Exodus 4:22

Posted on February 23, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 4:22 Dicesque ad eum: Hæc dicit Dominus: Filius meus primogenitus Israel.

And you shall say to him: “Thus says the LORD: ‘My son, my firstborn, is Israel.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Dicesque and you shall say 2SG.FUT.ACT.IND
2 ad to PREP+ACC
3 eum him ACC.SG.M
4 Hæc these things NOM.PL.N
5 dicit says 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
6 Dominus LORD NOM.SG.M
7 Filius son NOM.SG.M
8 meus my NOM.SG.M
9 primogenitus firstborn NOM.SG.M
10 Israel Israel NOM.SG.M

Syntax

Main command: Dicesque ad eum — future indicative functioning as an imperative (“you shall say”).
Quotative formula: Hæc dicit Dominus — prophetic speech introduction.
Predicate nominatives: Filius meus primogenitus Israel — Israel equated with Filius meus primogenitus.
Emphasis: absence of a copula (est) forms an elevated, declarative identification typical of divine speech.

Morphology

  1. Dicesque — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person singular future active indicative with enclitic -que; Function: divine command for Moses’ speech; Translation: and you shall say; Notes: future used imperatively in biblical/legal style.
  2. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces indirect object; Translation: to; Notes: directional, marking addressee.
  3. eum — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: indirect object of Dices; Translation: him; Notes: refers to Pharaoh.
  4. Hæc — Lemma: hic; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: nominative plural neuter; Function: subject of dicit; Translation: these things; Notes: refers to the quoted divine statement.
  5. dicit — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present active indicative; Function: verb of quoted formula; Translation: says; Notes: common prophetic/judicial formula.
  6. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of dicit; Translation: LORD; Notes: refers to YHWH.
  7. Filius — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: predicate nominative; Translation: son; Notes: predicate in identification formula.
  8. meus — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: modifies Filius; Translation: my; Notes: emphatic divine claim.
  9. primogenitus — Lemma: primogenitus; Part of Speech: adjective/noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: further predicate modifying Filius meus; Translation: firstborn; Notes: conveys preeminence and covenantal priority.
  10. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject complement in an implied identification; Translation: Israel; Notes: nation personified as God’s firstborn son.

 

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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