Exodus 5:9

Posted on February 24, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 5:9 Opprimantur operibus, et expleant ea: ut non acquiescant verbis mendacibus.

Let them be oppressed with works, and let them complete them, so that they may not give heed to lying words.“

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Opprimantur let them be oppressed 3PL.PRES.PASS.SUBJ
2 operibus with works ABL.PL.N
3 et and CONJ
4 expleant let them complete 3PL.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
5 ea them ACC.PL.N
6 ut so that CONJ
7 non not ADV
8 acquiescant they may give heed 3PL.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
9 verbis to words DAT.PL.N
10 mendacibus lying DAT.PL.N

Syntax

Main jussive commands:
• Opprimantur operibus — passive jussive subjunctive expressing Pharaoh’s desire that the Israelites be crushed under labor.
• et expleant ea — active jussive, requiring the completion of all imposed tasks.

Purpose clause:
• ut non acquiescant verbis mendacibus — expresses Pharaoh’s stated intention: to prevent them from paying attention to what he calls “lying words,” i.e., the message delivered by Moses and Aaron.

Overall structure: Two coordinated jussive commands followed by a final purpose clause justifying the oppressive policy.

Morphology

  1. Opprimantur — Lemma: opprimo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural present passive subjunctive; Function: jussive command; Translation: let them be oppressed; Notes: expresses imposed suffering by external agents.
  2. operibus — Lemma: opus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural neuter; Function: ablative of means; Translation: with works; Notes: refers to forced labor.
  3. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links jussive verbs; Translation: and; Notes: adds second command.
  4. expleant — Lemma: expleo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural present active subjunctive; Function: jussive command; Translation: let them complete; Notes: stresses full performance of tasks.
  5. ea — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: direct object of expleant; Translation: them; Notes: refers to the assigned works.
  6. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: introduces purpose clause; Function: expresses intended result; Translation: so that; Notes: classical purpose marker.
  7. non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: negation; Function: negates acquiescant; Translation: not; Notes: standard negator.
  8. acquiescant — Lemma: acquiesco; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural present active subjunctive; Function: verb in purpose clause; Translation: they may give heed; Notes: connotes listening favorably or yielding.
  9. verbis — Lemma: verbum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative plural neuter; Function: indirect object; Translation: to words; Notes: receives the verb’s sense of attention.
  10. mendacibus — Lemma: mendax; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: dative plural neuter; Function: modifies verbis; Translation: lying; Notes: Pharaoh’s evaluative term for the prophetic message.

 

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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