Exodus 4:15

Posted on February 23, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 4:15 Loquere ad eum, et pone verba mea in ore eius: et ego ero in ore tuo, et in ore illius, et ostendam vobis quid agere debeatis.

Speak to him, and place My words in his mouth, and I will be in your mouth and in his mouth, and I will show you what you must do.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Loquere speak 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP
2 ad to PREP+ACC
3 eum him ACC.SG.M
4 et and CONJ
5 pone place 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP
6 verba words ACC.PL.N
7 mea my ACC.PL.N
8 in in PREP+ABL
9 ore mouth ABL.SG.N
10 eius of him GEN.SG.M
11 et and CONJ
12 ego I NOM.SG
13 ero I will be 1SG.FUT.ACT.IND
14 in in PREP+ABL
15 ore mouth ABL.SG.N
16 tuo your ABL.SG.M
17 et and CONJ
18 in in PREP+ABL
19 ore mouth ABL.SG.N
20 illius of him GEN.SG.M
21 et and CONJ
22 ostendam I will show 1SG.FUT.ACT.IND
23 vobis to you DAT.PL
24 quid what NOM/ACC.SG.N
25 agere to do PRES.ACT.INF
26 debeatis you must 2PL.PRES.ACT.SUBJ

Syntax

Main command: Loquere (imperative verb) with an implied second person singular subject (Moses).
Prepositional phrase: ad eum — indicates the addressee of the speech.
Second imperative clause: pone verba mea in ore eius — verb pone takes direct object verba mea and locative phrase in ore eius describing where the words are to be placed.
Coordinated future declaration: ego ero in ore tuo, et in ore illius — explicit subject ego with future verb ero, followed by two prepositional phrases expressing divine presence in both mouths.
Final future clause with indirect question: et ostendam vobis quid agere debeatis — verb ostendam governs dative vobis and introduces the indirect question quid agere debeatis, where infinitive agere depends on subjunctive debeatis.

Morphology

  1. Loquere — Lemma: loquor; Part of Speech: deponent verb; Form: second person singular present imperative (deponent with active meaning); Function: main verb of command addressing Moses; Translation: speak; Notes: although deponent in form, it has an active sense and issues a direct divine instruction.
  2. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: simple preposition governing the accusative case; Function: introduces the person toward whom the speaking is directed; Translation: to; Notes: expresses motion or direction toward a person rather than location.
  3. eum — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of the preposition ad; Translation: him; Notes: contextually refers to Aaron, the one who will serve as spokesman.
  4. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: coordinating conjunction; Form: invariable conjunction; Function: links the first imperative Loquere with the second imperative pone; Translation: and; Notes: shows that both speaking and placing the words are part of a single composite command.
  5. pone — Lemma: pono; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person singular present active imperative; Function: second main verb of command; Translation: place; Notes: governs direct object verba mea and expresses the act of depositing divine speech into Aaron’s mouth.
  6. verba — Lemma: verbum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: direct object of pone; Translation: words; Notes: neuter plural indicates multiple distinct utterances or sayings entrusted to Aaron.
  7. mea — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative plural neuter agreeing with verba; Function: adjectival modifier specifying whose words they are; Translation: my; Notes: emphasizes that the content placed in Aaron’s mouth is exclusively divine, not human.
  8. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: simple preposition governing the ablative in a locative sense; Function: introduces the place where the words are to be located; Translation: in; Notes: with the ablative, it expresses rest or position rather than motion.
  9. ore — Lemma: os; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: object of the preposition in; Translation: mouth; Notes: metonymically represents speech and prophetic utterance.
  10. eius — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: third person possessive/genitive pronoun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessive genitive modifying ore; Translation: of him; Notes: indicates that the mouth belongs to Aaron, distinguishing his role from Moses.
  11. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: coordinating conjunction; Form: invariable conjunction; Function: connects the first command clause with the following divine promise clause; Translation: and; Notes: joins imperatives and future promises into one cohesive instruction.
  12. ego — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: nominative singular first person; Function: explicit subject of ero; Translation: I; Notes: the expressed subject heightens emphasis on YHWH’s personal involvement in their speech.
  13. ero — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: first person singular future active indicative; Function: main verb of the promise clause; Translation: I will be; Notes: indicates a continuing, future presence of God’s guidance in their mouths.
  14. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: preposition governing the ablative; Function: introduces the location of divine presence; Translation: in; Notes: again used with ablative to denote stable presence, not movement.
  15. ore — Lemma: os; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: object of in, specifying where God will be; Translation: mouth; Notes: here refers specifically to Moses’s mouth.
  16. tuo — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: ablative singular masculine agreeing with ore; Function: modifies ore to mark possession; Translation: your; Notes: distinguishes Moses’s mouth as one of the two key prophetic instruments.
  17. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: coordinating conjunction; Form: invariable conjunction; Function: coordinates the two parallel prepositional phrases in ore tuo and in ore illius; Translation: and; Notes: shows that both Moses and Aaron share the same divine empowerment.
  18. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: preposition governing the ablative; Function: introduces the second location phrase; Translation: in; Notes: parallels the earlier in ore tuo structurally.
  19. ore — Lemma: os; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: object of in in the second prepositional phrase; Translation: mouth; Notes: here refers to Aaron’s mouth as the other locus of divine speech.
  20. illius — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessive genitive modifying ore; Translation: of him; Notes: demonstrative form highlights “that man,” namely Aaron, as the second designated spokesman.
  21. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: coordinating conjunction; Form: invariable conjunction; Function: links the presence clause with the following showing clause; Translation: and; Notes: marks progression from promise of presence to promise of guidance.
  22. ostendam — Lemma: ostendo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: first person singular future active indicative; Function: main verb introducing the indirect question; Translation: I will show; Notes: future tense underscores ongoing divine instruction beyond this moment.
  23. vobis — Lemma: vos; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: dative plural; Function: indirect object of ostendam; Translation: to you; Notes: dative plural indicates that both Moses and Aaron are recipients of divine guidance.
  24. quid — Lemma: quis (neuter form quid); Part of Speech: interrogative pronoun; Form: nominative or accusative singular neuter; Function: introduces the indirect question and serves as the internal object of agere; Translation: what; Notes: marks the content of what must be done.
  25. agere — Lemma: ago; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active infinitive; Function: complementary infinitive dependent on debeatis within the indirect question; Translation: to do; Notes: expresses the action that is morally or divinely required.
  26. debeatis — Lemma: debeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person plural present active subjunctive; Function: verb of obligation within the indirect question; Translation: you must; Notes: subjunctive is regular in indirect questions in Latin and conveys the idea of what they are bound or obliged to do.

 

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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