Exodus 15:21

Posted on March 6, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 15:21 quibus præcinebat, dicens: Cantemus Domino, gloriose enim magnificatus est, equum et ascensorem eius deiecit in mare.

to whom she led the singing, saying: “Let us sing to the LORD, for He has been gloriously magnified; the horse and its rider He has cast into the sea.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 quibus to whom PRON.DAT.PL.M/F
2 præcinebat she led in singing 3SG.IMP.ACT.IND
3 dicens saying PRES.ACT.PTCP.NOM.SG.F
4 Cantemus let us sing 1PL.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
5 Domino to the LORD NOUN.DAT.SG.M
6 gloriose gloriously ADV
7 enim for ADV
8 magnificatus magnified PPP.NOM.SG.M
9 est has been 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
10 equum horse NOUN.ACC.SG.M
11 et and CONJ
12 ascensorem rider NOUN.ACC.SG.M
13 eius his PRON.GEN.SG
14 deiecit cast down 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
15 in into PREP+ACC
16 mare sea NOUN.ACC.SG.N

Syntax

Introductory phrase: quibus præcinebat — dative pronoun indicating those to whom she was leading singing; imperfect verb describing ongoing action.
Participle clause: dicens — introduces the quoted hymn.
Hymn clause: Cantemus Domino — hortatory subjunctive + dative of advantage.
Explanatory clause: gloriose enim magnificatus est — adverb + causal particle + perfect periphrastic.
Object clause: equum et ascensorem eius deiecit in mare — coordinated double object + perfect verb + prepositional phrase.

Morphology

  1. quibus — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative plural masculine/feminine; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to whom”; Notes: refers to the women.
  2. præcinebat — Lemma: præcano; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperfect active indicative third singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “she led in singing”; Notes: iterative/continuous action.
  3. dicens — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: participle; Form: present active participle nominative singular feminine; Function: introduces quotation; Translation: “saying”; Notes: modifies Maria implied.
  4. Cantemus — Lemma: canto; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active subjunctive first plural; Function: hortatory; Translation: “let us sing”; Notes: expresses exhortation.
  5. Domino — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to the LORD”; Notes: refers to YHWH.
  6. gloriose — Lemma: gloriosus; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies magnificatus est; Translation: “gloriously”; Notes: manner adverb.
  7. enim — Lemma: enim; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: causal connector; Translation: “for”; Notes: explanatory.
  8. magnificatus — Lemma: magnifico; Part of Speech: participle; Form: perfect passive participle nominative singular masculine; Function: predicate with est; Translation: “magnified”; Notes: divine exaltation.
  9. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative third singular; Function: auxiliary; Translation: “has been”; Notes: forms perfect passive.
  10. equum — Lemma: equus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object; Translation: “horse”; Notes: war animal.
  11. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: joins objects; Translation: “and”; Notes: simple connector.
  12. ascensorem — Lemma: ascensor; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object; Translation: “rider”; Notes: cavalryman.
  13. eius — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive singular; Function: possessive modifier; Translation: “his”; Notes: refers to the horse.
  14. deiecit — Lemma: deicio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative third singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “cast down”; Notes: describes divine judgment.
  15. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: motion into; Translation: “into”; Notes: spatial direction.
  16. mare — Lemma: mare; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of in; Translation: “sea”; Notes: the Red Sea.

 

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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