Exodus 2:11

Posted on February 21, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 2:11 In diebus illis postquam creverat Moyses, egressus est ad fratres suos: viditque afflictionem eorum, et virum Ægyptium percutientem quemdam de Hebræis fratribus suis.

In those days, after Moyses had grown, he went out to his brothers, and he saw their affliction, and an Egyptian man striking a certain one of the Hebrews, his brothers.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 In in PREP+ABL
2 diebus days ABL.PL.M
3 illis those ABL.PL.M DEM
4 postquam after CONJ
5 creverat had grown 3SG.PLUP.ACT.IND
6 Moyses Moses NOM.SG.M
7 egressus having gone out PERF.ACT.PART.NOM.SG.M
8 est was / has 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND (AUX)
9 ad to PREP+ACC
10 fratres brothers ACC.PL.M
11 suos his ACC.PL.M POSS
12 viditque and he saw 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND + -QUE
13 afflictionem affliction ACC.SG.F
14 eorum their GEN.PL
15 et and CONJ
16 virum a man ACC.SG.M
17 Ægyptium Egyptian ACC.SG.M ADJ
18 percutientem striking PRES.ACT.PART.ACC.SG.M
19 quemdam a certain ACC.SG.M INDEF
20 de from/of PREP+ABL
21 Hebræis the Hebrews ABL.PL.M
22 fratribus brothers ABL.PL.M
23 suis his ABL.PL.M POSS

Syntax

Temporal Phrase:
In diebus illis — “In those days,” setting the narrative period.

Subordinate Clause:
postquam creverat Moyses — “after Moses had grown”
• Pluperfect verb establishes prior development.

Main Clause:
egressus est ad fratres suos — “he went out to his brothers.”
• egressus est = perfect deponent construction.

Sequential Clause:
viditque afflictionem eorum — “and he saw their affliction.”
• -que links perception to his going out.

Object + Participle Structure:
virum Ægyptium percutientem — “an Egyptian man striking…”

Prepositional Phrase Explaining Victim:
quemdam de Hebræis fratribus suis — “a certain one of the Hebrews, his brothers.”

Morphology

  1. In — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces temporal phrase; Translation: “in”; Notes: Common for time expressions.
  2. diebus — Lemma: dies; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: complements in; Translation: “days”; Notes: Ablative of time.
  3. illis — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun/adjective; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: modifies diebus; Translation: “those”; Notes: Refers to a specific period.
  4. postquam — Lemma: postquam; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces temporal clause; Translation: “after”; Notes: Takes pluperfect frequently.
  5. creverat — Lemma: cresco; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd singular pluperfect active indicative; Function: denotes prior growth; Translation: “had grown”; Notes: Marks maturity of Moses.
  6. Moyses — Lemma: Moyses; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of creverat and egressus est; Translation: “Moses”; Notes: Central character introduced in adult role.
  7. egressus — Lemma: egredior; Part of Speech: participle (deponent); Form: nominative singular masculine perfect participle; Function: part of deponent perfect; Translation: “having gone out”; Notes: Deponent → passive form, active meaning.
  8. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: auxiliary verb; Form: 3rd singular present active indicative; Function: completes deponent construction; Translation: “(he) has / was”; Notes: Auxiliary for perfect deponent verbs.
  9. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: shows direction; Translation: “to”; Notes: Indicates movement toward people.
  10. fratres — Lemma: frater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object of ad; Translation: “brothers”; Notes: Refers to Hebrew kin.
  11. suos — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: modifies fratres; Translation: “his”; Notes: Reflexive to Moses.
  12. viditque — Lemma: video + -que; Part of Speech: verb + enclitic; Form: 3rd singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: “and he saw”; Notes: -que links to previous action.
  13. afflictionem — Lemma: afflictio; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object; Translation: “affliction”; Notes: Refers to suffering of Hebrews.
  14. eorum — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive plural; Function: possessive; Translation: “their”; Notes: Points to Hebrew brothers.
  15. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: connects clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Simple linker.
  16. virum — Lemma: vir; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of vidit; Translation: “a man”; Notes: Refers to the Egyptian aggressor.
  17. Ægyptium — Lemma: Ægyptius; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: modifies virum; Translation: “Egyptian”; Notes: Denotes ethnicity.
  18. percutientem — Lemma: percutio; Part of Speech: participle; Form: accusative singular masculine present active participle; Function: describes ongoing action; Translation: “striking”; Notes: Indicates continuous assault.
  19. quemdam — Lemma: quidam; Part of Speech: indefinite pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of participle; Translation: “a certain one”; Notes: Implies unnamed Hebrew victim.
  20. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses origin or group; Translation: “from / of”; Notes: Introduces partitive sense.
  21. Hebræis — Lemma: Hebraeus; Part of Speech: noun/adjective; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: object of de; Translation: “Hebrews”; Notes: Ethnic identifier for Moses’ people.
  22. fratribus — Lemma: frater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: apposition to Hebræis; Translation: “brothers”; Notes: Reinforces kinship bond.
  23. suis — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: modifies fratribus; Translation: “his”; Notes: Highlights Moses’ identification with the Hebrews.

 

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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