Genesis 19:5

Posted on January 19, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 19:5 Vocaveruntque Lot, et dixerunt ei: Ubi sunt viri qui introierunt ad te nocte? educ illos huc, ut cognoscamus eos.

And they called Lot and said to him: “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out here, that we may know them.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Vocaveruntque and they called 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND + ENCLITIC -QUE
2 Lot Lot ACC.SG.M
3 et and CONJ
4 dixerunt they said 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
5 ei to him DAT.SG.M.PRON
6 Ubi where ADV.INTERROG
7 sunt are 3PL.PRES.ACT.IND
8 viri men NOM.PL.M
9 qui who NOM.PL.M.REL.PRON
10 introierunt entered / came in 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
11 ad to / toward PREP+ACC
12 te you ACC.SG.PRON
13 nocte at night ABL.SG.F
14 educ bring out 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP
15 illos them ACC.PL.M.PRON
16 huc here / to this place ADV
17 ut that / in order that CONJ.PURPOSE
18 cognoscamus we may know 1PL.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
19 eos them ACC.PL.M.PRON

Syntax

Main Clauses: Vocaveruntque Lot, et dixerunt ei — Two perfect indicative verbs describe the aggressive action of the townsmen. The enclitic -que connects the verbs sequentially. The dative ei marks the indirect object (“to him”).
Direct Speech: Ubi sunt viri qui introierunt ad te nocte? — The interrogative adverb Ubi introduces the question “Where are the men…?” The relative clause qui introierunt ad te nocte modifies “viri,” with introierunt indicating perfective completed action “who came to you at night.”
Imperative and Purpose: educ illos huc, ut cognoscamus eos — The imperative educ (“bring out”) commands Lot directly. The conjunction ut introduces a purpose clause with subjunctive cognoscamus (“that we may know them”), expressing their intention—an ominous euphemism for violation.

Morphology

  1. Vocaveruntque — Lemma: voco; Part of Speech: verb + enclitic; Form: perfect active indicative, third person plural + -que; Function: main verb; Translation: “and they called”; Notes: Describes the men’s initial aggressive contact; -que links to “dixerunt.”
  2. Lot — Lemma: Lot; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of “vocaverunt”; Translation: “Lot”; Notes: Identifies the addressee of the crowd’s demand.
  3. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: joins clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Links the calling to the speech act.
  4. dixerunt — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative, third person plural; Function: main verb introducing direct speech; Translation: “they said”; Notes: Continues narrative action.
  5. ei — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to him”; Notes: Refers to Lot as the recipient of the speech.
  6. Ubi — Lemma: ubi; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: interrogative; Function: introduces question; Translation: “where”; Notes: Signals inquiry into the visitors’ location.
  7. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative, third person plural; Function: main verb of interrogative clause; Translation: “are”; Notes: Indicates current state of being.
  8. viri — Lemma: vir; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject of “sunt”; Translation: “men”; Notes: Refers to the angelic guests.
  9. qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: introduces relative clause; Translation: “who”; Notes: Refers to the same “viri.”
  10. introierunt — Lemma: introeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative, third person plural; Function: verb of relative clause; Translation: “entered / came in”; Notes: Describes prior event of entering Lot’s house.
  11. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: indicates motion toward; Translation: “to / toward”; Notes: Common with verbs of motion like “introeo.”
  12. te — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular; Function: object of “ad”; Translation: “you”; Notes: Refers to Lot as host.
  13. nocte — Lemma: nox; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: ablative of time; Translation: “at night”; Notes: Indicates the time the visitors arrived.
  14. educ — Lemma: educo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active imperative, second person singular; Function: command; Translation: “bring out”; Notes: Imperative expressing hostile demand.
  15. illos — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object of “educ”; Translation: “them”; Notes: Refers to the angelic visitors inside.
  16. huc — Lemma: huc; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: indicates direction; Translation: “here / to this place”; Notes: Indicates physical proximity to Lot’s door.
  17. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: introduces purpose clause; Function: links to “cognoscamus”; Translation: “that / in order that”; Notes: Expresses intended result of the command.
  18. cognoscamus — Lemma: cognosco; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active subjunctive, first person plural; Function: verb of purpose clause; Translation: “we may know”; Notes: Euphemistic biblical idiom for sexual knowledge.
  19. eos — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object of “cognoscamus”; Translation: “them”; Notes: Refers to Lot’s angelic guests, target of the townsmen’s demand.

 

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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