Exodus 12:27

Posted on March 3, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 12:27 dicetis eis: Victima transitus Domini est, quando transivit super domos filiorum Israel in Ægypto percutiens Ægyptios, et domos nostras liberans. Incurvatusque populus adoravit.

You shall say to them: It is the victim of the passage of the LORD, when He passed over the houses of the sons of Israel in Egypt, striking the Egyptians and freeing our houses. And the people, bowing down, worshiped.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 dicetis you shall say 2PL.FUT.ACT.IND
2 eis to them DAT.PL
3 Victima victim / sacrifice NOM.SG.F
4 transitus of the passing GEN.SG.M
5 Domini of the LORD GEN.SG.M
6 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
7 quando when CONJ
8 transivit He passed over 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
9 super over PREP+ACC
10 domos houses ACC.PL.F
11 filiorum of the sons GEN.PL.M
12 Israel Israel GEN.SG.M.INVAR
13 in in PREP+ABL
14 Ægypto Egypt ABL.SG.N
15 percutiens striking NOM.SG.M.PRES.ACT.PTCP
16 Ægyptios Egyptians ACC.PL.M
17 et and CONJ
18 domos houses ACC.PL.F
19 nostras our ACC.PL.F.ADJ
20 liberans freeing NOM.SG.M.PRES.ACT.PTCP
21 Incurvatusque and having bowed NOM.SG.M.PPP + ENCLITIC
22 populus the people NOM.SG.M
23 adoravit worshiped 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND

Syntax

Direct command:
dicetis eis — “you shall say to them”
• dicetis = main verb
• eis = indirect object

Declarative content:
Victima transitus Domini est — “It is the victim of the passage of the LORD”
• Victima = subject
• transitus Domini = genitive phrase
• est = copula

Temporal clause:
quando transivit super domos filiorum Israel in Ægypto
• transivit = verb
• super domos… = prepositional phrase
• filiorum Israel = genitive modifier

Participial modifiers describing divine action:
percutiens Ægyptios — “striking the Egyptians”
liberans domos nostras — “freeing our houses”

Independent sentence:
Incurvatusque populus adoravit
• Incurvatus = circumstantial participle
• populus = subject
• adoravit = main verb

Morphology

  1. dicetis — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative second plural; Function: main command; Translation: “you shall say”; Notes: instruction for catechetical explanation.
  2. eis — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative plural; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to them”; Notes: refers to the sons.
  3. Victima — Lemma: victima; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject; Translation: “victim / sacrifice”; Notes: refers to the Passover lamb.
  4. transitus — Lemma: transitus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: modifies victima; Translation: “of the passing”; Notes: source of term “Passover.”
  5. Domini — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessor; Translation: “of the LORD”; Notes: refers to YHWH.
  6. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative third singular; Function: copula; Translation: “is”; Notes: equative verb.
  7. quando — Lemma: quando; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces temporal clause; Translation: “when”; Notes: anchors narrative timing.
  8. transivit — Lemma: transeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative third singular; Function: main verb of clause; Translation: “He passed over”; Notes: reference to Passover night.
  9. super — Lemma: super; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: spatial relation; Translation: “over”; Notes: movement over houses.
  10. domos — Lemma: domus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: object of super; Translation: “houses”; Notes: Israelite homes.
  11. filiorum — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: possessor; Translation: “of the sons”; Notes: tribal identity.
  12. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular (indeclinable); Function: modifies filiorum; Translation: “of Israel”; Notes: ethnic designation.
  13. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: locative; Translation: “in”; Notes: geographical placement.
  14. Ægypto — Lemma: Ægyptus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: location; Translation: “Egypt”; Notes: setting of event.
  15. percutiens — Lemma: percutio; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular masculine present active participle; Function: describes concurrent action; Translation: “striking”; Notes: describes divine judgment.
  16. Ægyptios — Lemma: Ægyptius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object of percutiens; Translation: “Egyptians”; Notes: objects of judgment.
  17. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: joins participles; Translation: “and”; Notes: additive.
  18. domos — Lemma: domus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: object of liberans; Translation: “houses”; Notes: Israelite protection.
  19. nostras — Lemma: noster; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: modifies domos; Translation: “our”; Notes: expresses belonging.
  20. liberans — Lemma: libero; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular masculine present active participle; Function: describes divine saving action; Translation: “freeing”; Notes: salvific nuance.
  21. Incurvatusque — Lemma: incurvo; Part of Speech: perfect passive participle + enclitic; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: circumstantial (having bowed down); Translation: “and having bowed”; Notes: posture of worship.
  22. populus — Lemma: populus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of adoravit; Translation: “the people”; Notes: collective Israel.
  23. adoravit — Lemma: adoro; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative third singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “worshiped”; Notes: reverential response.

 

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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