Exodus 1:15

Posted on February 20, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 1:15 Dixit autem Rex Ægypti obstetricibus Hebræorum: quarum una vocabatur Sephora, altera Phua,

But the King of Egypt said to the midwives of the Hebrews, of whom one was called Sephora and the other Phua,

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Dixit said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 autem but ADV
3 Rex King NOM.SG.M
4 Ægypti of Egypt GEN.SG.M
5 obstetricibus to the midwives DAT.PL.F
6 Hebræorum of the Hebrews GEN.PL.M
7 quarum of whom GEN.PL.F REL
8 una one NOM.SG.F
9 vocabatur was called 3SG.IMPERF.PASS.IND
10 Sephora Shiphrah NOM.SG.F
11 altera the other NOM.SG.F
12 Phua Puah NOM.SG.F

Syntax

Main Clause: Dixit autem Rex Ægypti obstetricibus Hebræorum — “But the king of Egypt said to the midwives of the Hebrews”; dative of indirect object.
Relative Clause: quarum una vocabatur Sephora, altera Phua — “of whom one was called Sephora, the other Phua.”
Predicate Passive: vocabatur — passive meaning “was named.”
Function: Introduces the two named midwives central to the narrative: Sephora (Shiphrah) and Phua (Puah).

Morphology

  1. Dixit — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: “said”; Notes: Marks a new speech event.
  2. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: conjunctive adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces contrast/transition; Translation: “but”; Notes: Postpositive.
  3. Rex — Lemma: rex; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “King”; Notes: Refers to Pharaoh.
  4. Ægypti — Lemma: Ægyptus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: genitive of possession; Translation: “of Egypt”; Notes: Defines the king’s domain.
  5. obstetricibus — Lemma: obstetrix; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative plural feminine; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to the midwives”; Notes: Addresses the Hebrew midwives.
  6. Hebræorum — Lemma: Hebræus; Part of Speech: adjective/noun; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: modifies “obstetricibus”; Translation: “of the Hebrews”; Notes: Identifies nationality/ethnicity.
  7. quarum — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: genitive plural feminine; Function: introduces relative clause referring to “obstetricibus”; Translation: “of whom”; Notes: Feminine agrees with midwives.
  8. una — Lemma: unus; Part of Speech: numeral/pronominal; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject of “vocabatur”; Translation: “one”; Notes: Identifies first midwife.
  9. vocabatur — Lemma: voco; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular imperfect passive indicative; Function: predicate passive; Translation: “was called”; Notes: Naming formula.
  10. Sephora — Lemma: Sephora; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: predicate nominative; Translation: “Sephora”; Notes: Shiphrah of the Hebrew text.
  11. altera — Lemma: alter; Part of Speech: pronoun/adjective; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: second subject in the relative clause; Translation: “the other”; Notes: Forms a natural pair with “una.”
  12. Phua — Lemma: Phua; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: predicate nominative; Translation: “Phua”; Notes: Puah of the Hebrew text.

 

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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