Exodus 10:23

Posted on March 1, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 10:23 Nemo vidit fratrem suum, nec movit se de loco in quo erat: ubicumque autem habitabant filii Israel, lux erat.

No one saw his brother, nor did anyone move from the place in which he was; but wherever the sons of Israel lived, there was light.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Nemo no one NOM.SG.M/INDEF
2 vidit saw 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
3 fratrem brother ACC.SG.M
4 suum his ACC.SG.M
5 nec nor CONJ.NEG
6 movit moved 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
7 se himself ACC.SG.REFL
8 de from PREP+ABL
9 loco place ABL.SG.M
10 in in which PREP+ABL
11 quo which ABL.SG.M.REL
12 erat he was 3SG.IMPERF.ACT.IND
13 ubicumque wherever ADV.REL
14 autem however ADV
15 habitabant lived 3PL.IMPERF.ACT.IND
16 filii sons NOM.PL.M
17 Israel of Israel GEN.SG.M
18 lux light NOM.SG.F
19 erat was 3SG.IMPERF.ACT.IND

Syntax

Clause 1:
Subject: Nemo — “no one”
Verb: vidit — “saw”
Object: fratrem suum — “his brother”

Clause 2 (connected by nec):
Subject: implied “he / anyone”
Verb: movit
Object: se — reflexive
Prepositional Phrase: de loco in quo erat — “from the place in which he was”

Clause 3 (contrast clause):
Adverbial Introducer: ubicumque autem — “however, wherever”
Subject: filii Israel
Verb: habitabant
Predicate: lux erat — “there was light”

Morphology

  1. Nemo — Lemma: nemo; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative singular; Function: subject; Translation: “no one”; Notes: compound of ne + homo.
  2. vidit — Lemma: video; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “saw”; Notes: simple narrative perfect.
  3. fratrem — Lemma: frater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of vidit; Translation: “brother”; Notes: kinship term modified by possessive.
  4. suum — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: modifies fratrem; Translation: “his”; Notes: reflexive, refers to subject.
  5. nec — Lemma: nec; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: negative coordinating; Function: joins and negates second clause; Translation: “nor”; Notes: intensifies parallel negation.
  6. movit — Lemma: moveo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: second main verb; Translation: “moved”; Notes: describes paralysis caused by darkness.
  7. se — Lemma: sui; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular reflexive; Function: direct object of movit; Translation: “himself”; Notes: refers back to indefinite subject.
  8. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses movement from; Translation: “from”; Notes: introduces ablative of place.
  9. loco — Lemma: locus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of de; Translation: “place”; Notes: physical location.
  10. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: locative; Translation: “in”; Notes: links to quo.
  11. quo — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: relative pronoun modifying loco; Translation: “which”; Notes: ablative of place.
  12. erat — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: verb of relative clause; Translation: “was”; Notes: describes state of immobility.
  13. ubicumque — Lemma: ubicumque; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: relative adverb; Function: introduces indefinite local clause; Translation: “wherever”; Notes: generalizing expression.
  14. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: connective; Function: soft contrast; Translation: “however”; Notes: marks shift to Israel.
  15. habitabant — Lemma: habito; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperfect active indicative 3rd plural; Function: verb of subordinate clause; Translation: “lived”; Notes: continuous past.
  16. filii — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject of habitabant; Translation: “sons”; Notes: collective Israelite designation.
  17. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: modifier of filii; Translation: “of Israel”; Notes: covenant identity.
  18. lux — Lemma: lux; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject of erat; Translation: “light”; Notes: contrasts plague with divine favor.
  19. erat — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: final verb; Translation: “was”; Notes: ongoing state of illumination.

 

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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