Exodus 4:9

Posted on February 23, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 4:9 Quod si nec duobus quidem his signis crediderint, neque audierint vocem tuam: sume aquam fluminis, et effunde eam super aridam, et quidquid hauseris de fluvio, vertetur in sanguinem.

But if they will not believe even these two signs, nor listen to your voice, take the water of the river and pour it upon the dry ground, and whatever you draw from the river shall be turned into blood.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Quod but if CONJ
2 si if CONJ.COND
3 nec nor CONJ.NEG
4 duobus two ABL.PL.M/N.NUM
5 quidem indeed ADV
6 his these ABL.PL.M/N.DEM
7 signis signs ABL.PL.N
8 crediderint they will believe 3PL.FUTPERF.ACT.IND
9 neque nor CONJ.NEG
10 audierint they will hear 3PL.FUTPERF.ACT.IND
11 vocem voice ACC.SG.F
12 tuam your ACC.SG.F.ADJ
13 sume take 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP
14 aquam water ACC.SG.F
15 fluminis of the river GEN.SG.N
16 et and CONJ
17 effunde pour 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP
18 eam it ACC.SG.F.PRON
19 super upon PREP+ACC
20 aridam dry ground ACC.SG.F
21 et and CONJ
22 quidquid whatever N.INDEF.REL
23 hauseris you draw 2SG.FUTPERF.ACT.IND
24 de from PREP+ABL
25 fluvio river ABL.SG.M
26 vertetur will be changed 3SG.FUT.PASS.IND
27 in into PREP+ACC
28 sanguinem blood ACC.SG.M

Syntax

Conditional Protasis:
Quod si nec duobus quidem his signis crediderint, neque audierint vocem tuam
• Compound negative condition with two future perfect verbs (crediderint, audierint).
• duobus … his signis = ablative with crediderint meaning “believe in.”
• vocem tuam = direct object of audierint.

Imperative Apodosis (Sequence of Commands):
sume aquam fluminis, et effunde eam super aridam
• Consecutive commands introduced upon the failure of belief.

Result Clause:
et quidquid hauseris de fluvio, vertetur in sanguinem
• quidquid = neuter indefinite relative introducing future result.
• hauseris (future perfect) precedes vertetur (future passive).
• in sanguinem = accusative expressing transformation.

Morphology

  1. Quod — Lemma: quod; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: subordinating; Function: introduces strengthened conditional; Translation: “but if”; Notes: Classical use of quod as an intensifier for conditions.
  2. si — Lemma: si; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: conditional particle; Function: protasis marker; Translation: “if”; Notes: Standard conditional setup.
  3. nec — Lemma: nec; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: negative coordinator; Function: negates parallel clause; Translation: “nor”; Notes: Used with quidem for emphasis.
  4. duobus — Lemma: duo; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: ablative plural; Function: modifies signis; Translation: “two”; Notes: Ablative with verbs of belief.
  5. quidem — Lemma: quidem; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: intensifier; Translation: “indeed”; Notes: Emphatic strengthening particle.
  6. his — Lemma: hic; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: ablative plural masculine/neuter; Function: modifies signis; Translation: “these”; Notes: Refers to the two signs already shown.
  7. signis — Lemma: signum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural neuter; Function: complement of crediderint; Translation: “signs”; Notes: Ablative with credere expressing belief.
  8. crediderint — Lemma: credo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd plural future perfect active indicative; Function: first verb of protasis; Translation: “they will believe”; Notes: Future perfect expresses completed rejection.
  9. neque — Lemma: neque; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: negative coordinator; Function: adds second negative clause; Translation: “nor”; Notes: Stronger than nec.
  10. audierint — Lemma: audio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd plural future perfect active indicative; Function: second verb of protasis; Translation: “they will hear”; Notes: Future perfect continues negative frame.
  11. vocem — Lemma: vox; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object of audierint; Translation: “voice”; Notes: Moses’ speech or proclamation.
  12. tuam — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: modifies vocem; Translation: “your”; Notes: Possessive agreement.
  13. sume — Lemma: sumo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 2nd singular present active imperative; Function: divine command; Translation: “take”; Notes: Initiates miraculous action.
  14. aquam — Lemma: aqua; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object of sume; Translation: “water”; Notes: First substance used for sign.
  15. fluminis — Lemma: flumen; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter; Function: modifies aquam; Translation: “of the river”; Notes: Specifies source.
  16. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links commands; Translation: “and”; Notes: Connects sequential imperatives.
  17. effunde — Lemma: effundo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 2nd singular present active imperative; Function: second command; Translation: “pour”; Notes: Verb of action producing miracle.
  18. eam — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object of effunde; Translation: “it”; Notes: Refers to aquam.
  19. super — Lemma: super; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses placement; Translation: “upon”; Notes: Directional preposition.
  20. aridam — Lemma: arida; Part of Speech: adjective/substantive; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of super; Translation: “dry ground”; Notes: Acts substantively.
  21. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: introduces result; Translation: “and”; Notes: Connects final clause.
  22. quidquid — Lemma: quidquid; Part of Speech: indefinite relative; Form: neuter singular; Function: introduces conditional relative; Translation: “whatever”; Notes: Generic object of action.
  23. hauseris — Lemma: haurio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 2nd singular future perfect active indicative; Function: antecedent action; Translation: “you draw”; Notes: Future perfect precedes transformation.
  24. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses origin; Translation: “from”; Notes: Used with sources.
  25. fluvio — Lemma: fluvius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of de; Translation: “river”; Notes: Specifies source.
  26. vertetur — Lemma: verto; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd singular future passive indicative; Function: main verb of result; Translation: “will be turned”; Notes: Passive expresses external miraculous force.
  27. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: indicates transformation; Translation: “into”; Notes: Standard case with verbs of becoming.
  28. sanguinem — Lemma: sanguis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: complement of vertetur; Translation: “blood”; Notes: Marks end-state of transformation.

 

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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