Genesis 19:38

Posted on January 19, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 19:38 Minor quoque peperit filium, et vocavit nomen eius Ammon, idest filius populi mei: ipse est pater Ammonitarum usque hodie.

The younger also bore a son and called his name Ammon, that is, “son of my people”; he is the father of the Ammonites to this day.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Minor the younger NOM.SG.F
2 quoque also ADV
3 peperit she bore 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
4 filium a son ACC.SG.M
5 et and CONJ
6 vocavit she called 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
7 nomen name ACC.SG.N
8 eius his GEN.SG.M.PRON
9 Ammon Ammon ACC.SG.M.PROPN
10 idest that is ADV (abbrev. of id est)
11 filius son NOM.SG.M
12 populi of the people GEN.SG.M
13 mei my GEN.SG.M.PRON
14 ipse he himself NOM.SG.M.PRON
15 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
16 pater father NOM.SG.M
17 Ammonitarum of the Ammonites GEN.PL.M
18 usque up to / even until PREP+ACC
19 hodie today ADV

Syntax

Main Clause 1: Minor quoque peperit filium — Perfect tense verb peperit indicates completed action, with Minor as subject and filium as direct object. The adverb quoque (“also”) connects this event to the preceding one involving the elder sister.
Main Clause 2: et vocavit nomen eius Ammon — Repetition of the same naming formula; vocavit introduces the naming act.
Appositive Clarification: idest filius populi mei — Translates as “that is, the son of my people,” functioning as an etymological explanation of the name Ammon.
Independent Statement: ipse est pater Ammonitarum usque hodie — Declares that Ammon became the progenitor of the Ammonites, with usque hodie meaning “until today,” signifying continuity of lineage.

Morphology

  1. Minor — Lemma: parvus; Part of Speech: adjective (comparative, used substantively); Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject of “peperit”; Translation: “the younger”; Notes: Refers to Lot’s younger daughter.
  2. quoque — Lemma: quoque; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: emphasizes inclusion; Translation: “also”; Notes: Links the second event to the first birth (of Moab).
  3. peperit — Lemma: pario; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative active, third person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “she bore”; Notes: Indicates childbirth as a completed past action.
  4. filium — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of “peperit”; Translation: “a son”; Notes: Identifies the newborn child.
  5. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links verbs; Translation: “and”; Notes: Connects sequential clauses narratively.
  6. vocavit — Lemma: voco; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative active, third person singular; Function: main verb of naming clause; Translation: “she called”; Notes: Describes the act of naming the child.
  7. nomen — Lemma: nomen; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object of “vocavit”; Translation: “name”; Notes: Object of naming.
  8. eius — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessive genitive; Translation: “his”; Notes: Refers to the son being named.
  9. Ammon — Lemma: Ammon; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular masculine (indeclinable foreign name); Function: predicate complement of “vocavit”; Translation: “Ammon”; Notes: Derived from Hebrew ʿAmmi + ben, meaning “son of my people.”
  10. idest — Lemma: id est; Part of Speech: adverbial phrase; Form: abbreviation; Function: introduces explanation; Translation: “that is”; Notes: Common explanatory device in the Vulgate to clarify etymology.
  11. filius — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: predicate nominative in explanation; Translation: “son”; Notes: Forms part of the phrase “filius populi mei.”
  12. populi — Lemma: populus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessive genitive modifying “filius”; Translation: “of the people”; Notes: Refers to kinship group or tribe.
  13. mei — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: possessive pronoun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: agrees with “populi”; Translation: “my”; Notes: Completes phrase “of my people.”
  14. ipse — Lemma: ipse; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of “est”; Translation: “he himself”; Notes: Adds emphasis to identity of Ammon as founder.
  15. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present indicative active, third person singular; Function: copulative verb; Translation: “is”; Notes: Present tense indicates continuing fact.
  16. pater — Lemma: pater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: predicate nominative; Translation: “father”; Notes: Indicates ancestral founder of the Ammonites.
  17. Ammonitarum — Lemma: Ammonita; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: genitive dependent on “pater”; Translation: “of the Ammonites”; Notes: Identifies descendants of Ammon as a nation.
  18. usque — Lemma: usque; Part of Speech: preposition/adverb; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses temporal extent; Translation: “up to / even until”; Notes: Denotes duration of legacy.
  19. hodie — Lemma: hodie; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: temporal adverb modifying “est”; Translation: “today”; Notes: Conveys ongoing truth to the time of writing.

 

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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