Exodus 11:5

Posted on March 2, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 11:5 et morietur omne primogenitum in Terra Ægyptiorum, a primogenito Pharaonis qui sedet in solio eius, usque ad primogenitum ancillæ quæ est ad molam, et omnia primogenita iumentorum.

and every firstborn in the Land of the Egyptians will die, from the firstborn of Pharao who sits on his throne, to the firstborn of the servant-woman who is at the mill, and all the firstborn of the livestock.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 et and CONJ
2 morietur will die 3SG.FUT.DEP.IND
3 omne every NOM.SG.N
4 primogenitum firstborn NOM.SG.N
5 in in PREP+ABL
6 Terra land ABL.SG.F
7 Ægyptiorum of the Egyptians GEN.PL.M
8 a from PREP+ABL
9 primogenito the firstborn ABL.SG.M
10 Pharaonis of Pharaoh GEN.SG.M
11 qui who NOM.SG.M.REL
12 sedet sits 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
13 in on PREP+ABL
14 solio throne ABL.SG.N
15 eius his GEN.SG.M
16 usque up to ADV/PREP
17 ad to PREP+ACC
18 primogenitum the firstborn ACC.SG.N
19 ancillæ of the maidservant GEN.SG.F
20 quæ who NOM.SG.F.REL
21 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
22 ad at PREP+ACC
23 molam the mill ACC.SG.F
24 et and CONJ
25 omnia all ACC.PL.N
26 primogenita firstborn ACC.PL.N
27 iumentorum of the livestock GEN.PL.N

Syntax

Main Clause:
• morietur omne primogenitum — “every firstborn will die”
• Verb: morietur
• Subject: omne primogenitum

Locative Phrase:
• in Terra Ægyptiorum — “in the land of the Egyptians”

Range Structure:
From → a primogenito Pharaonis
• with relative clause qui sedet in solio eius

To → usque ad primogenitum ancillæ
• with relative clause quæ est ad molam

Addition:
• et omnia primogenita iumentorum — includes livestock firstborn.

Morphology

  1. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links with previous sentence; Translation: “and”; Notes: simple connective.
  2. morietur — Lemma: morior; Part of Speech: deponent verb; Form: future indicative 3rd singular; Function: main verb declaring judgment; Translation: “will die”; Notes: deponent but active meaning.
  3. omne — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: modifies primogenitum; Translation: “every”; Notes: totality marker.
  4. primogenitum — Lemma: primogenitus; Part of Speech: noun/adjective; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: subject; Translation: “firstborn”; Notes: collective category.
  5. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: locative; Translation: “in”; Notes: spatial phrase.
  6. Terra — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of in; Translation: “land”; Notes: physical region.
  7. Ægyptiorum — Lemma: Ægyptius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: modifies Terra; Translation: “of the Egyptians”; Notes: denotes possession.
  8. a — Lemma: a/ab; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses starting point; Translation: “from”; Notes: range marker.
  9. primogenito — Lemma: primogenitus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of a; Translation: “firstborn”; Notes: royal heir.
  10. Pharaonis — Lemma: Pharao; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: modifies primogenito; Translation: “of Pharaoh”; Notes: specifies parentage.
  11. qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: introduces clause describing the firstborn; Translation: “who”; Notes: refers to primogenito.
  12. sedet — Lemma: sedeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative 3rd singular; Function: describes Pharaoh; Translation: “sits”; Notes: denotes reigning.
  13. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: locative; Translation: “on”; Notes: throne-seat imagery.
  14. solio — Lemma: solium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: object of in; Translation: “throne”; Notes: symbol of authority.
  15. eius — Lemma: eius; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive singular; Function: modifies solio; Translation: “his”; Notes: refers to Pharaoh.
  16. usque — Lemma: usque; Part of Speech: adverb/preposition; Form: range marker; Function: indicates limit; Translation: “up to”; Notes: works with ad.
  17. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: indicates direction; Translation: “to”; Notes: terminus of range.
  18. primogenitum — Lemma: primogenitus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of ad; Translation: “firstborn”; Notes: parallels earlier primogenitum.
  19. ancillæ — Lemma: ancilla; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: modifies primogenitum; Translation: “of the servant-woman”; Notes: lowest social rank contrasted with Pharaoh.
  20. quæ — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: introduces descriptive clause; Translation: “who”; Notes: refers to ancillæ.
  21. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative 3rd singular; Function: links subject to location; Translation: “is”; Notes: simple copula.
  22. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: spatial relation; Translation: “at”; Notes: close locative.
  23. molam — Lemma: mola; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of ad; Translation: “mill”; Notes: symbol of menial labor.
  24. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: introduces additional object; Translation: “and”; Notes: additive.
  25. omnia — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: modifies primogenita; Translation: “all”; Notes: total inclusivity.
  26. primogenita — Lemma: primogenitus; Part of Speech: adjective/noun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: object; Translation: “firstborn”; Notes: refers to animals.
  27. iumentorum — Lemma: iumentum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural neuter; Function: modifies primogenita; Translation: “of the livestock”; Notes: broad category of beasts of burden.

 

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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