Exodus 1:1

Posted on February 20, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 1:1 Hæc sunt nomina filiorum Israel qui ingressi sunt in Ægyptum cum Iacob: singuli cum domibus suis introierunt:

These are the names of the sons of Israel who entered into Egypt with Jacob; each one with their own households they entered:

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Hæc these NOM.PL.N DEM
2 sunt are 3PL.PRES.ACT.IND
3 nomina names NOM.PL.N
4 filiorum of sons GEN.PL.M
5 Israel Israel GEN.SG.INVAR
6 qui who NOM.PL.M REL
7 ingressi having entered NOM.PL.M PERF.PART.DEP
8 sunt are 3PL.PRES.ACT.IND (AUX)
9 in into PREP+ACC
10 Ægyptum Egypt ACC.SG.F
11 cum with PREP+ABL
12 Iacob Jacob ABL.SG.M
13 singuli each NOM.PL.M
14 cum with PREP+ABL
15 domibus houses ABL.PL.F
16 suis their ABL.PL.F POSS
17 introierunt they entered 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND

Syntax

Main Clause: Hæc nomina (Subject) + sunt (Verb)
Genitive Phrase: filiorum Israel — specifies possession (“of the sons of Israel”)
Relative Clause: qui ingressi sunt in Ægyptum cum Iacob — modifies “sons,” describing the ones who entered Egypt
Additional Clause: singuli cum domibus suis introierunt — reinforces that each entered with their own households

Morphology

  1. Hæc — Lemma: hic; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: nominative plural neuter; Function: subject marker; Translation: “these”; Notes: Refers to “nomina.”
  2. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person plural present active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: “are”; Notes: Copular verb linking subject and predicate.
  3. nomina — Lemma: nomen; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural neuter; Function: predicate nominative; Translation: “names”; Notes: Completes the verb “sunt.”
  4. filiorum — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: genitive of possession; Translation: “of the sons”; Notes: Specifies whose names.
  5. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular invariable; Function: modifies “filiorum”; Translation: “Israel”; Notes: Treated as indeclinable in Latin.
  6. qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: introduces the relative clause; Translation: “who”; Notes: Refers back to “filiorum Israel.”
  7. ingressi — Lemma: ingredior; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative plural masculine perfect participle deponent; Function: part of compound verb; Translation: “having entered”; Notes: Requires auxiliary “sunt.”
  8. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: auxiliary verb; Form: 3rd person plural present active indicative; Function: auxiliary for deponent participle; Translation: “are”; Notes: Helps form perfect tense of deponent verb.
  9. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: marks motion toward; Translation: “into”; Notes: Indicates direction.
  10. Ægyptum — Lemma: Ægyptus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of “in”; Translation: “Egypt”; Notes: Geographic name.
  11. cum — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces accompaniment; Translation: “with”; Notes: Used with persons, showing companionship.
  12. Iacob — Lemma: Iacob; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: ablative singular; Function: object of “cum”; Translation: “Jacob”; Notes: Hebrew proper name.
  13. singuli — Lemma: singulus; Part of Speech: adjective/pronoun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject of “introierunt”; Translation: “each one”; Notes: Emphasizes distribution.
  14. cum — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces accompaniment; Translation: “with”; Notes: Repeated for emphasis.
  15. domibus — Lemma: domus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural feminine; Function: object of “cum”; Translation: “houses”; Notes: Means “households/families” contextually.
  16. suis — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: ablative plural feminine; Function: modifies “domibus”; Translation: “their”; Notes: Reflexive to the subject “singuli.”
  17. introierunt — Lemma: introeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person plural perfect active indicative; Function: main verb of second clause; Translation: “they entered”; Notes: Completes the distributive clause begun by “singuli.”

 

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.
This entry was posted in Exodus. Bookmark the permalink.

Comments are closed.