Hi all,
In this Christmas carols, why “īnferum” is accusative, masc. sing.?
Since it is adjective, I would say: “īnferās”
Venī, venī Emmanuel!
[…]
Fac iter tūtum superum!
Et claude viās īnferum!
Any hint?
I would venture that inferum here is used to mean Hell, so it’s accusative of motion to/toward so:
“Close the paths to Hell”
Inferūm is an irregular, syncopated genitive plural, instead of inferōrum. “Close the roads of the lower regions,” i.e., the roads to hell. Analogous to superūm. In classical Latin superī generally means “those above,” i.e., the gods, e.g., uī superūm, Aeneid 4. But here, in the previous verse, superūm probably means “the heavens.”
It is interesting.
Thank you.