Exodus 9:31

Posted on February 28, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 9:31 Linum ergo, et hordeum læsum est, eo quod hordeum esset virens, et linum iam folliculos germinaret:

The flax therefore and the barley were damaged, because the barley was green and the flax was already producing pods;

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Linum flax NOM.SG.N
2 ergo therefore ADV
3 et and CONJ
4 hordeum barley NOM.SG.N
5 læsum damaged NOM.SG.N.PERF.PASS.PTCP
6 est was 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
7 eo for this reason ABL.SG.N
8 quod because CONJ
9 hordeum barley NOM.SG.N
10 esset was 3SG.IMPFT.ACT.SUBJ
11 virens green NOM.SG.N.PRES.ACT.PTCP
12 et and CONJ
13 linum flax NOM.SG.N
14 iam already ADV
15 folliculos pods ACC.PL.M
16 germinaret produced 3SG.IMPFT.ACT.SUBJ

Syntax

Main Clause:
Linum + hordeum — compound subject.
læsum est — passive predicate “was damaged.”

Causal Clause (introduced by eo quod):
hordeum esset virens — “because the barley was green.”
hordeum is the subject; esset the verb; virens the predicate participle.

Second Causal Element:
linum … folliculos germinaret — “and the flax was already producing pods.”
linum is the subject; germinaret the verb; folliculos the direct object; iam adds temporal nuance.

Morphology

  1. Linum — Lemma: linum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: subject; Translation: “flax”; Notes: paired with hordeum as compound subject.
  2. ergo — Lemma: ergo; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: adverb of inference; Function: introduces result; Translation: “therefore”; Notes: logical connector.
  3. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links subjects; Translation: “and”; Notes: simple coordination.
  4. hordeum — Lemma: hordeum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: subject; Translation: “barley”; Notes: repeated later in causal clause.
  5. læsum — Lemma: lædo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular neuter perfect passive participle; Function: predicate adjective with est; Translation: “damaged”; Notes: agrees with neuter subjects.
  6. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular present active indicative; Function: linking verb; Translation: “was”; Notes: existential/copal usage.
  7. eo — Lemma: is (id); Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: part of causal construction eo quod; Translation: “for this reason”; Notes: ablative of cause.
  8. quod — Lemma: quod; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: subordinating; Function: introduces causal clause; Translation: “because”; Notes: common causal construction.
  9. hordeum — Lemma: hordeum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: subject of esset; Translation: “barley”; Notes: same lexeme as earlier.
  10. esset — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular imperfect active subjunctive; Function: verb of causal clause; Translation: “was”; Notes: subjunctive required after quod in Vulgate causal clauses.
  11. virens — Lemma: vireo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular neuter present active participle; Function: predicate complement of esset; Translation: “green”; Notes: describes growing stage.
  12. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links second causal element; Translation: “and”; Notes: ties flax to barley’s condition.
  13. linum — Lemma: linum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: subject of germinaret; Translation: “flax”; Notes: repeated for second causal statement.
  14. iam — Lemma: iam; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: temporal adverb; Function: modifies germinaret; Translation: “already”; Notes: indicates developmental stage.
  15. folliculos — Lemma: folliculus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: direct object of germinaret; Translation: “pods”; Notes: refers to seed capsules of flax.
  16. germinaret — Lemma: germino; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular imperfect active subjunctive; Function: verb of subordinate causal clause; Translation: “was producing”; Notes: imperfect portrays ongoing development.

 

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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