Exodus 9:20

Posted on February 28, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 9:20 Qui timuit verbum Domini de servis Pharaonis, facit confugere servos suos, et iumenta in domos:

He who feared the word of the LORD among the servants of Pharao makes his servants and his cattle flee into the houses;

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Qui he who REL.PRON.MASC.SG.NOM
2 timuit feared V.IND.PERF.ACT.3SG
3 verbum word N.NEUT.SG.ACC
4 Domini of the LORD N.MASC.SG.GEN
5 de from PREP+ABL
6 servis servants N.MASC.PL.ABL
7 Pharaonis of Pharaoh N.MASC.SG.GEN
8 facit makes V.IND.PRES.ACT.3SG
9 confugere to flee V.INF.PRES.ACT
10 servos servants N.MASC.PL.ACC
11 suos his ADJ.POSS.MASC.PL.ACC
12 et and CONJ
13 iumenta cattle N.NEUT.PL.ACC
14 in into PREP+ACC
15 domos houses N.FEM.PL.ACC

Syntax

Subject: Qui introduces the subject (“he who…”).
Main Verb: timuit expresses the completed action of fearing the word of the LORD.
Object of timuit: verbum Domini is the direct object, with Domini as a genitive modifier.
Prepositional Phrase: de servis Pharaonis indicates the group from which this fearful person comes.
Second Finite Verb: facit introduces a causative construction.
Complement Infinitive: confugere completes facit, forming “makes [them] flee.”
Objects of facit: servos suos and iumenta are the entities compelled to flee.
Destination: in domos expresses the place to which they flee.

Morphology

  1. Qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: introduces a relative clause functioning as the subject; Translation: “he who”; Notes: ties the action to a specific subset of Pharaoh’s servants.
  2. timuit — Lemma: timeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative third person singular; Function: main verb of the relative clause; Translation: “feared”; Notes: perfect tense indicates a completed reverential response.
  3. verbum — Lemma: verbum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object of timuit; Translation: “word”; Notes: refers to the divine warning.
  4. Domini — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessive genitive modifying verbum; Translation: “of the LORD”; Notes: refers to YHWH according to translation rules.
  5. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: marks origin; Translation: “from”; Notes: describes social classification.
  6. servis — Lemma: servus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: object of de; Translation: “servants”; Notes: designates members of Pharaoh’s household.
  7. Pharaonis — Lemma: Pharao; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: modifies servis; Translation: “of Pharaoh”; Notes: shows social affiliation.
  8. facit — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative third person singular; Function: main verb of the sentence; Translation: “makes”; Notes: introduces a causative infinitive construction.
  9. confugere — Lemma: confugio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active infinitive; Function: complements facit; Translation: “to flee”; Notes: expresses compelled action.
  10. servos — Lemma: servus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object of facit + infinitive; Translation: “servants”; Notes: recipients of protective action.
  11. suos — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: modifies servos; Translation: “his”; Notes: reflexive, referring back to the fearful servant.
  12. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating conjunction; Function: adds a second object of facit; Translation: “and”; Notes: joins servos suos with iumenta.
  13. iumenta — Lemma: iumentum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: secondary object of facit + infinitive; Translation: “cattle”; Notes: includes beasts of burden and livestock.
  14. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses direction into a place; Translation: “into”; Notes: marks movement rather than location.
  15. domos — Lemma: domus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: object of in; Translation: “houses”; Notes: denotes places of shelter against the hail.

 

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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