Genesis 19:34

Posted on January 19, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 19:34 Altera quoque die dixit maior ad minorem: Ecce dormivi heri cum patre meo, demus ei bibere vinum etiam hac nocte, et dormies cum eo, ut salvemus semen de patre nostro.

And on the next day also the elder said to the younger: “Behold, I lay with my father yesterday; let us give him to drink wine again this night, and you shall lie with him, so that we may preserve offspring from our father.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Altera the other / next NOM.SG.F.ADJ
2 quoque also ADV
3 die day ABL.SG.F
4 dixit said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
5 maior the elder NOM.SG.F
6 ad to / toward PREP+ACC
7 minorem the younger ACC.SG.F
8 Ecce behold INTERJ
9 dormivi I lay / slept 1SG.PERF.ACT.IND
10 heri yesterday ADV
11 cum with PREP+ABL
12 patre father ABL.SG.M
13 meo my ABL.SG.M.POSS.ADJ
14 demus let us give 1PL.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
15 ei to him DAT.SG.M.PRON
16 bibere to drink INF.PRES.ACT
17 vinum wine ACC.SG.N
18 etiam also / again ADV
19 hac this ABL.SG.F.DEMONSTR.PRON
20 nocte night ABL.SG.F
21 et and CONJ
22 dormies you shall lie / sleep 2SG.FUT.ACT.IND
23 cum with PREP+ABL
24 eo him ABL.SG.M.PRON
25 ut so that / in order that CONJ (FINAL)
26 salvemus let us save / preserve 1PL.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
27 semen seed / offspring ACC.SG.N
28 de from / of PREP+ABL
29 patre father ABL.SG.M
30 nostro our ABL.SG.M.POSS.ADJ

Syntax

Main Clause: Altera quoque die dixit maior ad minorem — Temporal phrase Altera … die (“on the next day”) sets the scene. The subject maior (“the elder”) performs the main verb dixit (“said”), with ad minorem (“to the younger”) as the indirect object.
Quoted Speech: The direct speech begins with Ecce dormivi heri cum patre meo — perfect tense dormivi recounts a completed act (“I lay with my father yesterday”).
Hortatory Subjunctive: demus ei bibere vinum etiam hac nocte expresses a proposal (“let us give him to drink wine again this night”).
Future Statement: et dormies cum eo uses the future indicative to indicate the younger sister’s role.
Final Clause: ut salvemus semen de patre nostro — introduced by ut, expressing purpose: “so that we may preserve offspring from our father.”

Morphology

  1. Altera — Lemma: alter; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: temporal modifier with “die”; Translation: “the next / other”; Notes: Refers to the following day after the first event.
  2. quoque — Lemma: quoque; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: adds emphasis; Translation: “also”; Notes: Indicates repetition of the previous action.
  3. die — Lemma: dies; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: ablative of time; Translation: “day”; Notes: Specifies the time when the elder spoke.
  4. dixit — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative active, third person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “said”; Notes: Perfect tense indicating completed action.
  5. maior — Lemma: magnus; Part of Speech: adjective (comparative used substantively); Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject of “dixit”; Translation: “the elder”; Notes: Refers to Lot’s elder daughter.
  6. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: indicates direction; Translation: “to / toward”; Notes: Links speaker and addressee.
  7. minorem — Lemma: parvus; Part of Speech: adjective (comparative used substantively); Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of “ad”; Translation: “the younger”; Notes: Refers to the younger daughter.
  8. Ecce — Lemma: ecce; Part of Speech: interjection; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces direct statement; Translation: “behold”; Notes: Expresses attention or emphasis.
  9. dormivi — Lemma: dormio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative active, first person singular; Function: statement of completed action; Translation: “I lay / slept”; Notes: Refers to sexual intercourse euphemistically.
  10. heri — Lemma: heri; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: expresses time; Translation: “yesterday”; Notes: Marks immediate past time.
  11. cum — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: indicates accompaniment; Translation: “with”; Notes: Standard preposition expressing association.
  12. patre — Lemma: pater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of “cum”; Translation: “father”; Notes: Direct reference to Lot.
  13. meo — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: modifies “patre”; Translation: “my”; Notes: Expresses possession.
  14. demus — Lemma: do; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present subjunctive active, first person plural; Function: hortatory subjunctive; Translation: “let us give”; Notes: Proposal between sisters.
  15. ei — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: indirect object of “demus”; Translation: “to him”; Notes: Refers to their father.
  16. bibere — Lemma: bibo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present infinitive active; Function: complementary infinitive; Translation: “to drink”; Notes: Expresses purpose of “demus.”
  17. vinum — Lemma: vinum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object; Translation: “wine”; Notes: The substance given to induce intoxication.
  18. etiam — Lemma: etiam; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: intensifies repetition; Translation: “again / also”; Notes: Emphasizes recurrence of the act.
  19. hac — Lemma: hic; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: modifies “nocte”; Translation: “this”; Notes: Distinguishes the second night.
  20. nocte — Lemma: nox; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: ablative of time; Translation: “night”; Notes: Temporal marker of the event.
  21. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: joins clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Connects sequence of actions.
  22. dormies — Lemma: dormio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future indicative active, second person singular; Function: future prediction or instruction; Translation: “you shall lie / sleep”; Notes: Direct statement of intended act.
  23. cum — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: indicates accompaniment; Translation: “with”; Notes: Introduces object of physical relation.
  24. eo — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of “cum”; Translation: “him”; Notes: Refers to Lot, the father.
  25. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces final clause; Translation: “so that / in order that”; Notes: Expresses purpose of preserving lineage.
  26. salvemus — Lemma: salvo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present subjunctive active, first person plural; Function: main verb of final clause; Translation: “let us save / preserve”; Notes: Expresses shared purpose of survival through lineage.
  27. semen — Lemma: semen; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object of “salvemus”; Translation: “seed / offspring”; Notes: Refers figuratively to posterity and biological continuity.
  28. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses source or origin; Translation: “from / of”; Notes: Introduces the paternal source.
  29. patre — Lemma: pater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of “de”; Translation: “father”; Notes: Refers specifically to Lot.
  30. nostro — Lemma: noster; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: modifies “patre”; Translation: “our”; Notes: Stresses family connection — an attempt to preserve the family name.

 

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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