Exodus 9:3

Posted on February 28, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 9:3 ecce manus mea erit super agros tuos: et super equos, et asinos, et camelos, et boves, et oves, pestis valde gravis.

behold, my hand shall be upon your fields, and upon the horses, and the donkeys, and the camels, and the oxen, and the sheep, a plague very grievous.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 ecce behold INTERJ
2 manus hand NOM.SG.F
3 mea my NOM.SG.F (ADJ)
4 erit shall be 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND
5 super upon PREP+ACC
6 agros fields ACC.PL.M
7 tuos your ACC.PL.M (ADJ)
8 et and CONJ
9 super upon PREP+ACC
10 equos horses ACC.PL.M
11 et and CONJ
12 asinos donkeys ACC.PL.M
13 et and CONJ
14 camelos camels ACC.PL.M
15 et and CONJ
16 boves oxen ACC.PL.M
17 et and CONJ
18 oves sheep ACC.PL.F
19 pestis a plague NOM.SG.F
20 valde very ADV
21 gravis grievous NOM.SG.F (ADJ)

Syntax

Main Declarative Construction:
ecce manus mea erit super agros tuos — “behold, my hand shall be upon your fields.”
• ecce — deictic marker introducing divine action
• manus mea — subject phrase
• erit — predictive future
• super agros tuos — prepositional phrase of hostile action

Coordinated Prepositional Series:
et super equos, et asinos, et camelos, et boves, et oves
• Repetition of super stresses the breadth of the coming plague
• Accusatives list animals affected

Nominal Predicate:
pestis valde gravis — “a very grievous plague”
• pestis — nominative predicate
• valde gravis — intensifying modifier

Morphology

  1. ecce — Lemma: ecce; Part of Speech: interjection; Form: demonstrative particle; Function: introduces divine warning; Translation: “behold”; Notes: Calls attention to imminent action.
  2. manus — Lemma: manus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject; Translation: “hand”; Notes: Symbol of divine power.
  3. mea — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: modifies manus; Translation: “my”; Notes: Possession.
  4. erit — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative 3rd singular; Function: main predicate; Translation: “shall be”; Notes: Predictive future.
  5. super — Lemma: super; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses hostile action toward; Translation: “upon”; Notes: Repeated in the list.
  6. agros — Lemma: ager; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object of super; Translation: “fields”; Notes: Agricultural domain of Pharao.
  7. tuos — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: modifies agros; Translation: “your”; Notes: Addressed to Pharao.
  8. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: adds items; Translation: “and”; Notes: Begins extended list.
  9. super — Lemma: super; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: repeats domain of plague; Translation: “upon”; Notes: Parallel to earlier super.
  10. equos — Lemma: equus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object of super; Translation: “horses”; Notes: War animals.
  11. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: continues list; Translation: “and”; Notes: Rhythm of enumeration.
  12. asinos — Lemma: asinus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object of super; Translation: “donkeys”; Notes: Domestic beasts of burden.
  13. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: adds following noun; Translation: “and”; Notes: List repetition.
  14. camelos — Lemma: camelus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object of super; Translation: “camels”; Notes: Load-bearing animals.
  15. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: adds item; Translation: “and”; Notes: Continues chain.
  16. boves — Lemma: bos; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object of super; Translation: “oxen”; Notes: Farming animals.
  17. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: final list connector; Translation: “and”; Notes: Closes list.
  18. oves — Lemma: ovis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: object of super; Translation: “sheep”; Notes: Domestic flock.
  19. pestis — Lemma: pestis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: predicate noun; Translation: “a plague”; Notes: Summary label of coming judgment.
  20. valde — Lemma: valde; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: intensifier; Function: modifies gravis; Translation: “very”; Notes: Strengthens severity.
  21. gravis — Lemma: gravis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: modifies pestis; Translation: “grievous”; Notes: Indicates extreme seriousness.

 

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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