Exodus 2:8

Posted on February 21, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

8 Respondit: Vade. Perrexit puella et vocavit matrem suam.

She answered: “Go.” The girl went off and called her own mother.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Respondit she answered 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 Vade go 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP
3 Perrexit she went off 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
4 puella the girl NOM.SG.F
5 et and CONJ
6 vocavit called 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
7 matrem mother ACC.SG.F
8 suam her own ACC.SG.F POSS

Syntax

Main Clause 1:
Respondit — “She answered.”
• Subject implied: Pharaoh’s daughter
• Functions as the response to Miriam’s suggestion.

Direct Speech:
Vade — Imperative: “Go.”

Main Clause 2:
Perrexit puella — “The girl went off.”
• puella = Miriam
• Completed action signaled by perfect tense.

Main Clause 3:
et vocavit matrem suam — “and called her own mother.”
• suam is reflexive, referring back to the subject puella
• Identifies Moses’ biological mother.

Function: The verse depicts Miriam carrying out the plan to bring Moses’ own mother as his nurse.

Morphology

  1. Respondit — Lemma: respondeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb of the opening clause; Translation: “she answered”; Notes: Refers to Pharaoh’s daughter.
  2. Vade — Lemma: vado; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 2nd singular present active imperative; Function: direct command; Translation: “go”; Notes: Authorizes Miriam’s action.
  3. Perrexit — Lemma: pergo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd singular perfect active indicative; Function: introduces next narrative action; Translation: “she went off”; Notes: Perfective movement verb.
  4. puella — Lemma: puella; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject of “perrexit” and “vocavit”; Translation: “the girl”; Notes: Tradition identifies her as Miriam.
  5. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: links coordinated actions; Translation: “and”; Notes: —
  6. vocavit — Lemma: voco; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb of final clause; Translation: “called”; Notes: Refers to summoning Moses’ mother.
  7. matrem — Lemma: mater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object of “vocavit”; Translation: “mother”; Notes: The biological mother of Moses.
  8. suam — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: modifies “matrem,” reflexive to subject; Translation: “her own”; Notes: Distinguishes from any other woman.

 

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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