Exodus 2:25

Posted on February 21, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 2:25 Et respexit Dominus filios Israel et cognovit eos.

And the LORD looked upon the sons of Israel, and he knew them.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Et and CONJ
2 respexit looked upon 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
3 Dominus LORD NOM.SG.M
4 filios sons ACC.PL.M
5 Israel of Israel GEN.SG.M (indecl.)
6 et and CONJ
7 cognovit knew 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
8 eos them ACC.PL.M PRON

Syntax

First Clause:
Et respexit Dominus filios Israel — “And the LORD looked upon the sons of Israel.”
• Dominus = subject referring to YHWH.
• respexit = perfect active, “regarded with attention or concern.”
• filios Israel = direct object, Israelite people.

Second Clause:
et cognovit eos — “and he knew them.”
• cognovit = covenantal knowing (not mere awareness).
• eos = object, referring to Israel.

Morphology

  1. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: links this verse to the previous one; Translation: “and”; Notes: Introduces a new divine action.
  2. respexit — Lemma: respicio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: “looked upon”; Notes: Indicates attentive, compassionate noticing by the LORD.
  3. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “LORD”; Notes: Refers to YHWH; follows your translation rule.
  4. filios — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object of respexit; Translation: “sons”; Notes: Refers to the Israelites collectively.
  5. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular masculine (indeclinable); Function: dependent genitive; Translation: “of Israel”; Notes: Standard biblical genitive of people.
  6. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: connects a second divine action; Translation: “and”; Notes: Balances the two verbs.
  7. cognovit — Lemma: cognosco; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb of second clause; Translation: “knew”; Notes: In biblical context implies recognition, care, and covenantal attention.
  8. eos — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: direct object of cognovit; Translation: “them”; Notes: Refers back to the sons of Israel.

 

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.
This entry was posted in Exodus. Bookmark the permalink.

Comments are closed.