Exodus 10:21

Posted on March 1, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 10:21 Dixit autem Dominus ad Moysen: Extende manum tuam in cælum: et sint tenebræ super Terram Ægypti tam densæ, ut palpari queant.

And the LORD said to Moyses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven, and let there be darkness over the Land of Egypt so dense that they may be felt.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Dixit said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 autem however ADV
3 Dominus LORD NOM.SG.M
4 ad to PREP+ACC
5 Moysen Moses ACC.SG.M
6 Extende stretch out 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP
7 manum hand ACC.SG.F
8 tuam your ACC.SG.F
9 in into PREP+ACC
10 cælum heaven ACC.SG.N
11 et and CONJ
12 sint let there be 3PL.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
13 tenebræ darkness NOM.PL.F
14 super over PREP+ACC
15 Terram land ACC.SG.F
16 Ægypti of Egypt GEN.SG.F
17 tam so ADV
18 densæ dense NOM.PL.F
19 ut that CONJ
20 palpari be felt PRES.PASS.INF
21 queant may be able 3PL.PRES.ACT.SUBJ

Syntax

Speech Introduction: Dixit autem Dominus ad Moysen — subject Dominus + verb Dixit + indirect object Moysen.

Main Imperative Clause: Extende manum tuam in cælum — command verb Extende + object manum tuam + directional phrase in cælum.

Resulting Subjunctive Clause: et sint tenebræ super Terram Ægypti — jussive subjunctive sint + subject tenebræ + prepositional phrase super Terram Ægypti.

Degree Clause: tam densæ ut palpari queant — degree adverb tam + adjective densæ + result clause with ut + passive infinitive palpari + subjunctive queant (“that they may be touched/felt”).

Morphology

  1. Dixit — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: introduces divine speech; Translation: “said”; Notes: narrative perfect.
  2. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: adversative particle; Function: connective particle; Translation: “however”; Notes: soft contrast marker.
  3. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “LORD”; Notes: refers to YHWH.
  4. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces indirect object; Translation: “to”; Notes: expresses direction toward recipient of speech.
  5. Moysen — Lemma: Moyses; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: indirect object; Translation: “Moses”; Notes: Greek name with Latin ending.
  6. Extende — Lemma: extendo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active imperative 2nd singular; Function: command; Translation: “stretch out”; Notes: used for authoritative divine directives.
  7. manum — Lemma: manus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object; Translation: “hand”; Notes: 4th declension.
  8. tuam — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: modifies manum; Translation: “your”; Notes: agrees with its noun.
  9. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses motion toward; Translation: “into”; Notes: directional usage.
  10. cælum — Lemma: cælum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of in; Translation: “heaven”; Notes: standard biblical cosmological term.
  11. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: adds following command; Translation: “and”; Notes: connective.
  12. sint — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active subjunctive 3rd plural; Function: jussive; Translation: “let there be”; Notes: expresses divine decree.
  13. tenebræ — Lemma: tenebræ; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural feminine; Function: grammatical subject of sint; Translation: “darkness”; Notes: plural-only noun.
  14. super — Lemma: super; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses spatial coverage; Translation: “over”; Notes: motion → accusative.
  15. Terram — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of super; Translation: “land”; Notes: here the land of Egypt.
  16. Ægypti — Lemma: Ægyptus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: possessive modifier of Terram; Translation: “of Egypt”; Notes: territorial genitive.
  17. tam — Lemma: tam; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: degree adverb; Function: intensifies densæ; Translation: “so”; Notes: triggers result clause.
  18. densæ — Lemma: densus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative plural feminine; Function: predicate adjective modifying tenebræ; Translation: “dense”; Notes: describes physical heaviness of darkness.
  19. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: introduces result clause; Function: marks consequence of tam densæ; Translation: “that”; Notes: standard in Latin degree clauses.
  20. palpari — Lemma: palpo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present passive infinitive; Function: dependent infinitive; Translation: “to be felt”; Notes: expresses passive possibility.
  21. queant — Lemma: queo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active subjunctive 3rd plural; Function: verb of result clause; Translation: “may be able”; Notes: rare verb meaning “to be able.”

 

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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