Exodus 1:6

Posted on February 20, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 1:6 Quo mortuo, et universis fratribus eius, omnique cognatione illa,

When he had died, and all his brothers, and that whole family group,

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Quo when he ABL.SG.M REL/ADV
2 mortuo having died ABL.SG.M PERF.PART.PASS
3 et and CONJ
4 universis all ABL.PL.M
5 fratribus brothers ABL.PL.M
6 eius his GEN.SG.M
7 omnique and every ABL.SG.F
8 cognatione family group ABL.SG.F
9 illa that ABL.SG.F DEM

Syntax

Ablative Absolute 1: Quo mortuo — “when he had died”; ablative of noun + participle.
Ablative Absolute 2: universis fratribus eius — “and all his brothers (having died)”; implied participle.
Ablative Absolute 3: omnique cognatione illa — “and that entire family group (having died)”; implied participle continues.
Function: These ablative absolute constructions prepare for the main clause that follows in the next verse, setting the narrative background.

Morphology

  1. Quo — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun/ablative marker; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: introduces ablative absolute referring to Joseph; Translation: “when he”; Notes: Ablative used idiomatically in temporal sense.
  2. mortuo — Lemma: morior; Part of Speech: participle; Form: ablative singular masculine perfect passive participle; Function: participle in ablative absolute; Translation: “having died”; Notes: Morior is deponent but has passive participle.
  3. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: links ablative absolute units; Translation: “and”; Notes: Simple connective.
  4. universis — Lemma: universus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: modifies “fratribus”; Translation: “all”; Notes: Completes ablative absolute.
  5. fratribus — Lemma: frater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: noun of ablative absolute; Translation: “brothers”; Notes: Participial accompaniment is implied.
  6. eius — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: possessive pronoun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: modifies “fratribus”; Translation: “his”; Notes: Refers to Joseph.
  7. omnique — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: modifies “cognatione”; Translation: “and every”; Notes: -que enclitic fused to the adjective.
  8. cognatione — Lemma: cognatio; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: noun in ablative absolute; Translation: “family group”; Notes: Includes extended kin.
  9. illa — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: emphasizes “that” particular family; Translation: “that”; Notes: Deictic marker.

 

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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