Exodus 16:13

Posted on March 7, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 16:13 Factum est ergo vespere, et ascendens coturnix, cooperuit castra: mane quoque ros iacuit per circuitum castrorum.

And it happened in the evening, and a quail coming up covered the camp; and in the morning likewise dew lay around the circuit of the camps.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Factum having happened PTCP.PERF.PASS.NOM.SG.N
2 est it was 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
3 ergo therefore ADV
4 vespere in the evening ABL.SG.N
5 et and CONJ
6 ascendens coming up PTCP.PRES.ACT.NOM.SG.F
7 coturnix quail NOM.SG.F
8 cooperuit covered 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
9 castra the camp ACC.PL.N
10 mane in the morning ABL.SG.N (INDECL)
11 quoque also ADV
12 ros dew NOM.SG.M
13 iacuit lay 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
14 per through PREP+ACC
15 circuitum circuit ACC.SG.M
16 castrorum of the camps GEN.PL.N

Syntax

Periphrastic Main Clause: Factum est — perfect periphrastic “it happened”; vespere ablative of time.
Coordinated Clause: ascendens coturnix — participial subject phrase; cooperuit castra — main verb plus direct object.
Second Temporal Clause: mane quoque — temporal adverbial phrase; ros — subject; iacuit — verb.
Prepositional Phrase: per circuitum castrorum — spatial expression meaning “around the circuit of the camps.”

Morphology

  1. Factum — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: verb (deponent-like perfect participle passive); Form: perfect participle passive, nominative singular neuter; Function: part of impersonal periphrastic; Translation: “having happened”; Notes: used impersonally to mark an event.
  2. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative, 3rd singular; Function: auxiliary; Translation: “it was”; Notes: completes impersonal periphrastic.
  3. ergo — Lemma: ergo; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: consequential adverb; Translation: “therefore”; Notes: narrative progression.
  4. vespere — Lemma: vesper; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: ablative of time; Translation: “in the evening”; Notes: marks time of event.
  5. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: simple additive conjunction.
  6. ascendens — Lemma: ascendo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active participle, nominative singular feminine; Function: modifies coturnix; Translation: “coming up”; Notes: vivid narrative participle.
  7. coturnix — Lemma: coturnix; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject; Translation: “quail”; Notes: refers to quail blown in by wind.
  8. cooperuit — Lemma: cooperio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative, 3rd singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “covered”; Notes: expresses completed action.
  9. castra — Lemma: castra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: direct object; Translation: “the camp”; Notes: plural form with singular meaning.
  10. mane — Lemma: mane; Part of Speech: noun (indeclinable); Form: ablative singular; Function: ablative of time; Translation: “in the morning”; Notes: contrasts with vespere.
  11. quoque — Lemma: quoque; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: additive; Translation: “also”; Notes: postpositive.
  12. ros — Lemma: ros; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “dew”; Notes: natural phenomenon preceding manna.
  13. iacuit — Lemma: iaceo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative, 3rd singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “lay”; Notes: simple past action.
  14. per — Lemma: per; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses spatial distribution; Translation: “through / around”; Notes: indicates extent.
  15. circuitum — Lemma: circuitus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of per; Translation: “circuit”; Notes: circle around camp.
  16. castrorum — Lemma: castra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural neuter; Function: modifies circuitum; Translation: “of the camps”; Notes: military-style encampment.

 

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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