Exodus 18:12

Posted on March 9, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 18:12 Obtulit ergo Iethro cognatus Moysi holocausta et hostias Deo: veneruntque Aaron et omnes seniores Israel, ut comederent panem cum eo coram Deo.

And Jethro, the kinsman of Moyses, offered burnt offerings and sacrifices to God; and Aaron and all the elders of Israel came, to eat bread with him before God.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Obtulit offered 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 ergo therefore ADV
3 Iethro Jethro NOUN.NOM.SG.M
4 cognatus kinsman NOUN.NOM.SG.M
5 Moysi of Moses NOUN.GEN.SG.M
6 holocausta burnt offerings NOUN.ACC.PL.N
7 et and CONJ
8 hostias sacrifices NOUN.ACC.PL.F
9 Deo to God NOUN.DAT.SG.M
10 veneruntque and came 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND + CONJ
11 Aaron Aaron NOUN.NOM.SG.M
12 et and CONJ
13 omnes all ADJ.NOM.PL.M
14 seniores elders NOUN.NOM.PL.M
15 Israel Israel NOUN.GEN.SG.M
16 ut to / in order that CONJ
17 comederent they might eat 3PL.IMP.ACT.SUBJ
18 panem bread NOUN.ACC.SG.M
19 cum with PREP+ABL
20 eo him PRON.PERS.ABL.SG.M
21 coram before PREP+ABL
22 Deo God NOUN.ABL.SG.M

Syntax

Main Clause 1:
Obtulit ergo Iethro cognatus Moysi holocausta et hostias Deo — Jethro is subject, obtulit is the main verb, double object (holocausta et hostias) with Deo as dative of recipient.

Main Clause 2 (coordinated):
veneruntque Aaron et omnes seniores Israel — perfect plural indicates arrival of Aaron and the elders.

Purpose Clause:
ut comederent panem cum eo coram Deo — ut + imperfect subjunctive denotes intended purpose: “in order that they might eat bread with him before God.”

Morphology

  1. Obtulit — Lemma: offero; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: main verb; Translation: offered; Notes: irregular verb derived from fero.
  2. ergo — Lemma: ergo; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: logical connector; Translation: therefore; Notes: marks conclusion.
  3. Iethro — Lemma: Iethro; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: Jethro; Notes: Moses’ kinsman.
  4. cognatus — Lemma: cognatus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: apposition to Iethro; Translation: kinsman; Notes: identifies relationship.
  5. Moysi — Lemma: Moyses; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessive modifier; Translation: of Moses; Notes: indicates kinship.
  6. holocausta — Lemma: holocaustum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: direct object; Translation: burnt offerings; Notes: sacrificial term.
  7. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: links objects; Translation: and; Notes: coordination.
  8. hostias — Lemma: hostia; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: direct object; Translation: sacrifices; Notes: general sacrificial term.
  9. Deo — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: indirect object; Translation: to God; Notes: recipient of offerings.
  10. veneruntque — Lemma: venio + que; Part of Speech: verb + enclitic conjunction; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd plural; Function: main verb of second clause; Translation: and came; Notes: -que joins narrative flow.
  11. Aaron — Lemma: Aaron; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: Aaron; Notes: high priest.
  12. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: links subjects; Translation: and; Notes: coordination.
  13. omnes — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: modifies seniores; Translation: all; Notes: totality.
  14. seniores — Lemma: senior; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: coordinated subject; Translation: elders; Notes: leaders of Israel.
  15. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessive modifier; Translation: of Israel; Notes: ethnic/genitive of association.
  16. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces purpose clause; Translation: to / in order that; Notes: governs subjunctive.
  17. comederent — Lemma: comedo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperfect active subjunctive 3rd plural; Function: verb of purpose clause; Translation: they might eat; Notes: imperfect subjunctive for intended action.
  18. panem — Lemma: panis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of comederent; Translation: bread; Notes: meal of covenant fellowship.
  19. cum — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses accompaniment; Translation: with; Notes: relational.
  20. eo — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of cum; Translation: him; Notes: refers to Jethro.
  21. coram — Lemma: coram; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses presence before; Translation: before; Notes: formal/ritual context.
  22. Deo — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of coram; Translation: God; Notes: presence of God sanctifies the meal.

 

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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