Exodus 12:40

Posted on March 3, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 12:40 Habitatio autem filiorum Israel qua manserunt in Ægypto, fuit quadringentorum triginta annorum.

But the dwelling of the sons of Israel, in which they had lived in Egypt, was four hundred and thirty years.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Habitatio dwelling NOM.SG.F
2 autem but ADV/CONJ
3 filiorum of the sons GEN.PL.M
4 Israel Israel GEN.SG.M.INVAR
5 qua in which ABL.SG.F.REL
6 manserunt they lived 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
7 in in PREP+ABL
8 Ægypto Egypt ABL.SG.F
9 fuit was 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
10 quadringentorum four hundred GEN.PL.M.NUM
11 triginta thirty INVAR.NUM
12 annorum of years GEN.PL.M

Syntax

Main Subject:
Habitatio filiorum Israel — “the dwelling of the sons of Israel”
• Habitatio = subject
• filiorum Israel = genitive phrase modifying Habitatio

Relative clause modifying the subject:
qua manserunt in Ægypto — “in which they lived in Egypt”
• qua = relative pronoun (ablative of place)
• manserunt = verb
• in Ægypto = prepositional phrase

Main verb and predicate:
fuit quadringentorum triginta annorum
• fuit = linking verb
• quadringentorum triginta annorum = genitive of measure (“of four hundred thirty years”)

Morphology

  1. Habitatio — Lemma: habitatio; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject; Translation: “dwelling”; Notes: denotes period of residence.
  2. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: conjunction/adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: mild contrastive connector; Translation: “but”; Notes: narrative continuation.
  3. filiorum — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: modifies Habitatio; Translation: “of the sons”; Notes: refers to Israelites.
  4. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular masculine (indeclinable); Function: completes filiorum; Translation: “Israel”; Notes: tribal designation.
  5. qua — Lemma: qui, quae, quod; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: introduces relative clause; Translation: “in which”; Notes: ablative of place.
  6. manserunt — Lemma: maneo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative third plural; Function: verb of relative clause; Translation: “they lived”; Notes: completed duration.
  7. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: locative; Translation: “in”; Notes: standard locational construction.
  8. Ægypto — Lemma: Ægyptus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of in; Translation: “Egypt”; Notes: place of residence.
  9. fuit — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative third singular; Function: copula; Translation: “was”; Notes: expresses completed state.
  10. quadringentorum — Lemma: quadringenti; Part of Speech: numeral adjective; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: part of genitive of measure; Translation: “of four hundred”; Notes: modifies annorum.
  11. triginta — Lemma: triginta; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: indeclinable; Function: completes numeral phrase; Translation: “thirty”; Notes: used additively.
  12. annorum — Lemma: annus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: genitive of measure; Translation: “of years”; Notes: expresses duration.

 

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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