Exodus 17:11

Posted on March 8, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 17:11 Cumque levaret Moyses manus, vincebat Israel: sin autem paululum remisisset, superabat Amalec.

And whenever Moyses lifted his hands, Israel prevailed; but if he had relaxed them even a little, Amalec prevailed.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Cumque and when CONJ
2 levaret he lifted 3SG.IMP.ACT.SUBJ
3 Moyses Moses NOUN.NOM.SG.M
4 manus hands NOUN.ACC.PL.F
5 vincebat prevailed 3SG.IMP.ACT.IND
6 Israel Israel NOUN.INDECL
7 sin but if CONJ
8 autem however CONJ
9 paululum a little ADV
10 remisisset had relaxed 3SG.PLUP.ACT.SUBJ
11 superabat prevailed 3SG.IMP.ACT.IND
12 Amalec Amalek NOUN.INDECL

Syntax

Temporal Clause: Cumque levaret Moyses manus — subjunctive of repeated action (“whenever”).
Main Result: vincebat Israel — imperfect expressing ongoing advantage.
Conditional Clause: sin autem paululum remisisset — pluperfect subjunctive in repeated conditional sense.
Opposing Result: superabat Amalec — imperfect verb indicating shifting battle momentum.

Morphology

  1. Cumque — Lemma: cum + que; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: temporal linker; Translation: and when; Notes: introduces repeated circumstance.
  2. levaret — Lemma: levo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperfect active subjunctive 3rd singular; Function: verb of temporal clause; Translation: he lifted; Notes: subjunctive used for repeated past events.
  3. Moyses — Lemma: Moyses; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: Moses; Notes: agent raising hands.
  4. manus — Lemma: manus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: direct object; Translation: hands; Notes: fourth-declension noun.
  5. vincebat — Lemma: vinco; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: main verb of result; Translation: prevailed; Notes: ongoing advantage.
  6. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: noun; Form: indeclinable; Function: subject; Translation: Israel; Notes: national collective.
  7. sin — Lemma: sin; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces contrary condition; Translation: but if; Notes: rare conditional marker.
  8. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: adds nuance; Translation: however; Notes: softens the contrast.
  9. paululum — Lemma: paululum; Part of Speech: adverb (neuter diminutive used adverbially); Form: invariable; Function: modifies remisisset; Translation: a little; Notes: indicates slight decrease.
  10. remisisset — Lemma: remitto; Part of Speech: verb; Form: pluperfect active subjunctive 3rd singular; Function: verb of conditional clause; Translation: had relaxed; Notes: describes alternative repeated condition.
  11. superabat — Lemma: supero; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: main verb of opposite result; Translation: prevailed; Notes: Amalek’s advantage expressed in imperfective aspect.
  12. Amalec — Lemma: Amalec; Part of Speech: noun; Form: indeclinable; Function: subject; Translation: Amalek; Notes: enemy nation name.

 

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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