Exodus 4:16

Posted on February 23, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 4:16 ipse loquetur pro te ad populum, et erit os tuum: tu autem eris ei in his quæ ad Deum pertinent.

He himself will speak for you to the people, and he will be your mouth, but you will be to him in the things that pertain to God.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 ipse he himself NOM.SG.M
2 loquetur will speak 3SG.FUT.DEP.IND
3 pro for PREP+ABL
4 te you ABL.SG
5 ad to PREP+ACC
6 populum the people ACC.SG.M
7 et and CONJ
8 erit he will be 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND
9 os mouth NOM.SG.N
10 tuum your NOM.SG.N
11 tu you NOM.SG
12 autem but ADV/CONJ
13 eris you will be 2SG.FUT.ACT.IND
14 ei to him DAT.SG.M
15 in in PREP+ABL
16 his these things ABL.PL.N
17 quæ which NOM.PL.N
18 ad to PREP+ACC
19 Deum God ACC.SG.M
20 pertinent pertain 3PL.PRES.ACT.IND

Syntax

Main clause: ipse loquetur is the principal statement, with ipse as emphatic subject and loquetur as the future deponent verb.
Indirect relation: pro te expresses representation (“on your behalf”).
Goal phrase: ad populum indicates the audience to whom Aaron will speak.
Coordinated clause: et erit os tuum identifies his role as your “mouth,” a metaphor for speaking in place of Moses.
Contrastive clause: tu autem eris ei in his quæ ad Deum pertinent introduces a contrasting responsibility: Moses will function for Aaron specifically in matters pertaining to God.
Relative clause: quæ ad Deum pertinent defines the domain (“the things which pertain to God”), modifying his.

Morphology

  1. ipse — Lemma: ipse; Part of Speech: intensive pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: emphatic subject of loquetur; Translation: he himself; Notes: stresses Aaron’s independent speaking role.
  2. loquetur — Lemma: loquor; Part of Speech: deponent verb; Form: third person singular future indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: will speak; Notes: deponent form, active meaning.
  3. pro — Lemma: pro; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: indicates representation; Translation: for; Notes: expresses acting on behalf of someone.
  4. te — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: ablative singular; Function: object of pro; Translation: you; Notes: refers to Moses.
  5. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces direction; Translation: to; Notes: marks the audience of Aaron’s speech.
  6. populum — Lemma: populus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of ad; Translation: the people; Notes: refers to Israel.
  7. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: coordinating conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: joins clauses; Translation: and; Notes: links the first statement with the next.
  8. erit — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future active indicative; Function: verb of being; Translation: he will be; Notes: introduces Aaron’s representative role.
  9. os — Lemma: os; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: predicate nominative; Translation: mouth; Notes: metaphor for “spokesman.”
  10. tuum — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: modifies os; Translation: your; Notes: refers to Moses.
  11. tu — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: nominative singular; Function: subject of eris; Translation: you; Notes: emphatic contrast with ipse.
  12. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: adverbial conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces contrast; Translation: but; Notes: contrasts Moses’ role with Aaron’s.
  13. eris — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person singular future active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: you will be; Notes: establishes Moses’ responsibility.
  14. ei — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: indirect object; Translation: to him; Notes: refers to Aaron.
  15. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces sphere or domain; Translation: in; Notes: here indicates “in regard to.”
  16. his — Lemma: hic; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: ablative plural neuter; Function: object of in; Translation: these things; Notes: refers to the matters defined by the following relative clause.
  17. quæ — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative plural neuter; Function: subject of pertinent; Translation: which; Notes: agrees with his in gender and number.
  18. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses relation; Translation: to; Notes: expresses direction toward deity.
  19. Deum — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of ad; Translation: God; Notes: refers to YHWH.
  20. pertinent — Lemma: pertineo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural present active indicative; Function: main verb in relative clause; Translation: pertain; Notes: plural agrees with neuter plural subject quæ.

 

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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