Genesis 19:33

Posted on January 19, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 19:33 Dederunt itaque patri suo bibere vinum nocte illa: Et ingressa est maior, dormivitque cum patre: at ille non sensit, nec quando accubuit filia, nec quando surrexit.

So they gave their father to drink wine that night; and the elder went in and lay with her father, but he did not know when his daughter lay down, nor when she arose.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Dederunt they gave 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
2 itaque so / therefore CONJ.ADV
3 patri to (their) father DAT.SG.M
4 suo their own DAT.SG.M.POSS.ADJ
5 bibere to drink INF.PRES.ACT
6 vinum wine ACC.SG.N
7 nocte by night / at night ABL.SG.F
8 illa that ABL.SG.F.DEMONSTR.PRON
9 Et and CONJ
10 ingressa having entered PERF.PASS.PTCP.NOM.SG.F (DEPONENT)
11 est was / has 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND (AUX)
12 maior the elder NOM.SG.F.COMP.ADJ (SUBST.)
13 dormivitque and lay / slept 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND + CONJ
14 cum with PREP+ABL
15 patre father ABL.SG.M
16 at but / however CONJ.ADV
17 ille he NOM.SG.M.PRON
18 non not ADV
19 sensit perceived / knew 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
20 nec nor CONJ.NEG
21 quando when ADV
22 accubuit lay down 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
23 filia daughter NOM.SG.F
24 nec nor CONJ.NEG
25 quando when ADV
26 surrexit arose / got up 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND

Syntax

Main Clause 1: Dederunt itaque patri suo bibere vinum nocte illa — The perfect verb dederunt takes an infinitive complement bibere (“to drink”), forming an indirect object construction: “they gave their father to drink wine.” The dative patri suo marks the indirect object, and nocte illa specifies time.
Main Clause 2: Et ingressa est maior, dormivitque cum patre — Two coordinated perfect verbs: ingressa est (deponent, “went in”) and dormivit (“lay”), narrating the elder daughter’s act.
Adversative Clause: at ille non sensit — Introduces contrast: Lot was unaware.
Dependent Clauses: nec quando accubuit filia, nec quando surrexit — Two temporal clauses introduced by quando (“when”), dependent on sensit; double nec negates both events, emphasizing his complete ignorance.

Morphology

  1. Dederunt — Lemma: do; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative active, third person plural; Function: main verb; Translation: “they gave”; Notes: Refers to the daughters’ deliberate act of intoxication.
  2. itaque — Lemma: itaque; Part of Speech: conjunction/adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces consequence; Translation: “so / therefore”; Notes: Links this verse causally with their earlier plan.
  3. patri — Lemma: pater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: indirect object of “dederunt”; Translation: “to (their) father”; Notes: Expresses recipient of the action.
  4. suo — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: modifies “patri”; Translation: “their own”; Notes: Reflects close familial relationship.
  5. bibere — Lemma: bibo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present infinitive active; Function: complementary infinitive with “dederunt”; Translation: “to drink”; Notes: Indicates the intended result of the giving.
  6. vinum — Lemma: vinum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object of “dederunt”; Translation: “wine”; Notes: Instrument of intoxication used to achieve deception.
  7. nocte — Lemma: nox; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: ablative of time; Translation: “by night”; Notes: Specifies when the action occurred.
  8. illa — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: modifies “nocte”; Translation: “that”; Notes: Refers to the specific night of their plot.
  9. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: joins next clause; Translation: “and”; Notes: Connects the first and second narrative actions seamlessly.
  10. ingressa — Lemma: ingredior; Part of Speech: verb (deponent participle); Form: perfect participle, nominative singular feminine; Function: part of periphrastic perfect; Translation: “having entered”; Notes: Deponent participle with active sense.
  11. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: auxiliary verb; Form: present indicative active, third person singular; Function: completes deponent perfect; Translation: “was / has”; Notes: Auxiliary forming the perfect tense with “ingressa.”
  12. maior — Lemma: magnus; Part of Speech: adjective (comparative used substantively); Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject of “ingressa est” and “dormivit”; Translation: “the elder”; Notes: Refers to Lot’s first-born daughter.
  13. dormivitque — Lemma: dormio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative active, third person singular + enclitic -que; Function: main verb; Translation: “and lay / slept”; Notes: Euphemism for sexual intercourse.
  14. cum — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: accompaniment; Translation: “with”; Notes: Introduces partner in the act.
  15. patre — Lemma: pater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of “cum”; Translation: “father”; Notes: Expresses direct physical proximity with Lot.
  16. at — Lemma: at; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces contrast; Translation: “but / however”; Notes: Marks a narrative shift to Lot’s ignorance.
  17. ille — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of “sensit”; Translation: “he”; Notes: Refers to Lot.
  18. non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: negation; Translation: “not”; Notes: Negates “sensit.”
  19. sensit — Lemma: sentio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative active, third person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “perceived / knew”; Notes: Emphasizes Lot’s unawareness.
  20. nec — Lemma: nec; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: joins negative clauses; Translation: “nor”; Notes: Coordinates with second “nec” to emphasize total ignorance.
  21. quando — Lemma: quando; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces temporal clause; Translation: “when”; Notes: First temporal marker of events.
  22. accubuit — Lemma: accumbo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative active, third person singular; Function: verb of temporal clause; Translation: “lay down”; Notes: Euphemism for sexual act.
  23. filia — Lemma: filia; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject of “accubuit”; Translation: “daughter”; Notes: Specifies who performed the act.
  24. nec — Lemma: nec; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: coordinates second negative clause; Translation: “nor”; Notes: Continues negative structure.
  25. quando — Lemma: quando; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces final temporal clause; Translation: “when”; Notes: Parallels earlier clause.
  26. surrexit — Lemma: surgo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative active, third person singular; Function: verb of temporal clause; Translation: “arose / got up”; Notes: Completes the contrast — Lot unaware both of the beginning and end of the act.

 

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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