Genesis 19:6

Posted on January 19, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 19:6 Egressus ad eos Lot, post tergum occludens ostium, ait:

And Lot went out to them, shutting the door behind him, and said:

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Egressus having gone out NOM.SG.M.PERF.PASS.PTCP (DEPONENT)
2 ad to / toward PREP+ACC
3 eos them ACC.PL.M.PRON
4 Lot Lot NOM.SG.M
5 post after / behind PREP+ACC
6 tergum back / behind ACC.SG.N
7 occludens closing / shutting NOM.SG.M.PRES.ACT.PTCP
8 ostium door ACC.SG.N
9 ait he said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND

Syntax

Participial Construction: Egressus ad eos Lot — The perfect participle Egressus (from egredior, a deponent verb) means “having gone out,” indicating an action prior to the main verb. The prepositional phrase ad eos specifies direction “toward them.”
Temporal/Descriptive Phrase: post tergum occludens ostium — The present participle occludens (“closing”) modifies Lot, describing a simultaneous action. The phrase literally means “closing the door after (him).”
Main Verb: ait — Simple narrative perfect “he said,” introducing direct speech. The brevity of this verb marks the transition to Lot’s plea in the next verse.

Morphology

  1. Egressus — Lemma: egredior; Part of Speech: deponent participle; Form: nominative singular masculine, perfect participle (active meaning); Function: adverbial participle modifying “Lot”; Translation: “having gone out”; Notes: Deponent form expresses active sense; indicates completed motion prior to speech.
  2. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces goal; Translation: “to / toward”; Notes: Denotes direction of Lot’s movement toward the men.
  3. eos — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object of “ad”; Translation: “them”; Notes: Refers to the men of Sodom gathered outside.
  4. Lot — Lemma: Lot; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of both participles and main verb; Translation: “Lot”; Notes: Serves as the main actor coordinating the defensive action and speech.
  5. post — Lemma: post; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces prepositional phrase; Translation: “after / behind”; Notes: Indicates spatial position relative to Lot.
  6. tergum — Lemma: tergum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of “post”; Translation: “back / behind”; Notes: Part of idiom “post tergum” (“behind his back”), describing closed access.
  7. occludens — Lemma: occludo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular masculine, present active; Function: modifies “Lot”; Translation: “closing / shutting”; Notes: Describes Lot’s simultaneous action of closing the door as he goes out.
  8. ostium — Lemma: ostium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object of “occludens”; Translation: “door”; Notes: Refers to the entryway Lot secures to protect his guests.
  9. ait — Lemma: aio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative, third person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “he said”; Notes: Formulaic verb introducing direct speech; common in narrative style.

 

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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