Exodus 3:11

Posted on February 22, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 3:11 Dixitque Moyses ad Deum: Quis sum ego ut vadam ad Pharaonem, et educam filios Israel de Ægypto?

And Moyses said to God: “Who am I, that I should go to Pharao and that I should bring out the sons of Israel from Egypt?”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Dixitque and he said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND + ENCLITIC -QUE
2 Moyses Moses NOM.SG.M PROPER
3 ad to PREP+ACC
4 Deum God ACC.SG.M
5 Quis who NOM.SG.M/F INTERROG
6 sum am 1SG.PRES.ACT.IND
7 ego I NOM.SG PRON
8 ut that SUB.CONJ
9 vadam I should go 1SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
10 ad to PREP+ACC
11 Pharaonem Pharaoh ACC.SG.M PROPER
12 et and CONJ
13 educam I should bring out 1SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
14 filios sons ACC.PL.M
15 Israel of Israel GEN.SG.M PROPER
16 de from PREP+ABL
17 Ægypto Egypt ABL.SG.F PROPER

Syntax

Opening Speech Formula:
Dixitque Moyses ad Deum — “And Moses said to God”
• Dixitque = perfect verb with enclitic -que linking to the narrative.
• Moyses = subject.
• ad Deum = indirect object expressing direction of the speech.

Main Interrogative Clause:
Quis sum ego — “Who am I?”
• Interrogative pronoun Quis as predicate.
• ego supplies emphasis.
• Expresses Moses’ humility and sense of inadequacy.

Purpose / Result Clause:
ut vadam ad Pharaonem — “that I should go to Pharaoh”
• ut with subjunctive vadam = purpose/responsibility.
• ad Pharaonem = goal of the mission.

Second Coordinated Subjunctive Clause:
et educam filios Israel de Ægypto — “and that I should bring out the sons of Israel from Egypt.”
• educam = parallel subjunctive.
• filios Israel = object in apposition.
• de Ægypto = ablative of separation.

Morphology

  1. Dixitque — Lemma: dico + que; Part of Speech: verb with enclitic; Form: 3rd singular perfect active indicative; Function: introduces Moses’ speech; Translation: “and he said”; Notes: -que joins the action to the ongoing narrative.
  2. Moyses — Lemma: Moyses; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “Moses”; Notes: The one addressing God.
  3. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses direction; Translation: “to”; Notes: Standard preposition of motion toward.
  4. Deum — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of ad; Translation: “God”; Notes: Recipient of Moses’ question.
  5. Quis — Lemma: quis; Part of Speech: interrogative pronoun; Form: nominative singular; Function: predicate nominative in the question; Translation: “who”; Notes: Introduces a self-deprecating inquiry.
  6. sum — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 1st singular present active indicative; Function: linking verb; Translation: “am”; Notes: Forms the core of the identity question.
  7. ego — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative singular; Function: emphatic subject; Translation: “I”; Notes: Emphasizes Moses’ sense of inadequacy.
  8. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: subordinating conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces purpose/responsibility clause; Translation: “that”; Notes: Requires subjunctive.
  9. vadam — Lemma: vado; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 1st singular present active subjunctive; Function: verb of purpose clause; Translation: “I should go”; Notes: Subjunctive expresses anticipated obligation.
  10. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: direction toward the ruler; Translation: “to”; Notes: Repeated for emphasis of mission target.
  11. Pharaonem — Lemma: Pharao; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of ad; Translation: “Pharaoh”; Notes: Political authority Moses is sent to confront.
  12. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: links second subjunctive clause; Translation: “and”; Notes: Adds the second mission task.
  13. educam — Lemma: educo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 1st singular present active subjunctive; Function: verb of coordinated purpose clause; Translation: “I should bring out”; Notes: Subjunctive expresses intended divine assignment.
  14. filios — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: direct object of educam; Translation: “sons”; Notes: Highlights the covenant descendants.
  15. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: genitive modifying filios; Translation: “of Israel”; Notes: Identifies covenant lineage specifically.
  16. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses separation; Translation: “from”; Notes: Used with verbs of removal or liberation.
  17. Ægypto — Lemma: Ægyptus; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of de; Translation: “Egypt”; Notes: Ablative of separation marking liberation from the land of bondage.

 

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.