Exodus 13:17

Posted on March 4, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 13:17 Igitur cum emisisset Pharao populum, non eos duxit Deus per viam Terræ Philisthiim quæ vicina est: reputans ne forte pœniteret eum, si vidisset adversum se bella consurgere, et reverteretur in Ægyptum.

Therefore when Pharao had sent forth the people, God did not lead them by the way of the Land of the Philistines which is near, thinking lest perhaps it might repent them if they should see wars rising against them, and they would return into Egypt.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Igitur therefore ADV
2 cum when CONJ
3 emisisset had sent forth 3SG.PLUPERF.ACT.SUBJ
4 Pharao Pharaoh NOUN.NOM.SG.M
5 populum people NOUN.ACC.SG.M
6 non not ADV
7 eos them PRON.ACC.PL.M
8 duxit led 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
9 Deus God NOUN.NOM.SG.M
10 per through PREP+ACC
11 viam the way NOUN.ACC.SG.F
12 Terræ land NOUN.GEN.SG.F
13 Philisthiim of the Philistines NOUN.GEN.PL.M
14 quæ which PRON.NOM.SG.F
15 vicina near ADJ.NOM.SG.F
16 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
17 reputans thinking PART.PRES.ACT.NOM.SG.M
18 ne lest CONJ
19 forte perhaps ADV
20 pœniteret it might repent 3SG.IMP.SUBJ.ACT
21 eum him PRON.ACC.SG.M
22 si if CONJ
23 vidisset he should see 3SG.PLUPERF.ACT.SUBJ
24 adversum against PREP+ACC
25 se himself PRON.ACC.SG.M
26 bella wars NOUN.ACC.PL.N
27 consurgere to rise INF.PRES.ACT
28 et and CONJ
29 reverteretur he would return 3SG.IMP.SUBJ.DEP
30 in into PREP+ACC
31 Ægyptum Egypt NOUN.ACC.SG.F

Syntax

Temporal clause: cum emisisset Pharao populum — Pharao subject; emisisset verb; populum object.
Main clause: non eos duxit Deus per viam Terræ Philisthiim — Deus subject; duxit main verb; eos object.
Relative clause: quæ vicina est — modifies via.
Participial clause: reputans ne forte pœniteret eum — causal nuance; reputans refers to God.
Conditional clause: si vidisset adversum se bella consurgere — potential danger scenario.
Final clause: et reverteretur in Ægyptum — possible outcome.

Morphology

  1. Igitur — Lemma: igitur; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: connects to preceding narrative; Translation: “therefore”; Notes: logical transition.
  2. cum — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces temporal clause; Translation: “when”; Notes: subjunctive required.
  3. emisisset — Lemma: emitto; Part of Speech: verb; Form: pluperfect active subjunctive third singular; Function: verb of temporal clause; Translation: “had sent forth”; Notes: past action relative to main clause.
  4. Pharao — Lemma: Pharao; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “Pharaoh”; Notes: Egyptian ruler.
  5. populum — Lemma: populus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of emisisset; Translation: “people”; Notes: Israel.
  6. non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: negation; Translation: “not”; Notes: modifies duxit.
  7. eos — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: direct object; Translation: “them”; Notes: refers to Israel.
  8. duxit — Lemma: duco; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative third singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “led”; Notes: decisive divine action.
  9. Deus — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “God”; Notes: YHWH acting.
  10. per — Lemma: per; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses route; Translation: “through”; Notes: path designation.
  11. viam — Lemma: via; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of per; Translation: “way”; Notes: route through Philistine land.
  12. Terræ — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: dependent genitive; Translation: “of the land”; Notes: geographical qualifier.
  13. Philisthiim — Lemma: Philisthii; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: modifies Terræ; Translation: “of the Philistines”; Notes: coastal inhabitants.
  14. quæ — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject of est; Translation: “which”; Notes: refers to via.
  15. vicina — Lemma: vicinus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: predicate adjective; Translation: “near”; Notes: geographic proximity.
  16. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative third singular; Function: copula; Translation: “is”; Notes: describes location.
  17. reputans — Lemma: reputo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: present active participle nominative singular masculine; Function: causal participle; Translation: “thinking”; Notes: divine consideration.
  18. ne — Lemma: ne; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces negative purpose clause; Translation: “lest”; Notes: warns of danger.
  19. forte — Lemma: forte; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: adds uncertainty; Translation: “perhaps”; Notes: softens potential outcome.
  20. pœniteret — Lemma: pœniteo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperfect active subjunctive third singular; Function: verb of purpose clause; Translation: “it might repent”; Notes: change of heart.
  21. eum — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of pœniteret; Translation: “him”; Notes: refers to Israel.
  22. si — Lemma: si; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces conditional clause; Translation: “if”; Notes: hypothetical condition.
  23. vidisset — Lemma: video; Part of Speech: verb; Form: pluperfect active subjunctive third singular; Function: verb of condition; Translation: “he should see”; Notes: potential perception.
  24. adversum — Lemma: adversum; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: indicates direction against; Translation: “against”; Notes: opposition.
  25. se — Lemma: se; Part of Speech: reflexive pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of adversum; Translation: “himself”; Notes: reflexive to subject.
  26. bella — Lemma: bellum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: object of vidisset; Translation: “wars”; Notes: impending conflict.
  27. consurgere — Lemma: consurgo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active infinitive; Function: complementary infinitive; Translation: “to rise”; Notes: hostilities emerging.
  28. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: connects clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: continuation.
  29. reverteretur — Lemma: revertor; Part of Speech: deponent verb; Form: imperfect subjunctive third singular; Function: potential result; Translation: “he would return”; Notes: Israel’s fear.
  30. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: direction; Translation: “into”; Notes: movement.
  31. Ægyptum — Lemma: Ægyptus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of in; Translation: “Egypt”; Notes: place of former bondage.

 

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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