Exodus 8:26

Posted on February 27, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 8:26 Et ait Moyses: Non potest ita fieri: abominationes enim Ægyptiorum immolabimus Domino Deo nostro: quod si mactaverimus ea quæ colunt Ægyptii coram eis, lapidibus nos obruent.

And Moyses said: “It cannot be done in this way, for we will sacrifice the abominations of the Egyptians to the LORD our God; and if we sacrifice the things which the Egyptians worship before them, they will stone us.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Et and CONJ
2 ait said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
3 Moyses Moses NOM.SG.M
4 Non not ADV
5 potest is able 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
6 ita thus ADV
7 fieri to be done PRES.PASS.INF
8 abominationes abominations ACC.PL.F
9 enim for ADV
10 Ægyptiorum of the Egyptians GEN.PL.M
11 immolabimus we will sacrifice 1PL.FUT.ACT.IND
12 Domino to the LORD DAT.SG.M
13 Deo to God DAT.SG.M
14 nostro our DAT.SG.M / ABL.SG.M (ADJ)
15 quod because CONJ
16 si if CONJ
17 mactaverimus we sacrifice 1PL.FUT.PERF.ACT.IND / SUBJ
18 ea those things ACC.PL.N
19 quæ which NOM.PL.N (REL)
20 colunt they worship 3PL.PRES.ACT.IND
21 Ægyptii the Egyptians NOM.PL.M
22 coram before PREP+ABL
23 eis them ABL.PL.M/F
24 lapidibus with stones ABL.PL.M
25 nos us ACC.PL.M
26 obruent they will stone 3PL.FUT.ACT.IND

Syntax

Main Clause:
Moyses — Subject
ait — Main verb of speaking

Statement of Impossibility:
Non potest fieri — “It cannot be done”
ita — adverb modifying the infinitive construction

Causal Clause:
abominationes Ægyptiorum immolabimus Domino Deo nostro — Reason introduced by enim

Conditional Clause:
si mactaverimus ea quæ colunt Ægyptii — Protasis
obruent nos lapidibus — Apodosis

Prepositional Phrase:
coram eis — Locative; “before them”

Morphology

  1. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating conjunction; Function: links clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Standard narrative connector.
  2. ait — Lemma: aio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: main verb of speaking; Translation: “said”; Notes: Often used in dialogue transitions.
  3. Moyses — Lemma: Moyses; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “Moses”; Notes: Latinized Hebrew name.
  4. Non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: negator; Function: negates verb; Translation: “not”; Notes: Standard negation.
  5. potest — Lemma: possum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative 3rd singular; Function: auxiliary of ability; Translation: “is able”; Notes: Governs infinitive “fieri.”
  6. ita — Lemma: ita; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: simple adverb; Function: modifies verbal idea; Translation: “thus”; Notes: Indicates manner.
  7. fieri — Lemma: fio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present passive infinitive; Function: complement of potest; Translation: “to be done”; Notes: Passive of facio.
  8. abominationes — Lemma: abominatio; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: object of “immolabimus”; Translation: “abominations”; Notes: Refers to offerings offensive to Egyptians.
  9. enim — Lemma: enim; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: postpositive adverb; Function: explains cause; Translation: “for”; Notes: Never begins sentence in classical usage.
  10. Ægyptiorum — Lemma: Ægyptius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: possessive modifier; Translation: “of the Egyptians”; Notes: Indicates origin of abominations.
  11. immolabimus — Lemma: immolo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative 1st plural; Function: main verb of clause; Translation: “we will sacrifice”; Notes: Future indicates intended action.
  12. Domino — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to the LORD”; Notes: Refers to YHWH per instruction.
  13. Deo — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: apposition to Domino; Translation: “to God”; Notes: Clarifies divine recipient.
  14. nostro — Lemma: noster; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: dative/ablative singular masculine; Function: modifies Deo/ Domino; Translation: “our”; Notes: Possessive of the speakers.
  15. quod — Lemma: quod; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: subordinating; Function: introduces explanation; Translation: “because”; Notes: Not relative here but causal.
  16. si — Lemma: si; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: conditional; Function: introduces protasis; Translation: “if”; Notes: Standard conditional marker.
  17. mactaverimus — Lemma: macto; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future perfect active 1st plural; Function: verb in protasis; Translation: “we sacrifice”; Notes: Indicates hypothetical future action.
  18. ea — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: direct object; Translation: “the things”; Notes: Antecedent of quæ.
  19. quæ — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative plural neuter; Function: subject of “colunt”; Translation: “which”; Notes: Links to ea.
  20. colunt — Lemma: colo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative 3rd plural; Function: verb of relative clause; Translation: “they worship”; Notes: Active sense of religious service.
  21. Ægyptii — Lemma: Ægyptius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject of colunt; Translation: “the Egyptians”; Notes: Parallel to earlier genitive.
  22. coram — Lemma: coram; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces locative; Translation: “before”; Notes: Often expresses witness or presence.
  23. eis — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: ablative plural; Function: object of coram; Translation: “them”; Notes: Refers to Egyptians.
  24. lapidibus — Lemma: lapis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: instrument; Translation: “with stones”; Notes: Ablative of means.
  25. nos — Lemma: nos; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative plural; Function: direct object of obruent; Translation: “us”; Notes: Recipient of violent action.
  26. obruent — Lemma: obruo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative 3rd plural; Function: main verb of apodosis; Translation: “they will stone”; Notes: Literally “overwhelm,” here meaning stone.

 

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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