Genesis 19:30

Posted on January 19, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 19:30 Ascenditque Lot de Segor, et mansit in monte, duæ quoque filiæ eius cum eo (timuerat enim manere in Segor) et mansit in spelunca ipse, et duæ filiæ eius cum eo.

And Lot went up out of Segor and stayed in the mountain; his two daughters also were with him (for he had feared to stay in Segor), and he lived in a cave, he and his two daughters with him.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Ascenditque and went up 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND + CONJ
2 Lot Lot NOM.SG.M.PROPN
3 de from PREP+ABL
4 Segor Zoar ABL.SG.M.PROPN
5 et and CONJ
6 mansit stayed / remained 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
7 in in / on PREP+ABL
8 monte mountain ABL.SG.M
9 duæ two NOM.PL.F.NUM
10 quoque also ADV
11 filiæ daughters NOM.PL.F
12 eius his GEN.SG.M.PRON
13 cum with PREP+ABL
14 eo him ABL.SG.M.PRON
15 timuerat had feared 3SG.PLUPERF.ACT.IND
16 enim for CONJ.ADV
17 manere to stay INF.PRES.ACT
18 in in PREP+ABL
19 Segor Zoar ABL.SG.M.PROPN
20 et and CONJ
21 mansit he stayed / lived 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
22 in in PREP+ABL
23 spelunca cave ABL.SG.F
24 ipse he himself NOM.SG.M.PRON
25 et and CONJ
26 duæ two NOM.PL.F.NUM
27 filiæ daughters NOM.PL.F
28 eius his GEN.SG.M.PRON
29 cum with PREP+ABL
30 eo him ABL.SG.M.PRON

Syntax

Main Clause 1: Ascenditque Lot de Segor — The verb ascendit (perfect) with de + ablative expresses motion “up from Segor,” indicating departure from the city of refuge.
Main Clause 2: et mansit in monte — Coordinated clause describing Lot’s relocation to the mountains, the place he initially feared.
Parenthetical Clause: (timuerat enim manere in Segor) — An explanatory aside showing motive; timuerat (pluperfect) signals prior fear.
Main Clause 3: et mansit in spelunca ipse, et duæ filiæ eius cum eo — The verb mansit repeats for emphasis, now specifying Lot’s permanent dwelling in a cave. The reflexive phrase ipse … cum eo underlines isolation and familial companionship after judgment.

Morphology

  1. Ascenditque — Lemma: ascendo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative active, third person singular + enclitic -que; Function: main verb; Translation: “and went up”; Notes: Perfect tense marks completed movement from the lowland city to higher ground.
  2. Lot — Lemma: Lot; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of “ascendit” and subsequent verbs; Translation: “Lot”; Notes: The narrative subject continuing from the destruction of Sodom.
  3. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses source; Translation: “from”; Notes: Indicates departure.
  4. Segor — Lemma: Segor; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of “de”; Translation: “Segor (Zoar)”; Notes: City spared at Lot’s plea, now abandoned.
  5. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: joins clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Continues narrative sequence.
  6. mansit — Lemma: maneo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative active, third person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “stayed / remained”; Notes: Indicates established residence in the mountain.
  7. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: indicates location; Translation: “in”; Notes: Marks fixed place.
  8. monte — Lemma: mons; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of “in”; Translation: “mountain”; Notes: Symbolic place of safety, also isolation.
  9. duæ — Lemma: duo; Part of Speech: numeral adjective; Form: nominative plural feminine; Function: modifies “filiæ”; Translation: “two”; Notes: Emphasizes Lot’s surviving family.
  10. quoque — Lemma: quoque; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: adds inclusion; Translation: “also”; Notes: Reinforces their presence with him.
  11. filiæ — Lemma: filia; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural feminine; Function: subject with “duæ”; Translation: “daughters”; Notes: Key figures in subsequent narrative.
  12. eius — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessive modifying “filiæ”; Translation: “his”; Notes: Possessive reference to Lot.
  13. cum — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: indicates accompaniment; Translation: “with”; Notes: Marks shared dwelling.
  14. eo — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of “cum”; Translation: “him”; Notes: Reinforces family unity.
  15. timuerat — Lemma: timeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: pluperfect indicative active, third person singular; Function: verb of parenthetical clause; Translation: “had feared”; Notes: Explains Lot’s departure from Segor.
  16. enim — Lemma: enim; Part of Speech: conjunction/adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: explanatory; Translation: “for”; Notes: Introduces cause or reason.
  17. manere — Lemma: maneo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present infinitive active; Function: complementary infinitive with “timuerat”; Translation: “to stay”; Notes: Completes meaning of “timuerat.”
  18. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses place; Translation: “in”; Notes: Locative relation.
  19. Segor — Lemma: Segor; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of “in”; Translation: “Segor”; Notes: Repetition adds narrative emphasis on his fear.
  20. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: joins next clause; Translation: “and”; Notes: Links Lot’s movement to his new habitation.
  21. mansit — Lemma: maneo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative active, third person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “he stayed / lived”; Notes: Marks permanence of his cave dwelling.
  22. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: indicates location; Translation: “in”; Notes: Used again to mark new setting.
  23. spelunca — Lemma: spelunca; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of “in”; Translation: “cave”; Notes: Symbol of retreat and desolation.
  24. ipse — Lemma: ipse; Part of Speech: intensive pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: emphasizes subject “Lot”; Translation: “he himself”; Notes: Highlights Lot’s isolation.
  25. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: joins co-subjects; Translation: “and”; Notes: Connects Lot and his daughters.
  26. duæ — Lemma: duo; Part of Speech: numeral adjective; Form: nominative plural feminine; Function: modifies “filiæ”; Translation: “two”; Notes: Repetition underscores familial bond.
  27. filiæ — Lemma: filia; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural feminine; Function: subject with “ipse”; Translation: “daughters”; Notes: Key participants in ensuing events.
  28. eius — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessive modifier; Translation: “his”; Notes: Again ties relationship to Lot.
  29. cum — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: indicates accompaniment; Translation: “with”; Notes: Establishes shared dwelling.
  30. eo — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of “cum”; Translation: “him”; Notes: Ends the verse with emphatic unity: Lot and his daughters together in isolation.

 

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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