Exodus 2:22

Posted on February 21, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 2:22 quæ peperit ei filium, quem vocavit Gersam, dicens: Advena fui in terra aliena. Alterum vero peperit, quem vocavit Eliezer, dicens: Deus enim patris mei adiutor meus eripuit me de manu Pharaonis.

she bore him a son, whom he called Gersam, saying: “I was a stranger in a foreign land.” And she bore another, whom he called Eliezer, saying: “For the God of my father is my helper; he has delivered me from the hand of Pharao.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 quæ who NOM.SG.F REL
2 peperit bore 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
3 ei to him DAT.SG.M PRON
4 filium son ACC.SG.M
5 quem whom ACC.SG.M REL
6 vocavit called 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
7 Gersam Gershom ACC.SG.M PROPER
8 dicens saying PRES.ACT.PTCP.NOM.SG.F
9 Advena a stranger NOM.SG.M/F
10 fui I was 1SG.PERF.ACT.IND
11 in in PREP+ABL
12 terra land ABL.SG.F
13 aliena foreign ABL.SG.F
14 Alterum another ACC.SG.M
15 vero indeed ADV
16 peperit bore 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
17 quem whom ACC.SG.M REL
18 vocavit called 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
19 Eliezer Eliezer ACC.SG.M PROPER
20 dicens saying PRES.ACT.PTCP.NOM.SG.F
21 Deus God NOM.SG.M
22 enim for ADV
23 patris of my father GEN.SG.M
24 mei my GEN.SG.M PRON
25 adiutor helper NOM.SG.M
26 meus my NOM.SG.M PRON
27 eripuit delivered 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
28 me me ACC.SG PRON
29 de from PREP+ABL
30 manu hand ABL.SG.F
31 Pharaonis of Pharaoh GEN.SG.M

Syntax

First Birth Narrative:
quæ peperit ei filium — subject quæ (Sephora), verb peperit, indirect object ei (Moses), direct object filium.
quem vocavit Gersam — relative clause naming the child.
dicens: introduces quoted motive:
Advena fui in terra aliena — first-person perfect, expressing Moses’ exile.

Second Birth Narrative:
Alterum vero peperit — “She bore another.”
quem vocavit Eliezer — second naming relative clause.
dicens: introduces theological reason.
Deus enim patris mei adiutor meus — nominal sentence identifying God as helper.
eripuit me de manu Pharaonis — perfect verb expressing past deliverance.

Morphology

  1. quæ — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject; Translation: “who”; Notes: Refers to Sephora as agent of birth.
  2. peperit — Lemma: pario; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: “bore”; Notes: Perfect marks completed historical event.
  3. ei — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to him”; Notes: Refers to Moses receiving the son.
  4. filium — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object; Translation: “son”; Notes: Firstborn named Gersam.
  5. quem — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: introduces relative clause; Translation: “whom”; Notes: Refers to Gersam.
  6. vocavit — Lemma: voco; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd singular perfect active indicative; Function: verb of naming; Translation: “called”; Notes: Standard naming formula.
  7. Gersam — Lemma: Gersam; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: predicate name; Translation: “Gersam”; Notes: Name explained by Moses’ sense of exile.
  8. dicens — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular feminine present active; Function: introduces quoted explanation; Translation: “saying”; Notes: Modifies quæ.
  9. Advena — Lemma: advena; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular; Function: predicate with fui; Translation: “a stranger”; Notes: Expresses sojourner status.
  10. fui — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 1st singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: “I was”; Notes: Perfect used for existential condition.
  11. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: locative; Translation: “in”; Notes: Introduces setting.
  12. terra — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of in; Translation: “land”; Notes: Physical location of exile.
  13. aliena — Lemma: alienus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: modifies terra; Translation: “foreign”; Notes: Emphasizes alienation.
  14. Alterum — Lemma: alter; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object; Translation: “another”; Notes: Refers to second son.
  15. vero — Lemma: vero; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: contrastive marker; Translation: “indeed”; Notes: Signals continuation.
  16. peperit — Lemma: pario; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: “bore”; Notes: Repeated action.
  17. quem — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: introduces naming clause; Translation: “whom”; Notes: Refers to Eliezer.
  18. vocavit — Lemma: voco; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd singular perfect active indicative; Function: naming verb; Translation: “called”; Notes: Continues standard naming structure.
  19. Eliezer — Lemma: Eliezer; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: predicate name; Translation: “Eliezer”; Notes: Name connected to divine help.
  20. dicens — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: introduces quote; Translation: “saying”; Notes: Parallel to first instance.
  21. Deus — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “God”; Notes: Refers to YHWH.
  22. enim — Lemma: enim; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: explanatory; Translation: “for”; Notes: Gives rationale for name Eliezer.
  23. patris — Lemma: pater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessive; Translation: “of my father”; Notes: Part of ancestral faith phrase.
  24. mei — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive singular; Function: modifies patris; Translation: “my”; Notes: Emphasizes lineage.
  25. adiutor — Lemma: adiutor; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: predicate nominative; Translation: “helper”; Notes: Expresses divine protection.
  26. meus — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: modifies adiutor; Translation: “my”; Notes: Emphasizes personal relationship.
  27. eripuit — Lemma: eripio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: “delivered”; Notes: Indicates rescue from danger.
  28. me — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular; Function: direct object; Translation: “me”; Notes: Moses affirms divine deliverance.
  29. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses source; Translation: “from”; Notes: Standard with verbs of deliverance.
  30. manu — Lemma: manus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of de; Translation: “hand”; Notes: Metonymy for power.
  31. Pharaonis — Lemma: Pharao; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: modifies manu; Translation: “of Pharaoh”; Notes: Identifies hostile force.

 

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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