Exodus 5:8

Posted on February 24, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 5:8 Et mensuram laterum, quam prius faciebant, imponetis super eos, nec minuetis quidquam: vacant enim, et idcirco vociferantur, dicentes: Eamus, et sacrificemus Deo nostro.

And the measure of bricks which they made before you shall impose upon them, and you shall not diminish anything: for they are idle, and therefore they cry out, saying: ‘Let us go, and let us sacrifice to our God.’

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Et and CONJ
2 mensuram measure ACC.SG.F
3 laterum of bricks GEN.PL.M
4 quam which REL.PRON.ACC.SG.F
5 prius before ADV
6 faciebant they made 3PL.IMPFT.ACT.IND
7 imponetis you shall impose 2PL.FUT.ACT.IND
8 super upon PREP+ACC
9 eos them ACC.PL.M
10 nec nor CONJ
11 minuetis you shall diminish 2PL.FUT.ACT.IND
12 quidquam anything ACC.SG.N.INDEF
13 vacant they are idle 3PL.PRES.ACT.IND
14 enim for PART
15 et and CONJ
16 idcirco therefore ADV
17 vociferantur they cry out 3PL.PRES.DEP.IND
18 dicentes saying PRES.ACT.PART.NOM.PL.M
19 Eamus let us go 1PL.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
20 et and CONJ
21 sacrificemus let us sacrifice 1PL.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
22 Deo to God DAT.SG.M
23 nostro our DAT.SG.M

Syntax

Main directive: Et mensuram laterum … imponetis super eos — direct command to supervisors to keep brick quotas unchanged.
Relative clause: quam prius faciebant — specifies the existing quota.
Negative command: nec minuetis quidquam — absolute prohibition of reduction.
Causal clause: vacant enim — Pharaoh’s asserted rationale.
Consequential clause: et idcirco vociferantur — depicts complaints as evidence of laziness.
Quoted speech introduced by participle: dicentes:
Eamus — jussive subjunctive
et sacrificemus Deo nostro — coordinated jussive clause.

Morphology

  1. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links commands; Translation: and; Notes: additive connective.
  2. mensuram — Lemma: mensura; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object of imponetis; Translation: measure; Notes: refers to quota.
  3. laterum — Lemma: later; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: genitive of material; Translation: of bricks; Notes: clarifies quota content.
  4. quam — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: introduces relative clause; Translation: which; Notes: agrees with mensuram.
  5. prius — Lemma: prior; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: comparative; Function: modifies implied verb; Translation: before; Notes: temporal contrast.
  6. faciebant — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural imperfect active indicative; Function: verb of relative clause; Translation: they made; Notes: describes habitual action.
  7. imponetis — Lemma: impono; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person plural future active indicative; Function: main command; Translation: you shall impose; Notes: binding administrative order.
  8. super — Lemma: super; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: spatial relation; Translation: upon; Notes: expresses burden.
  9. eos — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object of super; Translation: them; Notes: refers to Israelites.
  10. nec — Lemma: nec; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: negative; Function: forbids additional action; Translation: nor; Notes: joins prohibitions.
  11. minuetis — Lemma: minuo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person plural future active indicative; Function: negative command; Translation: you shall diminish; Notes: enforces strict quota.
  12. quidquam — Lemma: quidquam; Part of Speech: indefinite pronoun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object of minuetis; Translation: anything; Notes: absolute minimization.
  13. vacant — Lemma: vaco; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural present active indicative; Function: causal assertion; Translation: they are idle; Notes: Pharaoh’s accusation.
  14. enim — Lemma: enim; Part of Speech: particle; Function: introduces explanation; Translation: for; Notes: postpositive.
  15. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Function: links cause and result; Translation: and; Notes: simple conjunction.
  16. idcirco — Lemma: idcirco; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: causal; Function: marks inference; Translation: therefore; Notes: emphasizes reason.
  17. vociferantur — Lemma: vociferor; Part of Speech: deponent verb; Form: third person plural present indicative; Function: verb of result clause; Translation: they cry out; Notes: deponent in form but active in meaning.
  18. dicentes — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: participle; Form: present active participle nominative plural masculine; Function: introduces the quoted words; Translation: saying; Notes: agrees with implied subject.
  19. Eamus — Lemma: eo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: first person plural present active subjunctive; Function: jussive; Translation: let us go; Notes: expresses intent.
  20. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Function: links jussive verbs; Translation: and; Notes: simple coordination.
  21. sacrificemus — Lemma: sacrifico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: first person plural present active subjunctive; Function: jussive; Translation: let us sacrifice; Notes: expresses religious plea.
  22. Deo — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: indirect object; Translation: to God; Notes: recipient of sacrifice.
  23. nostro — Lemma: noster; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: modifies Deo; Translation: our; Notes: expresses covenant identity.

 

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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