Genesis 19:29

Posted on January 19, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 19:29 Cum enim subverteret Deus civitates regionis illius, recordatus Abrahæ, liberavit Lot de subversione urbium in quibus habitaverat.

For when God destroyed the cities of that region, He remembered Abraham, and delivered Lot from the destruction of the cities in which he had lived.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Cum when CONJ (TEMPORAL)
2 enim for CONJ.ADV
3 subverteret was overthrowing / destroyed 3SG.IMPERF.ACT.SUBJ
4 Deus God NOM.SG.M
5 civitates cities ACC.PL.F
6 regionis of the region GEN.SG.F
7 illius of that GEN.SG.F.DEMONSTR.PRON
8 recordatus having remembered PERF.PASS.PTCP.NOM.SG.M (DEPONENT)
9 Abrahæ Abraham GEN.SG.M.PROPN
10 liberavit delivered 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
11 Lot Lot ACC.SG.M.PROPN
12 de from / out of PREP+ABL
13 subversione destruction / overthrow ABL.SG.F
14 urbium of the cities GEN.PL.F
15 in in / within PREP+ABL
16 quibus in which REL.PRON.ABL.PL.F
17 habitaverat had lived 3SG.PLUPERF.ACT.IND

Syntax

Temporal Clause: Cum enim subverteret Deus civitates regionis illius — The subjunctive subverteret (imperfect) expresses a temporal and causal background: “when God destroyed the cities.” The clause sets the scene for divine remembrance and mercy.
Main Clause: recordatus Abrahæ, liberavit Lot — A deponent construction: recordatus (“having remembered”) is grammatically passive but active in meaning. The genitive Abrahæ shows the one remembered, and liberavit Lot forms the main predicate describing deliverance.
Prepositional Phrase: de subversione urbium — Expresses separation or rescue from destruction.
Relative Clause: in quibus habitaverat — Refers to the cities where Lot had previously lived, showing God’s mercy even upon one associated with condemned places.

Morphology

  1. Cum — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces temporal clause; Translation: “when”; Notes: Subjunctive use expresses temporal overlap or causal background.
  2. enim — Lemma: enim; Part of Speech: conjunction/adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: explanatory; Translation: “for”; Notes: Links the event to the preceding statement narratively and theologically.
  3. subverteret — Lemma: subverto; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperfect subjunctive active, third person singular; Function: verb of temporal clause; Translation: “was destroying / overthrew”; Notes: Describes divine act in process during Lot’s deliverance.
  4. Deus — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of “subverteret”; Translation: “God”; Notes: Refers explicitly to the divine agent of judgment.
  5. civitates — Lemma: civitas; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: object of “subverteret”; Translation: “cities”; Notes: Refers to Sodom, Gomorrah, and neighboring towns.
  6. regionis — Lemma: regio; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: genitive of specification; Translation: “of the region”; Notes: Defines the geographical area condemned by God.
  7. illius — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: modifies “regionis”; Translation: “of that”; Notes: Demonstrative referring to the plain of the Jordan previously mentioned.
  8. recordatus — Lemma: recordor; Part of Speech: verb (deponent); Form: perfect participle, nominative singular masculine; Function: main verb of clause (deponent); Translation: “having remembered”; Notes: Deponent verb expressing divine faithfulness to Abraham.
  9. Abrahæ — Lemma: Abraham; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: genitive object of “recordatus”; Translation: “of Abraham”; Notes: Abraham’s intercession remembered by God leads to Lot’s deliverance.
  10. liberavit — Lemma: libero; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative active, third person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “delivered”; Notes: The act of divine rescue; the climax of the narrative mercy.
  11. Lot — Lemma: Lot; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of “liberavit”; Translation: “Lot”; Notes: Recipient of salvation through Abraham’s merit.
  12. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: indicates separation or origin; Translation: “from”; Notes: Marks Lot’s removal from destruction.
  13. subversione — Lemma: subversio; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of “de”; Translation: “destruction / overthrow”; Notes: Refers to the cataclysm of divine judgment.
  14. urbium — Lemma: urbs; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural feminine; Function: genitive of the thing destroyed; Translation: “of the cities”; Notes: Denotes the totality of destroyed settlements.
  15. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces relative clause; Translation: “in / within”; Notes: Indicates place of residence.
  16. quibus — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: ablative plural feminine; Function: refers to “urbium”; Translation: “in which”; Notes: Links Lot’s habitation to the destroyed cities.
  17. habitaverat — Lemma: habito; Part of Speech: verb; Form: pluperfect indicative active, third person singular; Function: verb of relative clause; Translation: “had lived”; Notes: Refers to Lot’s prior settlement — emphasizes divine rescue from prior association with evil.

 

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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