Exodus 3:7

Posted on February 22, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 3:7 Cui ait Dominus: Vidi afflictionem populi mei in Ægypto, et clamorem eius audivi propter duritiam eorum qui præsunt operibus:

To whom the LORD said: “I have seen the affliction of my people in Egypt, and I have heard their cry because of the hardness of those who rule over the works;

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Cui to whom DAT.SG.M/F REL
2 ait said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
3 Dominus the LORD NOM.SG.M
4 Vidi I have seen 1SG.PERF.ACT.IND
5 afflictionem affliction ACC.SG.F
6 populi of the people GEN.SG.M
7 mei my GEN.SG.M POSS
8 in in PREP+ABL
9 Ægypto Egypt ABL.SG.F PROPER
10 et and CONJ
11 clamorem cry ACC.SG.M
12 eius of him/of it GEN.SG PRON
13 audivi I have heard 1SG.PERF.ACT.IND
14 propter because of PREP+ACC
15 duritiam hardness ACC.SG.F
16 eorum of those GEN.PL.M PRON
17 qui who NOM.PL.M REL
18 præsunt are over / rule 3PL.PRES.ACT.IND
19 operibus works DAT/ABL.PL.N

Syntax

Introductory Relative Phrase:
Cui ait Dominus — “To whom the LORD said”
• Cui = dative relative pronoun referring to Moses.
• Dominus = subject.
• ait = verb introducing divine speech.

Divine Declaration:
Vidi afflictionem populi mei in Ægypto — “I have seen the affliction of my people in Egypt.”
• Vidi = perfect, emphasizing completed divine awareness.
• afflictionem = direct object.
• populi mei = genitive of possession.
• in Ægypto = locative prepositional phrase.

Second Assertion:
et clamorem eius audivi — “and I have heard their cry.”
• clamorem = object.
• eius = refers to populus collectively.

Reason Clause:
propter duritiam eorum qui præsunt operibus — “because of the hardness of those who rule over the works.”
• propter + accusative = cause or motive.
• qui præsunt = relative clause.
• operibus = dative/ablative with præsunt (governs dative: “are in charge of”).

Morphology

  1. Cui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: dative singular masculine/feminine; Function: indirect object referring to Moses; Translation: “to whom”; Notes: Opens a relative phrase introducing divine address.
  2. ait — Lemma: aio; Part of Speech: defective verb; Form: 3rd singular perfect active indicative; Function: introduces direct speech; Translation: “said”; Notes: Standard narrative verb used in dialogue sequences.
  3. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “LORD”; Notes: Refers to YHWH according to your translation rules.
  4. Vidi — Lemma: video; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 1st singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: “I have seen”; Notes: Perfect tense highlights completed divine observation.
  5. afflictionem — Lemma: afflictio; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object of vidi; Translation: “affliction”; Notes: Denotes suffering and oppression.
  6. populi — Lemma: populus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possession; Translation: “of the people”; Notes: Refers to Israel.
  7. mei — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: modifies populi; Translation: “my”; Notes: Marks covenant relationship.
  8. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: locative phrase; Translation: “in”; Notes: Indicates geographical location.
  9. Ægypto — Lemma: Ægyptus; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of in; Translation: “Egypt”; Notes: Ablative expresses location with in, indicating where the affliction occurs.
  10. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: links clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Simple connective.
  11. clamorem — Lemma: clamor; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of audivi; Translation: “cry”; Notes: Often used in lament contexts.
  12. eius — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive singular; Function: modifies clamorem; Translation: “their”; Notes: Refers collectively to populus.
  13. audivi — Lemma: audio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 1st singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: “I have heard”; Notes: Indicates divine responsiveness.
  14. propter — Lemma: propter; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses cause; Translation: “because of”; Notes: Introduces reason for Israel’s cry.
  15. duritiam — Lemma: duritia; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of propter; Translation: “hardness”; Notes: Moral and physical harshness.
  16. eorum — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: possessive modifier of duritiam; Translation: “of those”; Notes: Points to the overseers.
  17. qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject of præsunt; Translation: “who”; Notes: Introduces relative clause.
  18. præsunt — Lemma: praesum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd plural present active indicative; Function: main verb of relative clause; Translation: “rule over”; Notes: Governs the dative.
  19. operibus — Lemma: opus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative/ablative plural neuter; Function: dative with præsunt; Translation: “the works”; Notes: Refers to forced labor imposed on 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.
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