Exodus 8:21

Posted on February 27, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 8:21 Quod si non dimiseris eum, ecce ego immittam in te, et in servos tuos, et in populum tuum, et in domos tuas omne genus muscarum: et implebuntur domus Ægyptiorum muscis diversi generis, et universa terra in qua fuerint.

But if you do not let him go, behold, I will send into you, and into your servants, and into your people, and into your houses every kind of fly; and the houses of the Egyptians shall be filled with flies of various kinds, and the whole land in which they shall have been.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Quod but CONJ
2 si if CONJ
3 non not ADV
4 dimiseris you will have let go 2SG.FUT.PERF.ACT.IND
5 eum him ACC.SG.M.PRON
6 ecce behold INTERJ
7 ego I NOM.SG.1P
8 immittam I will send 1SG.FUT.ACT.IND
9 in into/upon PREP+ACC
10 te you ACC.SG.2P
11 et and CONJ
12 in into/upon PREP+ACC
13 servos servants ACC.PL.M
14 tuos your ACC.PL.M.POSS
15 et and CONJ
16 in into/upon PREP+ACC
17 populum people ACC.SG.M
18 tuum your ACC.SG.M.POSS
19 et and CONJ
20 in into/upon PREP+ACC
21 domos houses ACC.PL.F
22 tuas your ACC.PL.F.POSS
23 omne every ACC.SG.N
24 genus kind ACC.SG.N
25 muscarum of flies GEN.PL.F
26 et and CONJ
27 implebuntur shall be filled 3PL.FUT.PASS.IND
28 domus houses NOM.PL.F
29 Ægyptiorum of the Egyptians GEN.PL.M
30 muscis with flies ABL.PL.F
31 diversi of different GEN.SG.N
32 generis kind GEN.SG.N
33 et and CONJ
34 universa the whole NOM.SG.F
35 terra land NOM.SG.F
36 in in PREP+ABL
37 qua in which ABL.SG.F.REL
38 fuerint they shall have been 3PL.FUT.PERF.ACT.IND

Syntax

Conditional protasis:
• Quod si non dimiseris eum — emphatic conditional clause.
• Conjunctions: Quod si (intensive “but if indeed”).
• Negation: non.
• Verb: dimiseris (future perfect active).
• Object: eum (Israel understood).

Apodosis (divine threat):
• Particle of attention: ecce.
• Explicit subject: ego.
• Main verb: immittam.

Series of affected targets (fourfold “in”):
• in te — against you (Pharaoh).
• in servos tuos — against your servants.
• in populum tuum — against your people.
• in domos tuas — against your houses.

Accusative object of what is sent:
• omne genus muscarum — “every kind of fly,” collective expression of the plague.

Result / further description:
• Future passive: et implebuntur domus Ægyptiorum.
• Subject: domus Ægyptiorum.
• Verb: implebuntur (shall be filled).
• Ablative of means: muscis diversi generis (“with flies of different kind”).

Final coordinated segment:
• et universa terra in qua fuerint.
• Subject: universa terra.
• Relative clause: in qua fuerint with qua referring to terra and fuerint (future perfect) taking “flies” as understood subject.
• Sense: the entire land wherever the flies shall have been (i.e., entirely affected).

Morphology

  1. Quod — Lemma: quod; Part of Speech: conjunction (originally neuter relative/pronoun used as a conjunction); Form: indeclinable in this use; Function: emphatic particle introducing the condition; Translation: but; Notes: strengthens the following “si” to heighten the warning (“but if indeed”).
  2. si — Lemma: si; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces the conditional protasis; Translation: if; Notes: standard conditional marker in Latin.
  3. non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: negates the verb dimiseris; Translation: not; Notes: simple sentential negation.
  4. dimiseris — Lemma: dimitto; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future perfect active indicative 2nd person singular; Function: main verb of the protasis; Translation: you will have let go; Notes: future perfect in legal/prophetic threat (“if you shall not have let…”).
  5. eum — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of dimiseris; Translation: him; Notes: refers contextually to the LORD’s “son,” Israel.
  6. ecce — Lemma: ecce; Part of Speech: interjection/deictic particle; Form: indeclinable; Function: draws attention to the apodosis; Translation: behold; Notes: common in biblical Latin for divine proclamation.
  7. ego — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: nominative singular; Function: explicit subject of immittam; Translation: I; Notes: emphatic subject, underlining divine agency.
  8. immittam — Lemma: immitto; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative 1st person singular; Function: main verb of the apodosis; Translation: I will send; Notes: used for sending plagues or calamities upon someone.
  9. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: used with accusative; Function: introduces target of hostile movement; Translation: into, upon; Notes: here expresses direction “against” the persons named.
  10. te — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: accusative singular; Function: object of in; Translation: you; Notes: addressed to Pharaoh as the primary target.
  11. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: coordinating conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: links additional targets; Translation: and; Notes: simple additive coordinator extending the list.
  12. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: with accusative; Function: introduces another object of divine judgment; Translation: into, upon; Notes: parallel to the previous in + accusative.
  13. servos — Lemma: servus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object of in; Translation: servants; Notes: denotes royal officials or attendants under Pharaoh.
  14. tuos — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: agrees with and modifies servos; Translation: your; Notes: marks these servants as belonging to Pharaoh.
  15. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: continues coordination in the list; Translation: and; Notes: keeps the rhythm of accumulating targets.
  16. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: with accusative; Function: introduces a further object of judgment; Translation: into, upon; Notes: repetition intensifies the scope.
  17. populum — Lemma: populus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of in; Translation: people; Notes: the Egyptian populace under the king.
  18. tuum — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: modifies populum; Translation: your; Notes: again stresses Pharaoh’s responsibility.
  19. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: links final item in the prepositional series; Translation: and; Notes: adds the domestic sphere.
  20. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: with accusative; Function: again marks the target; Translation: into, upon; Notes: applies now to households.
  21. domos — Lemma: domus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: object of in; Translation: houses; Notes: domestic settings where flies will infest.
  22. tuas — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: modifies domos; Translation: your; Notes: Pharaoh’s own residences are not exempt.
  23. omne — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: modifies genus; Translation: every; Notes: emphasizes the completeness of the kinds.
  24. genus — Lemma: genus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: internal object of the divine sending; Translation: kind; Notes: coupled with omne to denote every variety.
  25. muscarum — Lemma: musca; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural feminine; Function: objective/partitive genitive with genus; Translation: of flies; Notes: specifies that “kinds” are species of flies.
  26. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces the resulting state; Translation: and; Notes: links threat to its consequence.
  27. implebuntur — Lemma: impleo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future passive indicative 3rd person plural; Function: main verb of the result clause; Translation: shall be filled; Notes: expresses certain, future saturation.
  28. domus — Lemma: domus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural feminine; Function: subject of implebuntur; Translation: houses; Notes: Egyptian homes become the locus of the plague.
  29. Ægyptiorum — Lemma: Ægyptius; Part of Speech: noun used as adjective; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: possessive genitive modifying domus; Translation: of the Egyptians; Notes: identifies the national group under judgment.
  30. muscis — Lemma: musca; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural feminine; Function: ablative of means or instrument; Translation: with flies; Notes: indicates what fills the houses.
  31. diversi — Lemma: diversus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: genitive singular neuter; Function: modifies generis; Translation: of different; Notes: stresses variety and diversity of the flies.
  32. generis — Lemma: genus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter; Function: dependent genitive with diversi; Translation: kind; Notes: the expression muscis diversi generis = “flies of various kind.”
  33. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: coordinates a further result; Translation: and; Notes: extends the effect from houses to the whole land.
  34. universa — Lemma: universus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: modifies terra; Translation: the whole; Notes: emphasizes totality of the land.
  35. terra — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject of an implied verb (parallel to implebuntur); Translation: land; Notes: refers to the land of Egypt as a whole.
  36. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: used with ablative; Function: introduces the relative clause’s locative phrase; Translation: in; Notes: here marks sphere or location.
  37. qua — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of in, referring back to terra; Translation: in which; Notes: links the presence of the flies to the whole land.
  38. fuerint — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future perfect active indicative 3rd person plural; Function: verb of the relative clause; Translation: they shall have been; Notes: subject is the flies understood, expressing completed presence within the land.

 

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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