Exodus 5:7

Posted on February 24, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 5:7 Nequaquam ultra dabitis paleas populo ad conficiendos lateres, sicut prius: sed ipsi vadant, et colligant stipulas.

“You shall by no means give straw to the people any longer for making bricks, as before; but they themselves shall go and gather stubble.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Nequaquam by no means ADV
2 ultra any longer ADV
3 dabitis you shall give 2PL.FUT.ACT.IND
4 paleas straw ACC.PL.F
5 populo to the people DAT.SG.M
6 ad for PREP+ACC
7 conficiendos for making GERUNDIVE.ACC.PL.M
8 lateres bricks ACC.PL.M
9 sicut as CONJ
10 prius before ADV
11 sed but CONJ
12 ipsi they themselves NOM.PL.M
13 vadant let them go 3PL.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
14 et and CONJ
15 colligant let them gather 3PL.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
16 stipulas stubble ACC.PL.F

Syntax

Prohibition: Nequaquam ultra dabitis paleas populo — future indicative (dabitis) with negative adverbs nequaquam + ultra expresses an absolute prohibition.
Purpose phrase: ad conficiendos lateres — gerundive construction indicating purpose (“for making bricks”).
Comparative clause: sicut prius — contrasts new policy with previous practice.
Command in subjunctive (jussive): ipsi vadant et colligant stipulas — shifts burden of gathering materials directly onto the Israelites.
Overall structure: Complete removal of Egyptian provision of straw, replacing it with a forced self-supply burden.

Morphology

  1. Nequaquam — Lemma: nequaquam; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: strong negation; Function: intensifies prohibition; Translation: by no means; Notes: emphatic total denial.
  2. ultra — Lemma: ultra; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: temporal; Function: modifies dabitis; Translation: any longer; Notes: forbids further giving.
  3. dabitis — Lemma: do; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person plural future active indicative; Function: main verb of decree; Translation: you shall give; Notes: expresses future enforceable policy.
  4. paleas — Lemma: palea; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: direct object of dabitis; Translation: straw; Notes: essential for brick-making.
  5. populo — Lemma: populus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: indirect object; Translation: to the people; Notes: refers to the Israelites.
  6. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses purpose; Translation: for; Notes: common with gerundives.
  7. conficiendos — Lemma: conficio; Part of Speech: gerundive; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: modifies implied lateres in purpose phrase; Translation: for making; Notes: expresses necessity.
  8. lateres — Lemma: later; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object tied to gerundive phrase; Translation: bricks; Notes: end product of labor.
  9. sicut — Lemma: sicut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: comparative; Function: introduces comparison; Translation: as; Notes: contrasts past and present.
  10. prius — Lemma: prior; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: comparative; Function: modifies omitted verb (“was done”); Translation: before; Notes: indicates previous policy.
  11. sed — Lemma: sed; Part of Speech: conjunction; Function: introduces contrast; Translation: but; Notes: adversative marker.
  12. ipsi — Lemma: ipse; Part of Speech: intensive pronoun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: emphatic subject; Translation: they themselves; Notes: emphasizes burden shift.
  13. vadant — Lemma: vado; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural present active subjunctive; Function: jussive command; Translation: let them go; Notes: expresses imposed obligation.
  14. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Function: joins two jussive verbs; Translation: and; Notes: additive logic.
  15. colligant — Lemma: colligo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural present active subjunctive; Function: second jussive command; Translation: let them gather; Notes: expresses required labor action.
  16. stipulas — Lemma: stipula; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: direct object of colligant; Translation: stubble; Notes: inferior substitute for straw.

 

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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