Exodus 11:4

Posted on March 2, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 11:4 Et ait: Hæc dicit Dominus: Media nocte egrediar in Ægyptum:

And he said: “Thus says the LORD: ‘At midnight I will go out into Egypt;

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Et and CONJ
2 ait he said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
3 Hæc these things NOM.PL.N/ACC.PL.N.DEMONSTR
4 dicit says 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
5 Dominus the LORD NOM.SG.M
6 Media mid ABL.SG.F
7 nocte night ABL.SG.F
8 egrediar I will go out 1SG.FUT.DEP.IND
9 in into PREP+ACC
10 Ægyptum Egypt ACC.SG.F

Syntax

Main Narrative Clause:
• Et ait — “And he said”
• Verb: ait
• Subject is implied from context (Moses).

Prophetic Formula:
• Hæc dicit Dominus — “Thus says the LORD”
• Hæc = object of dicit
• Dominus = subject
• dicit = present-tense performative verb

Temporal Phrase:
• Media nocte — ablative of time when

Divine Action:
• egrediar — “I will go out”
• in Ægyptum — destination phrase (into Egypt)

Morphology

  1. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links to previous narrative; Translation: “and”; Notes: introduces new speech act.
  2. ait — Lemma: aio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: main narrative verb; Translation: “he said”; Notes: introduces direct quotation.
  3. Hæc — Lemma: hic, hæc, hoc; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: nominative/accusative plural neuter; Function: object of dicit; Translation: “these things”; Notes: standard prophetic introduction.
  4. dicit — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative 3rd singular; Function: performative verb; Translation: “says”; Notes: emphasizes immediacy of divine word.
  5. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of dicit; Translation: “the LORD”; Notes: refers to YHWH.
  6. Media — Lemma: medius; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: modifies nocte; Translation: “mid”; Notes: part of time-expression.
  7. nocte — Lemma: nox; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: ablative of time when; Translation: “night”; Notes: locates divine action.
  8. egrediar — Lemma: egredior; Part of Speech: deponent verb; Form: future indicative 1st singular; Function: main verb of divine action; Translation: “I will go out”; Notes: deponent, future action by YHWH.
  9. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: indicates motion toward; Translation: “into”; Notes: expresses destination.
  10. Ægyptum — Lemma: Ægyptus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of in; Translation: “Egypt”; Notes: target of divine visitation.

 

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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