Exodus 4:3

Posted on February 23, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 4:3 Dixitque Dominus: Proiice eam in terram. Proiecit, et versa est in colubrum, ita ut fugeret Moyses.

And the LORD said: “Throw it upon the ground.” He threw it, and it was turned into a serpent, so that Moyses fled.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Dixitque and said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND + ENCLITIC
2 Dominus LORD NOM.SG.M
3 Proiice throw 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP
4 eam it ACC.SG.F.PRON
5 in onto PREP+ACC
6 terram ground ACC.SG.F
7 Proiecit he threw 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
8 et and CONJ
9 versa changed NOM.SG.F.PERF.PASS.PTCP
10 est was 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
11 in into PREP+ACC
12 colubrum serpent ACC.SG.N
13 ita so ADV
14 ut that CONJ.SUB
15 fugeret he fled 3SG.IMPF.ACT.SUBJ
16 Moyses Moses NOM.SG.M

Syntax

Main Speech Introduction:
Dixitque Dominus — “And the LORD said.”
• Dominus = subject, rendered “LORD” because it refers to YHWH.
• Enclitic -que links this utterance to the previous narrative sequence.

Imperative Command:
Proiice eam in terram — “Throw it upon the ground.”
• Proiice = direct imperative.
• eam = object referring to the rod.
• in terram = accusative expressing motion onto location.

Obedience:
Proiecit — “He threw it,” with no expressed subject (understood as Moses).

Transformation Clause:
et versa est in colubrum — “and it was turned into a serpent.”
• Passive periphrastic sense via perfect passive participle + est.
• in colubrum = accusative of result.

Result Clause:
ita ut fugeret Moyses — “so that Moses fled.”
• ut + imperfect subjunctive expresses actual result.
• Moyses = subject of fugeret.

Morphology

  1. Dixitque — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd singular perfect active indicative with enclitic -que; Function: introduces divine speech; Translation: “and said”; Notes: Enclitic -que tightly connects this speech act to prior commands.
  2. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun/title; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of dixit; Translation: “LORD”; Notes: Used for YHWH; nominative identifies speaker.
  3. Proiice — Lemma: proicio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 2nd singular present active imperative; Function: direct divine command; Translation: “throw”; Notes: Imperative enacts immediate action.
  4. eam — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object of Proiice; Translation: “it”; Notes: Refers to the rod already mentioned.
  5. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses motion into; Translation: “onto”; Notes: Accusative marks direction rather than static location.
  6. terram — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of in; Translation: “ground”; Notes: Indicates the destination of the thrown object.
  7. Proiecit — Lemma: proicio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd singular perfect active indicative; Function: narrates Moses’ obedience; Translation: “he threw”; Notes: Perfect expresses completed action immediately following command.
  8. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links sequential actions; Translation: “and”; Notes: Introduces ensuing miraculous result.
  9. versa — Lemma: verto; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular feminine perfect passive participle; Function: part of periphrastic passive; Translation: “turned”; Notes: Describes state resulting from divine transformation.
  10. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd singular present active indicative; Function: auxiliary of passive; Translation: “was”; Notes: Forms passive with participle.
  11. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses result destination; Translation: “into”; Notes: Accusative expresses transformation outcome.
  12. colubrum — Lemma: colubrum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: predicate complement of transformation; Translation: “serpent”; Notes: Indicates miraculous metamorphosis.
  13. ita — Lemma: ita; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: intensifies result clause; Translation: “so”; Notes: Often paired with ut introducing actual result.
  14. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: subordinating; Function: introduces result clause; Translation: “that”; Notes: Signals actual consequence rather than purpose.
  15. fugeret — Lemma: fugio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd singular imperfect active subjunctive; Function: verb of the result clause; Translation: “he fled”; Notes: Imperfect subjunctive expresses real resulting action in narrative.
  16. Moyses — Lemma: Moyses; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular; Function: subject of fugeret; Translation: “Moses”; Notes: Provides explicit subject of the result action.

 

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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