divine restraint until Lot reaches safety; donec introduces a temporal clause dependent on divine action.
Result Clause: Idcirco vocatum est nomen urbis illius Segor — Expresses the naming of the city as a consequence of divine mercy; the passive construction emphasizes divine agency behind the event.

Morphology

  1. Festina — Lemma: festino; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active imperative, second person singular; Function: direct command; Translation: “hurry”; Notes: Urgent exhortation from the angel for immediate action.
  2. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: connects sequential imperatives; Translation: “and”; Notes: Joins two commands expressing urgency and protection.
  3. salvare — Lemma: salvo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active infinitive (used imperatively); Function: dependent exhortation; Translation: “save yourself / be saved”; Notes: Reflects reflexive sense — “preserve your life.”
  4. ibi — Lemma: ibi; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: denotes place of safety; Translation: “there”; Notes: Refers to the city Zoar, the refuge of Lot.
  5. quia — Lemma: quia; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: subordinating; Function: introduces causal clause; Translation: “because / for”; Notes: Explains divine reasoning behind the command.
  6. non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: negative; Function: negates “potero”; Translation: “not”; Notes: Emphasizes divine restraint until Lot’s arrival.
  7. potero — Lemma: possum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative, first person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “I shall be able”; Notes: Indicates limitation placed upon divine judgment.
  8. facere — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active infinitive; Function: complementary infinitive to “potero”; Translation: “to do / perform”; Notes: Denotes potential action restrained by God’s promise.
  9. quidquam — Lemma: quisquam; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object of “facere”; Translation: “anything”; Notes: Reinforces total suspension of divine action until Lot’s safety.
  10. donec — Lemma: donec; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: subordinating; Function: introduces temporal clause; Translation: “until”; Notes: Temporal limit on divine intervention.
  11. ingrediaris — Lemma: ingredior; Part of Speech: verb (deponent); Form: present subjunctive, second person singular; Function: verb of temporal clause; Translation: “you enter”; Notes: Subjunctive used because the event is contingent and anticipated.
  12. illuc — Lemma: illuc; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies “ingrediaris”; Translation: “there / to that place”; Notes: Specifies direction toward the city of refuge.
  13. Idcirco — Lemma: idcirco; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces result; Translation: “therefore”; Notes: Concludes with causal result marking divine naming action.
  14. vocatum — Lemma: voco; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular neuter, perfect passive participle; Function: part of periphrastic perfect passive; Translation: “called”; Notes: Forms passive periphrasis with “est.”
  15. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: auxiliary verb; Form: present active indicative, third person singular; Function: completes periphrastic passive; Translation: “was”; Notes: Marks divine naming as completed event.
  16. nomen — Lemma: nomen; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: subject of “vocatum est”; Translation: “name”; Notes: Denotes formal naming act.
  17. urbis — Lemma: urbs; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: possessive genitive modifying “nomen”; Translation: “of the city”; Notes: Specifies referent of naming.
  18. illius — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: modifies “urbis”; Translation: “that”; Notes: Indicates referential distance to Zoar.
  19. Segor — Lemma: Segor; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: predicate nominative; Translation: “Segor”; Notes: Latinized form of Hebrew צֹעַר (Ṣoʿar), meaning “small,” thematically linked to Lot’s plea about the city’s modest size.

 

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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