Exodus 6:30

Posted on February 25, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 6:30 Et ait Moyses coram Domino: En incircumcisus labiis sum, quo modo audiet me Pharao?

And Moyses said before the LORD: “Behold, I am uncircumcised in lips; how will Pharao hear me?”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Et and CONJ
2 ait said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
3 Moyses Moses NOM.SG.M (NAME)
4 coram before PREP+ABL
5 Domino LORD ABL.SG.M
6 En behold INTERJ
7 incircumcisus uncircumcised NOM.SG.M.ADJ
8 labiis in lips ABL.PL.N
9 sum I am 1SG.PRES.ACT.IND
10 quo how ABL.SG.M/NEUT.INTERROG
11 modo way ABL.SG.M
12 audiet will hear 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND
13 me me ACC.SG.PRON
14 Pharao Pharaoh NOM.SG.M (NAME)

Syntax

Introductory clause:
Et ait Moyses coram Domino —
ait (verb) + Moyses (subject) + coram Domino (prepositional phrase of location).

Exclamatory clause:
En incircumcisus labiis sum —
En introduces an emphatic declaration;
incircumcisus (predicate adjective) + sum (copula) + labiis (ablative of respect).

Direct question:
quo modo audiet me Pharao? —
quo modo (interrogative adverbial phrase) + audiet (future verb) + Pharao (subject) + me (object).

Morphology

  1. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: connects narrative sentences; Translation: and; Notes: standard narrative linkage.
  2. ait — Lemma: aio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: said; Notes: typical speech-introduction verb.
  3. Moyses — Lemma: Moyses; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: Moses; Notes: leader addressed by the LORD.
  4. coram — Lemma: coram; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses presence before someone; Translation: before; Notes: solemn setting.
  5. Domino — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of coram; Translation: LORD; Notes: refers to YHWH.
  6. En — Lemma: en; Part of Speech: interjection; Form: indeclinable; Function: calls attention; Translation: behold; Notes: introduces self-description.
  7. incircumcisus — Lemma: incircumcisus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: predicate adjective; Translation: uncircumcised; Notes: metaphor for “unfit for speech.”
  8. labiis — Lemma: labium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural neuter; Function: ablative of respect; Translation: in lips; Notes: idiom signifying impeded speech.
  9. sum — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: first person singular present active indicative; Function: copula; Translation: I am; Notes: joins subject and predicate.
  10. quo — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: interrogative adjective/pronoun; Form: ablative singular masculine/neuter; Function: part of adverbial interrogative phrase; Translation: how; Notes: idiomatically forms quo modo.
  11. modo — Lemma: modus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: completes interrogative phrase quo modo; Translation: way; Notes: literally “by which way.”
  12. audiet — Lemma: audio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future active indicative; Function: main verb of question; Translation: will hear; Notes: expresses future doubt.
  13. me — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular; Function: object; Translation: me; Notes: Moses as the one who must be heard.
  14. Pharao — Lemma: Pharao; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of audiet; Translation: Pharaoh; Notes: highlights Moses’ anxiety.

 

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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