Exodus 9:6

Posted on February 28, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 9:6 Fecit ergo Dominus verbum hoc altera die: mortuaque sunt omnia animantia Ægyptiorum: de animalibus vero filiorum Israel nihil omnino periit.

And the LORD did this word on the next day, and all the animals of the Egyptians died, but of the animals of the sons of Israel nothing at all perished.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Fecit did 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 ergo therefore ADV
3 Dominus the LORD NOM.SG.M
4 verbum word ACC.SG.N
5 hoc this ACC.SG.N (DEM)
6 altera next ABL.SG.F
7 die day ABL.SG.F
8 mortuaque and died NOM.PL.N.PERF.PASS.PPL + ENCLITIC
9 sunt were 3PL.PRES.ACT.IND (AUX)
10 omnia all NOM.PL.N
11 animantia animals NOM.PL.N
12 Ægyptiorum of the Egyptians GEN.PL.M
13 de from PREP+ABL
14 animalibus animals ABL.PL.N
15 vero but ADV
16 filiorum of the sons GEN.PL.M
17 Israel Israel GEN.SG.M (INVAR.)
18 nihil nothing NOM/ACC.SG.N (INDECL.)
19 omnino at all ADV
20 periit perished 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND

Syntax

Main Clause 1:
Fecit ergo Dominus verbum hoc — “And the LORD did this word.”
• Dominus — subject
• Fecit — perfect verb
• verbum hoc — object (“this word” = the announced plague)

Temporal Ablative:
altera die — “on the next day”
• Ablative of time when

Main Clause 2 (Passive Periphrastic):
mortuaque sunt omnia animantia Ægyptiorum — “and all the animals of the Egyptians died”
• mortua sunt — perfect passive
• omnia animantia — subject
• Ægyptiorum — genitive of possession

Adversative Clause:
de animalibus vero filiorum Israel nihil omnino periit — “but of the animals of the sons of Israel nothing at all perished”
• nihil — subject
• periit — verb
• de animalibus — partitive origin
• filiorum Israel — possessive genitive

Morphology

  1. Fecit — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “did”; Notes: Fulfillment of divine decree.
  2. ergo — Lemma: ergo; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: inferential; Function: draws conclusion; Translation: “therefore”; Notes: Connects to prior announcement.
  3. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “the LORD”; Notes: Refers to YHWH.
  4. verbum — Lemma: verbum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object; Translation: “word”; Notes: Means command or decree.
  5. hoc — Lemma: hic; Part of Speech: demonstrative; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: modifies verbum; Translation: “this”; Notes: Refers to the plague announced.
  6. altera — Lemma: alter; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: modifies die; Translation: “next”; Notes: Ablative of time.
  7. die — Lemma: dies; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular; Function: ablative of time when; Translation: “day”; Notes: Temporal marker.
  8. mortuaque — Lemma: morior; Part of Speech: participle + enclitic; Form: nominative plural neuter perfect passive participle + -que; Function: part of periphrastic passive; Translation: “and died”; Notes: -que links to preceding action.
  9. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative 3rd plural; Function: auxiliary; Translation: “were”; Notes: Helps form perfect passive.
  10. omnia — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective/substantive; Form: nominative plural neuter; Function: subject; Translation: “all”; Notes: Collective.
  11. animantia — Lemma: animal; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural neuter; Function: subject complement; Translation: “animals”; Notes: Refers to livestock.
  12. Ægyptiorum — Lemma: Ægyptius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: possessive; Translation: “of the Egyptians”; Notes: Specifies owners.
  13. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: partitive marker; Translation: “from”; Notes: Introduces contrasting group.
  14. animalibus — Lemma: animal; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural neuter; Function: object of de; Translation: “animals”; Notes: Refers to Israel’s herds.
  15. vero — Lemma: vero; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: adversative; Function: contrasts with Egyptians; Translation: “but”; Notes: Soft contrast.
  16. filiorum — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: possessive; Translation: “of the sons”; Notes: Collective Israel.
  17. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: indeclinable; Function: specifies filiorum; Translation: “Israel”; Notes: Hebrew name.
  18. nihil — Lemma: nihil; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative/accusative singular neuter; Function: subject; Translation: “nothing”; Notes: Strong negation.
  19. omnino — Lemma: omnino; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: intensifier; Function: strengthens nihil; Translation: “at all”; Notes: Emphatic term.
  20. periit — Lemma: pereo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “perished”; Notes: Concludes contrast with Egyptians.

 

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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