Genesis 19:26

Posted on January 19, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 19:26 Respiciensque uxor eius post se, versa est in statuam salis.

And his wife, looking back behind her, was turned into a pillar of salt.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Respiciensque and looking back PRES.ACT.PTCP.NOM.SG.F + CONJ
2 uxor wife NOM.SG.F
3 eius his GEN.SG.M.PRON
4 post behind / after PREP+ACC
5 se herself ACC.SG.F.REFL.PRON
6 versa was turned PERF.PASS.PTCP.NOM.SG.F
7 est was / has been 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND (AUX)
8 in into PREP+ACC
9 statuam statue / pillar ACC.SG.F
10 salis of salt GEN.SG.N

Syntax

Participle Phrase: Respiciensque uxor eius post se — The present participle respiciens functions adjectivally, describing the wife’s disobedient act of looking back. The prepositional phrase post se (“behind her”) clarifies the direction of her gaze.
Main Clause: versa est in statuam salis — A perfect passive periphrasis describing the transformation; in + accusative expresses the result (“into a pillar of salt”). The verb’s passive construction emphasizes divine causation of the metamorphosis.

Morphology

  1. Respiciensque — Lemma: respicio; Part of Speech: verb (participle + conjunction); Form: present active participle, nominative singular feminine + enclitic -que; Function: modifies “uxor”; Translation: “and looking back”; Notes: Describes her act of disobedience, linked by -que to the preceding clause.
  2. uxor — Lemma: uxor; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject of “versa est”; Translation: “wife”; Notes: Refers to Lot’s wife, whose identity remains unnamed in the text.
  3. eius — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessive genitive modifying “uxor”; Translation: “his”; Notes: Indicates possession — Lot’s wife.
  4. post — Lemma: post; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses spatial relation; Translation: “behind / after”; Notes: Marks backward orientation, central to the narrative symbolism.
  5. se — Lemma: sui; Part of Speech: reflexive pronoun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of “post”; Translation: “herself”; Notes: Reflexive form consistent with the feminine subject “uxor.”
  6. versa — Lemma: verto; Part of Speech: verb (participle); Form: perfect passive participle, nominative singular feminine; Function: predicate complement; Translation: “was turned”; Notes: Marks the transformation as a divinely executed consequence.
  7. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: auxiliary verb; Form: present indicative, third person singular; Function: auxiliary completing the periphrastic perfect passive; Translation: “was”; Notes: Indicates completed transformation.
  8. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces predicate of transformation; Translation: “into”; Notes: Marks the resultant state following divine punishment.
  9. statuam — Lemma: statua; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of “in”; Translation: “statue / pillar”; Notes: Represents the physical manifestation of divine retribution.
  10. salis — Lemma: sal; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter; Function: genitive of material; Translation: “of salt”; Notes: Indicates the substance of the statue — a symbol of desolation and permanence.

 

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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