Exodus 3:12

Posted on February 22, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

12 Qui dixit ei: Ego ero tecum: et hoc habebis signum, quod miserim te: Cum eduxeris populum meum de Ægypto, immolabis Deo super montem istum.

He said to him: “I will be with you, and you shall have this sign that I have sent you: when you have brought out my people from Egypt, you will sacrifice to God upon this mountain.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Qui who NOM.SG.M REL
2 dixit said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
3 ei to him DAT.SG PRON
4 Ego I NOM.SG PRON
5 ero I will be 1SG.FUT.ACT.IND
6 tecum with you ABL.SG PRON + CUM
7 et and CONJ
8 hoc this ACC.SG.N DEM
9 habebis you shall have 2SG.FUT.ACT.IND
10 signum a sign ACC.SG.N
11 quod that NOM/ACC.SG.N REL
12 miserim I have sent 1SG.PERF.ACT.SUBJ
13 te you ACC.SG PRON
14 Cum when SUB.CONJ
15 eduxeris you have brought out 2SG.FUT.PERF.ACT.IND
16 populum people ACC.SG.M
17 meum my ACC.SG.M POSS
18 de from PREP+ABL
19 Ægypto Egypt ABL.SG.F PROPER
20 immolabis you will sacrifice 2SG.FUT.ACT.IND
21 Deo to God DAT.SG.M
22 super upon PREP+ACC/ABL
23 montem mountain ACC.SG.M
24 istum this ACC.SG.M DEM

Syntax

Relative Clause Introducing Divine Speech:
Qui dixit ei — “Who said to him.”
• Qui = relative pronoun referring to the LORD.
• dixit = perfect narrative verb.
• ei = recipient of the speech.

Divine Assurance:
Ego ero tecum — “I will be with you.”
• Ego = emphatic subject.
• ero = future indicative (promise).
• tecum = ablative of accompaniment.

Promise of a Sign:
et hoc habebis signum — “and you shall have this sign.”
• hoc = demonstrative, anticipatory.
• habebis = future of certainty.

Content Clause:
quod miserim te — “that I have sent you.”
• miserim = perfect subjunctive expressing divine commissioning.
• te = object.

Temporal Clause:
Cum eduxeris populum meum de Ægypto — “When you have brought out my people from Egypt.”
• eduxeris = future perfect (completed action before the next).
• populum meum = object + possessive.
• de Ægypto = ablative of separation.

Main Future Indicative Result:
immolabis Deo super montem istum — “you will sacrifice to God upon this mountain.”
• immolabis = main future verb.
• super montem istum = locative expression identifying Sinai.

Morphology

  1. Qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of dixit; Translation: “who”; Notes: Refers to the LORD from the preceding verse.
  2. dixit — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd singular perfect active indicative; Function: introduces speech; Translation: “said”; Notes: Perfect indicates completed divine utterance.
  3. ei — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to him”; Notes: Refers to Moses.
  4. Ego — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative singular; Function: emphatic subject; Translation: “I”; Notes: Adds force to the divine promise.
  5. ero — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 1st singular future active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: “I will be”; Notes: Future expressing unwavering commitment.
  6. tecum — Lemma: tu + cum; Part of Speech: pronoun + enclitic; Form: ablative singular; Function: accompaniment; Translation: “with you”; Notes: Standard fusion of pronoun + cum.
  7. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: joins clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Sequential connector.
  8. hoc — Lemma: hic; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of habebis; Translation: “this”; Notes: Refers to the future sign.
  9. habebis — Lemma: habeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 2nd singular future active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: “you shall have”; Notes: Certainty of fulfillment.
  10. signum — Lemma: signum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object; Translation: “sign”; Notes: Indicates divine authentication.
  11. quod — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative/accusative singular neuter; Function: introduces content clause; Translation: “that”; Notes: Links “sign” with its meaning.
  12. miserim — Lemma: mitto; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 1st singular perfect active subjunctive; Function: substantive clause after signum; Translation: “I have sent”; Notes: Perfect subjunctive expresses purpose-content.
  13. te — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular; Function: direct object; Translation: “you”; Notes: Refers to Moses as the commissioned agent.
  14. Cum — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: subordinating conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces temporal clause; Translation: “when”; Notes: Used with future perfect.
  15. eduxeris — Lemma: educo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 2nd singular future perfect active indicative; Function: verb of temporal clause; Translation: “you have brought out”; Notes: Action completed before the future main clause.
  16. populum — Lemma: populus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of eduxeris; Translation: “people”; Notes: Indicates the covenant community.
  17. meum — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: modifies populum; Translation: “my”; Notes: Expresses covenant ownership.
  18. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: separation; Translation: “from”; Notes: Used with verbs of removal.
  19. Ægypto — Lemma: Ægyptus; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of de; Translation: “Egypt”; Notes: Place of bondage.
  20. immolabis — Lemma: immolo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 2nd singular future active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: “you will sacrifice”; Notes: Refers to worship after deliverance.
  21. Deo — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to God”; Notes: Recipient of worship.
  22. super — Lemma: super; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative here; Function: spatial relation; Translation: “upon”; Notes: Indicates the mountain as place of sacrifice.
  23. montem — Lemma: mons; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of super; Translation: “mountain”; Notes: Refers to Horeb/Sinai.
  24. istum — Lemma: iste; Part of Speech: demonstrative adjective; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: modifies montem; Translation: “this”; Notes: Indicates the very mountain Moses is standing at.

 

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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