Exodus 3:14

Posted on February 22, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 3:14 Dixit Deus ad Moysen: EGO SUM QUI SUM. Ait: Sic dices filiis Israel: QUI EST, misit me ad vos.

And God said to Moses: “I AM WHO AM.” He said: “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel: HE WHO IS has sent me to you.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Dixit said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 Deus God NOM.SG.M
3 ad to PREP+ACC
4 Moysen Moses ACC.SG.M PROPER
5 EGO I NOM.SG PRON
6 SUM am 1SG.PRES.ACT.IND
7 QUI who NOM.SG.M REL
8 SUM am 1SG.PRES.ACT.IND
9 Ait he said 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
10 Sic thus ADV
11 dices you shall say 2SG.FUT.ACT.IND
12 filiis to the sons DAT.PL.M
13 Israel Israel GEN.SG.M PROPER
14 QUI HE WHO NOM.SG.M REL
15 EST is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
16 misit has sent 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
17 me me ACC.SG PRON
18 ad to PREP+ACC
19 vos you ACC.PL PRON

Syntax

Divine Speech Frame:
Dixit Deus ad Moysen — “And God said to Moses.”
• Dixit = narrative perfect.
• ad Moysen marks Moses as the addressee.

First Divine Self-Revelation:
EGO SUM QUI SUM — “I AM WHO AM.”
• EGO = emphatic pronoun.
• SUM … SUM = identity expressed through existence.
• QUI introduces a relative clause of identity.

Instruction Formula:
Ait: Sic dices filiis Israel — “He said: Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel.”
• dices = future, expressing command/prediction.

Content of the Message:
QUI EST, misit me ad vos — “HE WHO IS has sent me to you.”
• QUI EST = absolute nominative title.
• misit me = perfect verb with direct object.
• ad vos indicates recipients.

Morphology

  1. Dixit — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd singular perfect active indicative; Function: introduces divine speech; Translation: “said”; Notes: Standard narrative verb in biblical Latin.
  2. Deus — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “God”; Notes: The speaker revealing His name.
  3. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: direction toward Moses; Translation: “to”; Notes: Introduces addressee.
  4. Moysen — Lemma: Moyses; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of ad; Translation: “Moses”; Notes: Recipient of the revelation.
  5. EGO — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative singular; Function: emphatic subject; Translation: “I”; Notes: Heightens solemnity of divine self-designation.
  6. SUM — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 1st singular present active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: “am”; Notes: Expresses existence rather than attribute.
  7. QUI — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: introduces relative clause; Translation: “who”; Notes: Refers back to the divine subject.
  8. SUM — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 1st singular present active indicative; Function: verb of relative clause; Translation: “am”; Notes: Repetition intensifies the ontological statement.
  9. Ait — Lemma: aio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd singular present active indicative; Function: resumes divine speaking; Translation: “he said”; Notes: Used frequently in quoted discourse.
  10. Sic — Lemma: sic; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces instructions; Translation: “thus”; Notes: Signals exact wording to be used.
  11. dices — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 2nd singular future active indicative; Function: command/predictive future; Translation: “you shall say”; Notes: Prophetic instruction to Moses.
  12. filiis — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative plural masculine; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to the sons”; Notes: Refers to the Israelites.
  13. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: modifies filiis; Translation: “of Israel”; Notes: Genealogical identity.
  14. QUI — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun functioning as substantive; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of est; Translation: “HE WHO”; Notes: Becomes a divine title.
  15. EST — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd singular present active indicative; Function: main verb of title; Translation: “is”; Notes: Expresses essential being.
  16. misit — Lemma: mitto; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd singular perfect active indicative; Function: finite verb; Translation: “has sent”; Notes: Perfect marks completed commissioning.
  17. me — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular; Function: direct object of misit; Translation: “me”; Notes: Refers to Moses.
  18. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses direction; Translation: “to”; Notes: Common with verbs of sending.
  19. vos — Lemma: vos; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative plural; Function: object of ad; Translation: “you”; Notes: Israel as recipients of the commission.

 

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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