Exodus 6:12

Posted on February 25, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 6:12 Respondit Moyses coram Domino: Ecce filii Israel non audiunt me: et quo modo audiet Pharao, præsertim cum incircumcisus sim labiis?

Moyses answered before the LORD: “Behold, the sons of Israel do not listen to me, and how will Pharao listen, especially since I am uncircumcised in lips?”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Respondit he answered 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 Moyses Moses NOM.SG.M
3 coram before PREP+ABL
4 Domino the LORD ABL.SG.M
5 Ecce behold INTERJ
6 filii sons NOM.PL.M
7 Israel Israel NOM.SG.M (INDECL.)
8 non not ADV
9 audiunt they hear 3PL.PRES.ACT.IND
10 me me ACC.SG.M.PRON
11 et and CONJ
12 quo how ADV.INTERROG
13 modo in what manner ABL.SG.N
14 audiet will hear 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND
15 Pharao Pharaoh NOM.SG.M
16 præsertim especially ADV
17 cum since / when CONJ+SUBJ
18 incircumcisus uncircumcised NOM.SG.M.PERF.PASS.PART
19 sim I may be 1SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
20 labiis in lips ABL.PL.N

Syntax

Main clause: Respondit Moyses coram Domino — perfect verb with Moses as subject and coram Domino expressing location (“before the LORD”).
Demonstrative declaration: Ecce filii Israel non audiunt me — indicates a present, observable fact.
Rhetorical question: et quo modo audiet Pharao — expresses improbability.
Subordinate causal clause: præsertim cum incircumcisus sim labiis — expands the difficulty with a self-description of unfitness for speech.

Morphology

  1. Respondit — Lemma: respondeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: he answered; Notes: perfect marks completed reply to the LORD.
  2. Moyses — Lemma: Moyses; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: Moses; Notes: speaker in the narrative.
  3. coram — Lemma: coram; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: spatial relation; Translation: before; Notes: often used for presence before a divine or judicial figure.
  4. Domino — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of coram; Translation: the LORD; Notes: refers to YHWH → rendered “LORD.”
  5. Ecce — Lemma: ecce; Part of Speech: interjection; Form: indeclinable; Function: draws attention; Translation: behold; Notes: introduces complaint.
  6. filii — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject; Translation: sons; Notes: refers to Israelites.
  7. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine (indeclinable); Function: modifies filii; Translation: Israel; Notes: collective ethnic designation.
  8. non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: negates verb; Translation: not; Notes: expresses refusal.
  9. audiunt — Lemma: audio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural present active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: they hear / they listen; Notes: present tense marks continuous refusal.
  10. me — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular; Function: direct object; Translation: me; Notes: Moses expresses personal frustration.
  11. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces second complaint; Translation: and; Notes: simple coordination.
  12. quo — Lemma: quo; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: interrogative; Function: expresses manner; Translation: how; Notes: rhetorical force.
  13. modo — Lemma: modus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: adverbial phrase with quo; Translation: in what manner; Notes: common idiom.
  14. audiet — Lemma: audio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future active indicative; Function: verb of rhetorical question; Translation: will hear; Notes: expresses improbability of future obedience.
  15. Pharao — Lemma: Pharao; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of audiet; Translation: Pharaoh; Notes: royal opponent.
  16. præsertim — Lemma: præsertim; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: adds emphasis; Translation: especially; Notes: heightens contrast.
  17. cum — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: introduces subjunctive clause; Function: causal circumstance; Translation: since; Notes: causal-circumstantial use.
  18. incircumcisus — Lemma: incircumcisus; Part of Speech: adjective/participle; Form: nominative singular masculine perfect passive participle; Function: predicate with sim; Translation: uncircumcised; Notes: figurative expression of rhetorical inadequacy.
  19. sim — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: first person singular present active subjunctive; Function: verb of subordinate clause; Translation: I may be; Notes: required by cum clause.
  20. labiis — Lemma: labium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural neuter; Function: ablative of specification; Translation: in lips; Notes: idiomatic: “of uncircumcised lips.”

 

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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