Genesis 19:8

Posted on January 19, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 19:8 Habeo duas filias, quæ necdum cognoverunt virum: educam eas ad vos, et abutimini eis sicut vobis placuerit, dummodo viris istis nihil mali faciatis, quia ingressi sunt sub umbra culminis mei.

I have two daughters who have not yet known a man; I will bring them out to you, and you may do with them as it pleases you, only do not do any evil to these men, because they have come under the shadow of my roof.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Habeo I have 1SG.PRES.ACT.IND
2 duas two ACC.PL.F.NUM
3 filias daughters ACC.PL.F
4 quæ who NOM.PL.F.REL.PRON
5 necdum not yet ADV
6 cognoverunt have known 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
7 virum man ACC.SG.M
8 educam I will bring out 1SG.FUT.ACT.IND
9 eas them ACC.PL.F.PRON
10 ad to / toward PREP+ACC
11 vos you ACC.PL.PRON
12 et and CONJ
13 abutimini use / abuse 2PL.PRES.DEP.IMP
14 eis them ABL.PL.F.PRON
15 sicut as / just as CONJ
16 vobis to you DAT.PL.PRON
17 placuerit it pleases / it may please 3SG.FUTPERF.ACT.SUBJ
18 dummodo provided that CONJ.CONDITION
19 viris men DAT.PL.M
20 istis these DAT.PL.M.DEM.PRON
21 nihil nothing ACC.SG.N.INDEF.PRON
22 mali evil / harm GEN.SG.N
23 faciatis you do / you commit 2PL.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
24 quia because / for CONJ
25 ingressi having entered NOM.PL.M.PERF.PASS.PTCP (DEPONENT)
26 sunt are / have 3PL.PRES.ACT.IND (AUX)
27 sub under PREP+ABL
28 umbra shadow ABL.SG.F
29 culminis roof / top GEN.SG.N
30 mei my GEN.SG.M.POSS.ADJ

Syntax

Main Clause: Habeo duas filias — Lot begins with a declarative statement: “I have two daughters.” The verb habeo governs the direct object duas filias.
Relative Clause: quæ necdum cognoverunt virum — The pronoun quæ refers to “filias.” The perfect verb cognoverunt (lit. “have known”) is a biblical euphemism for sexual intimacy; necdum adds “not yet,” implying virginity.
Purpose and Permission Clauses: educam eas ad vos, et abutimini eis sicut vobis placuerit — The future indicative educam (“I will bring out”) leads to the permissive deponent imperative abutimini (“use them”), expressing an offer of substitution. Placuerit (future perfect subjunctive) implies “as it may please you,” a formula of concession.
Conditional Clause: dummodo viris istis nihil mali faciatis — Introduced by dummodo (“provided that”), it forms a negative condition. The subjunctive faciatis expresses potential action being prohibited.
Causal Clause: quia ingressi sunt sub umbra culminis mei — The participial phrase ingressi sunt marks completed action: “they have come under the shadow of my roof.” The imagery of “shadow” signifies protection, invoking ancient Near Eastern hospitality law.

Morphology

  1. Habeo — Lemma: habeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative, first person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “I have”; Notes: Introduces possession of Lot’s two daughters.
  2. duas — Lemma: duo; Part of Speech: numeral adjective; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: modifies “filias”; Translation: “two”; Notes: Specifies number of daughters.
  3. filias — Lemma: filia; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: direct object of “habeo”; Translation: “daughters”; Notes: Central to Lot’s offer of protection.
  4. quæ — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative plural feminine; Function: subject of “cognoverunt”; Translation: “who”; Notes: Introduces relative clause describing the daughters’ condition.
  5. necdum — Lemma: necdum; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: negation of time; Translation: “not yet”; Notes: Denotes inexperience or absence of prior action.
  6. cognoverunt — Lemma: cognosco; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative, third person plural; Function: verb of relative clause; Translation: “have known”; Notes: Hebrew idiom for “sexual relations,” indicating virginity.
  7. virum — Lemma: vir; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of “cognoverunt”; Translation: “a man”; Notes: Refers generically to male partners, not a specific person.
  8. educam — Lemma: educo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative, first person singular; Function: main verb of next clause; Translation: “I will bring out”; Notes: Expresses willingness or intent to produce the daughters publicly.
  9. eas — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: direct object of “educam”; Translation: “them”; Notes: Refers to Lot’s daughters.
  10. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: direction; Translation: “to”; Notes: Introduces motion toward the crowd.
  11. vos — Lemma: vos; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative plural; Function: object of “ad”; Translation: “you”; Notes: Refers to the men of Sodom.
  12. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: joins two main clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Links Lot’s offer with the condition clause.
  13. abutimini — Lemma: abutor; Part of Speech: deponent verb; Form: present imperative, second person plural; Function: permissive command; Translation: “use / abuse”; Notes: Deponent form conveying a permissive imperative, expressing tragic moral concession.
  14. eis — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: ablative plural feminine; Function: object of deponent verb “abutimini”; Translation: “them”; Notes: Instrumental or ablative of association.
  15. sicut — Lemma: sicut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces comparison; Translation: “as”; Notes: Used to express accordance with desire or will.
  16. vobis — Lemma: vos; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative plural; Function: indirect object of “placuerit”; Translation: “to you”; Notes: Marks those whose will determines the action.
  17. placuerit — Lemma: placeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future perfect active subjunctive, third person singular; Function: in comparative clause; Translation: “it may please”; Notes: Expresses condition or concession tied to will or pleasure.
  18. dummodo — Lemma: dummodo; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces conditional clause; Translation: “provided that”; Notes: Restrictive conjunction setting a moral boundary.
  19. viris — Lemma: vir; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative plural masculine; Function: indirect object of “faciatis”; Translation: “to the men”; Notes: Refers to the angelic guests under Lot’s care.
  20. istis — Lemma: iste; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: dative plural masculine; Function: modifies “viris”; Translation: “these”; Notes: Indicates proximity and specificity of reference.
  21. nihil — Lemma: nihil; Part of Speech: indeclinable pronoun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of “faciatis”; Translation: “nothing”; Notes: Negates the object of potential harm.
  22. mali — Lemma: malum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter; Function: genitive of quality; Translation: “of evil / harm”; Notes: Defines the kind of action forbidden.
  23. faciatis — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active subjunctive, second person plural; Function: verb of conditional clause; Translation: “you do / you commit”; Notes: Subjunctive expresses potentiality under the conditional “dummodo.”
  24. quia — Lemma: quia; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces causal clause; Translation: “because”; Notes: Gives rationale for Lot’s protection of the guests.
  25. ingressi — Lemma: ingredior; Part of Speech: deponent participle; Form: nominative plural masculine, perfect participle; Function: part of compound perfect; Translation: “having entered”; Notes: Deponent with active meaning; describes completed entry.
  26. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: auxiliary verb; Form: present indicative, third person plural; Function: auxiliary for perfect tense; Translation: “have”; Notes: Supports the deponent perfect “ingressi sunt.”
  27. sub — Lemma: sub; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses place under; Translation: “under”; Notes: Marks figurative protection beneath one’s shelter.
  28. umbra — Lemma: umbra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of preposition “sub”; Translation: “shadow”; Notes: Used metaphorically for protection or refuge within Lot’s household.
  29. culminis — Lemma: culmen; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter; Function: possessive genitive modifying “umbra”; Translation: “of the roof”; Notes: Refers literally to the roof, symbolizing shelter or sanctuary.
  30. mei — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: agrees with “culminis”; Translation: “my”; Notes: Indicates Lot’s personal responsibility for his guests’ safety within his home.

 

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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