Exodus 6:5

Posted on February 25, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 6:5 Ego audivi gemitum filiorum Israel, quo Ægyptii oppresserunt eos: et recordatus sum pacti mei.

I have heard the groaning of the sons of Israel, by which the Egyptians oppressed them, and I have remembered My covenant.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Ego I NOM.SG.PRON
2 audivi I have heard 1SG.PERF.ACT.IND
3 gemitum groaning ACC.SG.M
4 filiorum of the sons GEN.PL.M
5 Israel Israel GEN.SG.M (INDECL.)
6 quo by which ABL.SG.M.REL.PRON
7 Ægyptii the Egyptians NOM.PL.M
8 oppresserunt they oppressed 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
9 eos them ACC.PL.M
10 et and CONJ
11 recordatus having remembered NOM.SG.M.PERF.PASS.PART (DEPONENT)
12 sum I have 1SG.PRES.ACT.IND
13 pacti of the covenant GEN.SG.N
14 mei of My GEN.SG

Syntax

Main declaration: Ego audivi gemitum filiorum Israel — emphatic “I” + perfect indicative: YHWH asserts His awareness of Israel’s suffering.
Relative clause: quo Ægyptii oppresserunt eos — ablative of instrument referring back to gemitum; describes the context of oppression.
Coordinated clause: et recordatus sum pacti mei — deponent participle + auxiliary expressing remembered covenant faithfulness.

Morphology

  1. Ego — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative singular; Function: emphatic subject; Translation: I; Notes: stresses divine agency.
  2. audivi — Lemma: audio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: first person singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: I have heard; Notes: perfect signals completed divine perception.
  3. gemitum — Lemma: gemitus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of audivi; Translation: groaning; Notes: expresses anguish.
  4. filiorum — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: possessor; Translation: of the sons; Notes: clan-based identity.
  5. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular masculine (indeclinable); Function: modifies filiorum; Translation: Israel; Notes: ethnic designation.
  6. quo — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: ablative of instrument; Translation: by which; Notes: refers to gemitum.
  7. Ægyptii — Lemma: Ægyptius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject of oppresserunt; Translation: the Egyptians; Notes: oppressors.
  8. oppresserunt — Lemma: opprimo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural perfect active indicative; Function: main verb of clause; Translation: they oppressed; Notes: describes harsh treatment.
  9. eos — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: direct object of oppresserunt; Translation: them; Notes: refers to the Israelites.
  10. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Function: connects divine actions; Translation: and; Notes: narrative link.
  11. recordatus — Lemma: recordor; Part of Speech: participle (deponent); Form: nominative singular masculine perfect passive participle with active meaning; Function: part of periphrastic verb; Translation: having remembered; Notes: deponent expressing active sense.
  12. sum — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: first person singular present active indicative; Function: auxiliary completing periphrastic; Translation: I have; Notes: forms perfect with recordatus.
  13. pacti — Lemma: pactum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter; Function: object of memory; Translation: of the covenant; Notes: covenantal terminology.
  14. mei — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: genitive singular; Function: modifies pacti; Translation: of My; Notes: refers to YHWH’s covenant.

 

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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