Exodus 5:4

Posted on February 24, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 5:4 Ait ad eos rex Ægypti: Quare Moyses et Aaron solicitatis populum ab operibus suis? ite ad onera vestra.

The king of Egypt said to them: “Why do you, Moyses and Aaron, trouble the people from their works? Go to your burdens.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Ait said 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
2 ad to PREP+ACC
3 eos them ACC.PL.M
4 rex king NOM.SG.M
5 Ægypti of Egypt GEN.SG
6 Quare why ADV.INT
7 Moyses Moses NOM.SG.M
8 et and CONJ
9 Aaron Aaron NOM.SG.M
10 sollicitatis you trouble 2PL.PRES.ACT.IND
11 populum people ACC.SG.M
12 ab from PREP+ABL
13 operibus works ABL.PL.N
14 suis their ABL.PL
15 ite go 2PL.PRES.ACT.IMP
16 ad to PREP+ACC
17 onera burdens ACC.PL.N
18 vestra your ACC.PL.N

Syntax

Speech introduction: Ait ad eos — verb of speaking with accusative object eos.
Speaker identification: rex Ægypti — subject in nominative + genitive complement.
Main interrogative: Quare Moyses et Aaron sollicitatis populum ab operibus suis? — direct question with second-person plural verb.
Object of disturbance: populum — accused of being diverted from labor.
Prepositional phrase: ab operibus suis — from their mandatory tasks.
Imperative command: ite ad onera vestra — immediate dismissal to resume labor.

Morphology

  1. Ait — Lemma: aio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present active indicative; Function: introduces direct speech; Translation: said; Notes: common narrative verb for speech.
  2. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: indicates direction toward object; Translation: to; Notes: used frequently with verbs of speaking.
  3. eos — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object of ad; Translation: them; Notes: refers to Moses and Aaron.
  4. rex — Lemma: rex; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: king; Notes: ruler of Egypt.
  5. Ægypti — Lemma: Ægyptus; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular; Function: modifies rex; Translation: of Egypt; Notes: territorial designation.
  6. Quare — Lemma: quare; Part of Speech: interrogative adverb; Form: —; Function: introduces direct question; Translation: why; Notes: expresses accusation.
  7. Moyses — Lemma: Moyses; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: part of compound subject; Translation: Moses; Notes: addressed by Pharaoh.
  8. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Function: links subjects; Translation: and; Notes: coordination marker.
  9. Aaron — Lemma: Aaron; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: second part of compound subject; Translation: Aaron; Notes: spokesman with Moses.
  10. sollicitatis — Lemma: sollicito; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person plural present active indicative; Function: main verb of question; Translation: you trouble; Notes: implies disruption of labor.
  11. populum — Lemma: populus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object; Translation: the people; Notes: refers to enslaved Israelites.
  12. ab — Lemma: ab; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses separation; Translation: from; Notes: alternate form of a before vowels.
  13. operibus — Lemma: opus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural neuter; Function: object of ab; Translation: works; Notes: enforced labor.
  14. suis — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: ablative plural; Function: modifies operibus; Translation: their; Notes: reflexive referring to the people.
  15. ite — Lemma: eo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person plural present active imperative; Function: command; Translation: go; Notes: dismissive order.
  16. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: direction; Translation: to; Notes: marks destination.
  17. onera — Lemma: onus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: object of ad; Translation: burdens; Notes: forced labor obligations.
  18. vestra — Lemma: vester; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: modifies onera; Translation: your; Notes: Pharaoh dismissively reassigns them to labor.

 

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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