Genesis 19:4

Posted on January 19, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 19:4 Prius autem quam irent cubitum, viri civitatis vallaverunt domum a puero usque ad senem, omnis populus simul.

But before they went to bed, the men of the city surrounded the house, from the young to the old, all the people together.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Prius before / earlier ADV
2 autem but / however CONJ.ADV
3 quam than / before CONJ
4 irent they went 3PL.IMPF.ACT.SUBJ
5 cubitum to bed / to lie down ACC.SG.N.SUPINE
6 viri men NOM.PL.M
7 civitatis of the city GEN.SG.F
8 vallaverunt they surrounded / encircled 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
9 domum house ACC.SG.F
10 a from PREP+ABL
11 puero boy / youth ABL.SG.M
12 usque up to / until ADV/PREP
13 ad to / until PREP+ACC
14 senem old man ACC.SG.M
15 omnis all / every NOM.SG.M/ADJ
16 populus people NOM.SG.M
17 simul together / at once ADV

Syntax

Temporal Clause: Prius autem quam irent cubitum — A subordinate clause expressing time prior to the main event. The subjunctive irent (“they went”) follows quam in a temporal sense, while cubitum is a supine in the accusative, meaning “to bed.”
Main Clause: viri civitatis vallaverunt domum — Subject viri civitatis (“the men of the city”) performs the perfect verb vallaverunt (“surrounded”), with domum (“the house”) as the direct object.
Extent of Participation: a puero usque ad senem, omnis populus simul — A prepositional range expressing inclusiveness: “from the youngest to the oldest.” The adverb simul (“together”) emphasizes total communal participation.

Morphology

  1. Prius — Lemma: prior; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: comparative of “prope”; Function: temporal modifier; Translation: “before / earlier”; Notes: Introduces temporal contrast preceding the main action.
  2. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: conjunction/adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: connects narrative units; Translation: “but / however”; Notes: Transitional particle marking a new scene or contrast.
  3. quam — Lemma: quam; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces temporal clause; Translation: “before”; Notes: Used after comparative “prius” to express temporal sequence.
  4. irent — Lemma: eo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperfect active subjunctive, third person plural; Function: verb of subordinate temporal clause; Translation: “they went”; Notes: Subjunctive expresses contemporaneous or subordinate time relation.
  5. cubitum — Lemma: cubitum; Part of Speech: verbal noun (supine); Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: expresses purpose with verbs of motion; Translation: “to bed”; Notes: Supine of purpose, common after verbs like “eo.”
  6. viri — Lemma: vir; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject of “vallaverunt”; Translation: “men”; Notes: Represents the aggressors from the city.
  7. civitatis — Lemma: civitas; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: possessive genitive; Translation: “of the city”; Notes: Identifies the origin of the men who gathered.
  8. vallaverunt — Lemma: vallo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative, third person plural; Function: main verb; Translation: “they surrounded / encircled”; Notes: From vallum, “palisade,” metaphorically “to enclose.”
  9. domum — Lemma: domus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object of “vallaverunt”; Translation: “house”; Notes: Refers to Lot’s home, where the angels stayed.
  10. a — Lemma: a (ab); Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses starting point; Translation: “from”; Notes: Begins range of inclusivity in prepositional phrase.
  11. puero — Lemma: puer; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of “a”; Translation: “boy”; Notes: Marks the youngest participants in the crowd.
  12. usque — Lemma: usque; Part of Speech: adverb/preposition; Form: indeclinable; Function: extends range; Translation: “up to”; Notes: Paired with “ad senem” to indicate the full spectrum of ages.
  13. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: complements “usque”; Translation: “to”; Notes: Defines the end point of range.
  14. senem — Lemma: senex; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of “ad”; Translation: “old man”; Notes: Marks inclusivity up to the elders of Sodom.
  15. omnis — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: modifies “populus”; Translation: “all”; Notes: Emphasizes totality of participants.
  16. populus — Lemma: populus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject complement; Translation: “people”; Notes: Used collectively to describe the citizens of Sodom.
  17. simul — Lemma: simul; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: adverbial modifier; Translation: “together / at once”; Notes: Highlights unified action of the entire populace.

 

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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