Exodus 2:24

Posted on February 21, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 2’24 Et audivit gemitum eorum, ac recordatus est fœderis quod pepigit cum Abraham, Isaac, et Iacob.

And he heard their groaning, and he remembered the covenant which he made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Et and CONJ
2 audivit heard 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
3 gemitum groaning ACC.SG.M
4 eorum their GEN.PL PRON
5 ac and CONJ
6 recordatus remembered NOM.SG.M PERF.PTCP.DEP
7 est was 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND (AUX)
8 fœderis of the covenant GEN.SG.N
9 quod which ACC.SG.N REL
10 pepigit made 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
11 cum with PREP+ABL
12 Abraham Abraham ABL.SG.M PROPER
13 Isaac Isaac ABL.SG.M PROPER
14 et and CONJ
15 Iacob Jacob ABL.SG.M PROPER

Syntax

First Main Action:
Et audivit gemitum eorum — “And he heard their groaning.”
• audivit = main verb (God as implied subject).
• gemitum = direct object, eorum = possessive genitive.

Second Main Action (Deponent):
ac recordatus est fœderis — “and he remembered the covenant.”
• recordatus est = perfect of deponent recordor.
• fœderis = object in genitive (“of the covenant”).

Relative Clause of Explanation:
quod pepigit cum Abraham, Isaac, et Iacob — “which he made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”
• quod refers back to fœderis.
• cum + ablatives names the covenant partners.

Morphology

  1. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: links this sentence to the preceding verse; Translation: “and”; Notes: Simple coordinating connector in narrative.
  2. audivit — Lemma: audio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: “heard”; Notes: Perfect aspect marks a decisive act of divine attention.
  3. gemitum — Lemma: gemitus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of audivit; Translation: “groaning”; Notes: Collective expression of Israel’s suffering.
  4. eorum — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive plural; Function: possessive genitive modifying gemitum; Translation: “their”; Notes: Refers to the sons of Israel mentioned in the previous verse.
  5. ac — Lemma: ac; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: closely links a second action; Translation: “and”; Notes: Slightly stronger or tighter linkage than et in classical usage.
  6. recordatus — Lemma: recordor; Part of Speech: participle (deponent verb); Form: nominative singular masculine perfect; Function: with est forms a perfect verbal idea; Translation: “remembered”; Notes: Deponent morphology, active meaning.
  7. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular present active indicative; Function: auxiliary with deponent participle; Translation: “(he) has / (he) did”; Notes: Helps build the periphrastic perfect recordatus est.
  8. fœderis — Lemma: fœdus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter; Function: object of recordatus est; Translation: “of the covenant”; Notes: Refers specifically to the Abrahamic covenant.
  9. quod — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of pepigit, referring back to fœderis; Translation: “which”; Notes: Introduces defining relative clause about that covenant.
  10. pepigit — Lemma: pango (in covenant-making sense); Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb of the relative clause; Translation: “made”; Notes: Technical verb for striking or concluding a covenant.
  11. cum — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces the covenant partners; Translation: “with”; Notes: Standard preposition for association.
  12. Abraham — Lemma: Abraham; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of cum; Translation: “Abraham”; Notes: First named patriarch of the covenant.
  13. Isaac — Lemma: Isaac; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of cum; Translation: “Isaac”; Notes: Second patriarch; continues the same covenant line.
  14. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: links the final name in the series; Translation: “and”; Notes: Joins Iacob to Abraham and Isaac in the covenant triad.
  15. Iacob — Lemma: Iacob; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: final object of cum; Translation: “Jacob”; Notes: Third patriarch; ancestor of the sons of Israel whose cry God hears.

 

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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