Exodus 2:15

Posted on February 21, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 2:15 Audivitque Pharao sermonem hunc, et quærebat occidere Moysen: qui fugiens de conspectu eius, moratus est in Terra Madian, et sedit iuxta puteum.

And Pharao heard this report and was seeking to kill Moyses; but he, fleeing from his presence, stayed in the Land of Madian and sat beside a well.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Audivitque and heard 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND + -QUE
2 Pharao Pharaoh NOM.SG.M
3 sermonem report / word ACC.SG.M
4 hunc this ACC.SG.M DEM
5 et and CONJ
6 quærebat he was seeking 3SG.IMP.ACT.IND
7 occidere to kill PRES.ACT.INF
8 Moysen Moses ACC.SG.M
9 qui who NOM.SG.M REL
10 fugiens fleeing PRES.ACT.PART.NOM.SG.M
11 de from PREP+ABL
12 conspectu presence / sight ABL.SG.M
13 eius his GEN.SG PRON
14 moratus having stayed PERF.DEP.PART.NOM.SG.M
15 est was / has 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND (AUX)
16 in in PREP+ABL
17 Terra Land ABL.SG.F
18 Madian Midian ABL.SG.F PROPER
19 et and CONJ
20 sedit he sat 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
21 iuxta beside PREP+ACC
22 puteum the well ACC.SG.M

Syntax

Main Narrative:
Audivitque Pharao sermonem hunc — “And Pharaoh heard this report.”
• sermonem hunc = the public knowledge of Moses’ killing the Egyptian.
• -que links to the following hostile reaction.

Imperfect Intent Clause:
et quærebat occidere Moysen — “and he was seeking to kill Moses.”
• Imperfect quærebat = ongoing pursuit.
• occidere = complementary infinitive.

Relative Clause Describing Moses:
qui fugiens de conspectu eius — “who, fleeing from his presence…”
• fugiens = contemporaneous action with fleeing.

Perfect Deponent Main Action:
moratus est in Terra Madian — “he stayed in the land of Midian.”
• Deponent perfect: participle moratus + est.

Concluding Action:
et sedit iuxta puteum — “and he sat beside a well.”
• Typical motif in biblical narratives: transformative encounters occur at wells.

Morphology

  1. Audivitque — Lemma: audio + -que; Part of Speech: verb + enclitic; Form: 3rd singular perfect active indicative; Function: introduces narrative event; Translation: “and heard”; Notes: Perfect tense marks decisive moment when Pharaoh learns the truth.
  2. Pharao — Lemma: Pharao; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of “Audivit”; Translation: “Pharaoh”; Notes: Egyptian king reacting to Moses’ deed.
  3. sermonem — Lemma: sermo; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object; Translation: “report”; Notes: Refers to the circulating account of the killing.
  4. hunc — Lemma: hic; Part of Speech: demonstrative adjective/pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: modifies sermonem; Translation: “this”; Notes: Indicates immediacy or proximity in narrative emphasis.
  5. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: links clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Simple connector.
  6. quærebat — Lemma: quæro; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd singular imperfect active indicative; Function: expresses ongoing pursuit; Translation: “was seeking”; Notes: Imperfect gives sense of determined ongoing action.
  7. occidere — Lemma: occido; Part of Speech: verb (infinitive); Form: present active infinitive; Function: complementary to quærebat; Translation: “to kill”; Notes: Expresses intent of Pharaoh.
  8. Moysen — Lemma: Moyses; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of occidere; Translation: “Moses”; Notes: Moses becomes a fugitive here.
  9. qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of participle fugiens; Translation: “who”; Notes: Introduces description of Moses’ flight.
  10. fugiens — Lemma: fugio; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular masculine present active participle; Function: describes Moses; Translation: “fleeing”; Notes: Indicates continuous action during escape.
  11. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses separation; Translation: “from”; Notes: Marks Moses leaving presence of danger.
  12. conspectu — Lemma: conspectus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of de; Translation: “presence”; Notes: Literally “from the sight” of Pharaoh.
  13. eius — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive singular; Function: possessive modifying conspectu; Translation: “his”; Notes: Refers to Pharaoh.
  14. moratus — Lemma: moror; Part of Speech: deponent participle; Form: nominative singular masculine perfect participle; Function: forms perfect with est; Translation: “having stayed”; Notes: Deponent verb indicating prolonged residence.
  15. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: auxiliary verb; Form: 3rd singular present active indicative; Function: auxiliary for deponent perfect; Translation: “has / was”; Notes: Helps form the perfect deponent.
  16. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces location; Translation: “in”; Notes: Marks place of residence.
  17. Terra — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: governed by in; Translation: “land”; Notes: Geographic setting.
  18. Madian — Lemma: Madian; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: complements Terra; Translation: “Midian”; Notes: Region east of the Red Sea.
  19. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: links final action; Translation: “and”; Notes: Connects Moses’ stay with his sitting at the well.
  20. sedit — Lemma: sedeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: “sat”; Notes: Often marks beginning of encounter scenes.
  21. iuxta — Lemma: iuxta; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses proximity; Translation: “beside”; Notes: Frequently used for proximity to landmarks.
  22. puteum — Lemma: puteus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of iuxta; Translation: “well”; Notes: Narrative setting for encounter with Midianite family.

 

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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