Exodus 18:3

Posted on March 9, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 18:3 et duos filios eius, quorum unus vocabatur Gersam, dicente patre: Advena fui in terra aliena.

and his two sons, of whom one was called Gersam, the father saying: “I was a stranger in a foreign land.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 et and CONJ
2 duos two ADJ.ACC.PL.M
3 filios sons NOUN.ACC.PL.M
4 eius his PRON.POSS.GEN.SG.M
5 quorum of whom PRON.REL.GEN.PL.M
6 unus one PRON.INDEF.NOM.SG.M
7 vocabatur was called 3SG.IMP.PASS.IND
8 Gersam Gershom NOUN.NOM.SG.M
9 dicente the father saying PTCP.PRES.ACT.ABL.SG.M
10 patre father NOUN.ABL.SG.M
11 Advena stranger NOUN.NOM.SG.M
12 fui I was 1SG.PERF.ACT.IND
13 in in PREP+ABL
14 terra land NOUN.ABL.SG.F
15 aliena foreign ADJ.ABL.SG.F

Syntax

Object Phrase: duos filios eius — coordinated with previous direct object (“his two sons”).
Relative Clause: quorum unus vocabatur Gersam — identifies the first son by name.
Ablative Absolute: dicente patre — temporal/explanatory construction (“the father saying”).
Quoted Sentence: Advena fui in terra aliena — perfect verb expressing past sojourn.

Morphology

  1. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: connects with preceding clause; Translation: and; Notes: simple coordinator.
  2. duos — Lemma: duo; Part of Speech: adjective (numeral); Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: modifies filios; Translation: two; Notes: numeral functioning adjectivally.
  3. filios — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: direct object; Translation: sons; Notes: refers to Moses’ sons.
  4. eius — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: possessive pronoun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: modifies filios; Translation: his; Notes: refers to Moses.
  5. quorum — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: introduces relative clause; Translation: of whom; Notes: refers to the two sons.
  6. unus — Lemma: unus; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of vocabatur; Translation: one; Notes: identifies specific son.
  7. vocabatur — Lemma: voco; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperfect passive indicative 3rd singular; Function: main verb of relative clause; Translation: was called; Notes: passive denotes naming.
  8. Gersam — Lemma: Gersam; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: predicate nominative; Translation: Gersam; Notes: first son’s name.
  9. dicente — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: participle; Form: present active participle ablative singular masculine; Function: ablative absolute with patre; Translation: saying; Notes: introduces explanation for name.
  10. patre — Lemma: pater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: part of ablative absolute; Translation: father; Notes: refers to Moses.
  11. Advena — Lemma: advena; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: stranger; Notes: expresses Moses’ self-description.
  12. fui — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 1st singular; Function: main verb; Translation: I was; Notes: expresses completed condition.
  13. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: locative relation; Translation: in; Notes: introduces location.
  14. terra — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of in; Translation: land; Notes: physical location.
  15. aliena — Lemma: alienus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: modifies terra; Translation: foreign; Notes: emphasizes sojourner status.

 

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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