Exodus 14:12

Posted on March 5, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 14:12 Nonne iste est sermo, quem loquebamur ad te in Ægypto, dicentes: Recede a nobis, ut serviamus Ægyptiis? multo enim melius erat servire eis, quam mori in solitudine.

Is this not the very word that we were speaking to you in Egypt, saying: ‘Depart from us, so that we may serve the Egyptians?’ For it was much better to serve them than to die in the wilderness.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Nonne is it not ADV (INTERROG.)
2 iste this PRON.NOM.SG.M
3 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
4 sermo word NOUN.NOM.SG.M
5 quem which REL.PRON.ACC.SG.M
6 loquebamur we were speaking 1PL.IMP.DEP.IND
7 ad to PREP+ACC
8 te you PRON.ACC.SG
9 in in PREP+ABL
10 Ægypto Egypt NOUN.ABL.SG.F
11 dicentes saying PART.PRES.ACT.NOM.PL.M
12 Recede depart 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMPER
13 a from PREP+ABL
14 nobis us PRON.ABL.PL
15 ut so that CONJ
16 serviamus we may serve 1PL.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
17 Ægyptiis the Egyptians NOUN.DAT.PL.M
18 multo by much ADJ.ABL.SG.N (ADV. ABL. OF DEGREE)
19 enim for CONJ
20 melius better COMP.ADV
21 erat it was 3SG.IMP.ACT.IND
22 servire to serve INF.PRES.ACT
23 eis them PRON.DAT.PL
24 quam than CONJ
25 mori to die INF.PRES.DEP
26 in in PREP+ABL
27 solitudine wilderness NOUN.ABL.SG.F

Syntax

Main interrogative clause: Nonne iste est sermo — rhetorical “Is this not the word…?”
Relative clause: quem loquebamur ad te in Ægypto — imperfect deponent showing repeated past speech.
Participial clause: dicentes: Recede a nobis — circumstantial participle introducing quoted command.
Purpose clause: ut serviamus Ægyptiis — ut + subjunctive expressing intended result.
Explanatory clause: multo enim melius erat servire eis — “for it was much better…”
Comparative infinitive clause: quam mori in solitudine — infinitive phrase in comparison.

Morphology

  1. Nonne — Lemma: nonne; Part of Speech: interrogative adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces rhetorical question expecting “yes”; Translation: “is it not”; Notes: expresses complaint.
  2. iste — Lemma: iste; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: modifies sermo; Translation: “this”; Notes: deictic emphasis.
  3. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative third singular; Function: copula; Translation: “is”; Notes: forms equational clause.
  4. sermo — Lemma: sermo; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject complement; Translation: “word”; Notes: refers to past plea.
  5. quem — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of loquebamur; Translation: “which”; Notes: connects antecedent.
  6. loquebamur — Lemma: loquor; Part of Speech: deponent verb; Form: imperfect indicative first plural; Function: main verb of relative clause; Translation: “we were speaking”; Notes: deponent with active meaning.
  7. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses direction; Translation: “to”; Notes: marks recipient.
  8. te — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular; Function: object of ad; Translation: “you”; Notes: addressed to Moses.
  9. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: locative; Translation: “in”; Notes: marks location of speech.
  10. Ægypto — Lemma: Ægyptus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of in; Translation: “Egypt”; Notes: setting of complaint.
  11. dicentes — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: participle; Form: present active participle nominative plural masculine; Function: circumstantial participle; Translation: “saying”; Notes: introduces quoted speech.
  12. Recede — Lemma: recedo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active imperative second singular; Function: command; Translation: “depart”; Notes: hostile imperative.
  13. a — Lemma: a/ab; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: separation; Translation: “from”; Notes: expresses rejection.
  14. nobis — Lemma: nos; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: ablative plural; Function: object of a; Translation: “us”; Notes: accusatory tone.
  15. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces purpose clause; Translation: “so that”; Notes: explains reason for command.
  16. serviamus — Lemma: servio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present subjunctive first plural; Function: verb of purpose clause; Translation: “we may serve”; Notes: subjunctive of intended action.
  17. Ægyptiis — Lemma: Ægyptius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative plural masculine; Function: indirect object; Translation: “the Egyptians”; Notes: servitude referenced.
  18. multo — Lemma: multus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: ablative of degree; Translation: “by much”; Notes: strengthens comparative.
  19. enim — Lemma: enim; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: explanatory; Translation: “for”; Notes: gives reason.
  20. melius — Lemma: melior; Part of Speech: comparative adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: comparative modifier; Translation: “better”; Notes: comparison with mori.
  21. erat — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperfect active indicative third singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “it was”; Notes: habitual sense.
  22. servire — Lemma: servio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active infinitive; Function: subject infinitive; Translation: “to serve”; Notes: dependent on erat.
  23. eis — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative plural; Function: indirect object; Translation: “them”; Notes: refers to Egyptians.
  24. quam — Lemma: quam; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: comparative marker; Translation: “than”; Notes: introduces comparison.
  25. mori — Lemma: morior; Part of Speech: deponent verb; Form: present infinitive; Function: comparative infinitive; Translation: “to die”; Notes: deponent infinitive.
  26. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: locative; Translation: “in”; Notes: marks place of death.
  27. solitudine — Lemma: solitudo; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of in; Translation: “wilderness”; Notes: contrast to Egypt.

 

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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