Exodus 7:10

Posted on February 26, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 7:10 Ingressi itaque Moyses et Aaron ad Pharaonem, fecerunt sicut præceperat Dominus. tulitque Aaron virgam coram Pharaone et servis eius, quæ versa est in colubrum.

So Moyses and Aaron went in to Pharao, and they did just as the LORD had commanded. And Aaron took the rod before Pharao and his servants, and it was turned into a snake.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Ingressi having entered NOM.PL.M.PERF.PART.DEP
2 itaque therefore ADV
3 Moyses Moses NOM.SG.M (NAME)
4 et and CONJ
5 Aaron Aaron NOM.SG.M (NAME)
6 ad to PREP+ACC
7 Pharaonem Pharaoh ACC.SG.M (NAME)
8 fecerunt they did 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
9 sicut as CONJ
10 præceperat had commanded 3SG.PLUPERF.ACT.IND
11 Dominus LORD NOM.SG.M
12 tulitque and he took 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND + ENCLITIC
13 Aaron Aaron NOM.SG.M (NAME)
14 virgam rod ACC.SG.F
15 coram before PREP+ABL
16 Pharaone Pharaoh ABL.SG.M (NAME)
17 et and CONJ
18 servis servants ABL.PL.M
19 eius his GEN.SG.M.PRON
20 quæ which NOM.SG.F.REL.PRON
21 versa having been turned NOM.SG.F.PERF.PASS.PART
22 est was 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
23 in into PREP+ACC
24 colubrum snake / serpent ACC.SG.N

Syntax

Opening participial phrase:
Ingressi itaque Moyses et Aaron ad Pharaonem —
Ingressi (perfect participle, nominative plural) + Moyses et Aaron (compound subject) + ad Pharaonem (destination).

Main clause:
fecerunt sicut præceperat Dominus —
fecerunt (main verb) + sicut (comparative conjunction) + præceperat (pluperfect) + Dominus (subject of the subordinate clause).

tulitque Aaron virgam coram Pharaone et servis eius —
tulitque (perfect verb + -que) + Aaron (subject) + virgam (object) + coram Pharaone et servis eius (ablative of presence).

quæ versa est in colubrum —
quæ (refers to virgam) + versa est (passive periphrastic) + in colubrum (predicate accusative of transformation).

Morphology

  1. Ingressi — Lemma: ingredior; Part of Speech: deponent verb; Form: nominative plural masculine perfect participle; Function: circumstantial participle; Translation: having entered; Notes: deponent with active meaning.
  2. itaque — Lemma: itaque; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: logical connector; Translation: therefore; Notes: moves narrative forward.
  3. Moyses — Lemma: Moyses; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: Moses; Notes: paired with Aaron.
  4. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: links subjects; Translation: and; Notes: simple coordinator.
  5. Aaron — Lemma: Aaron; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: Aaron; Notes: Moses’ spokesman.
  6. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: destination marker; Translation: to; Notes: standard with verbs of motion.
  7. Pharaonem — Lemma: Pharao; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of ad; Translation: Pharaoh; Notes: target of approach.
  8. fecerunt — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural perfect active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: they did; Notes: completes divine instruction.
  9. sicut — Lemma: sicut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: comparison; Translation: as; Notes: introduces subordinate clause.
  10. præceperat — Lemma: præcipio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular pluperfect active indicative; Function: verb of subordinate clause; Translation: had commanded; Notes: prior divine command.
  11. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of subordinate clause; Translation: LORD; Notes: refers to YHWH.
  12. tulitque — Lemma: tollo + -que; Part of Speech: verb + enclitic; Form: third person singular perfect active indicative; Function: continues narrative action; Translation: and he took; Notes: -que links tightly to prior action.
  13. Aaron — Lemma: Aaron; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: Aaron; Notes: actor of the miracle.
  14. virgam — Lemma: virga; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object; Translation: rod; Notes: instrument of signs.
  15. coram — Lemma: coram; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses presence; Translation: before; Notes: emphasizes public display.
  16. Pharaone — Lemma: Pharao; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of coram; Translation: Pharaoh; Notes: direct confrontation.
  17. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: adds parallel ablative phrase; Translation: and; Notes: connects audiences.
  18. servis — Lemma: servus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: part of prepositional phrase; Translation: servants; Notes: witnesses of miracle.
  19. eius — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possession; Translation: his; Notes: refers to Pharaoh’s servants.
  20. quæ — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject of relative clause; Translation: which; Notes: refers to virgam.
  21. versa — Lemma: verto; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular feminine perfect passive participle; Function: predicate; Translation: having been turned; Notes: miracle transformation.
  22. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present active indicative; Function: auxiliary; Translation: was; Notes: completes passive periphrasis.
  23. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces predicate accusative; Translation: into; Notes: shows change of state.
  24. colubrum — Lemma: colubrum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: predicate accusative; Translation: snake / serpent; Notes: final form of transformed rod.

 

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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