Exodus 18:15

Posted on March 9, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 18:15 Cui respondit Moyses: Venit ad me populus quærens sententiam Dei.

Moyses answered him: “The people come to me seeking the judgment of God.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Cui to whom PRON.REL.DAT.SG.M
2 respondit answered 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
3 Moyses Moses NOUN.NOM.SG.M
4 Venit comes 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
5 ad to PREP+ACC
6 me me PRON.PERS.ACC.SG
7 populus people NOUN.NOM.SG.M
8 quærens seeking PTCP.PRES.ACT.NOM.SG.M
9 sententiam judgment NOUN.ACC.SG.F
10 Dei of God NOUN.GEN.SG.M

Syntax

Introductory Relative Phrase:
Cui respondit Moyses — dative of the person addressed; Moses is the subject.

Main Clause:
Venit ad me populus — verb–prepositional phrase–subject order: “The people come to me.”

Participle Phrase:
quærens sententiam Dei — present active participle modifying populus, expressing ongoing purpose.

Morphology

  1. Cui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: indirect object of respondit; Translation: to whom; Notes: refers to Jethro.
  2. respondit — Lemma: respondeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: main verb; Translation: answered; Notes: narrative perfect.
  3. Moyses — Lemma: Moyses; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: Moses; Notes: speaker.
  4. Venit — Lemma: venio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative 3rd singular; Function: main verb of reported explanation; Translation: comes; Notes: expresses ongoing action.
  5. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: directional phrase; Translation: to; Notes: common motion preposition.
  6. me — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: accusative singular; Function: object of ad; Translation: me; Notes: refers to Moses.
  7. populus — Lemma: populus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of venit; Translation: the people; Notes: collective group.
  8. quærens — Lemma: quæro; Part of Speech: present active participle; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: participle modifying populus; Translation: seeking; Notes: expresses continuous intent.
  9. sententiam — Lemma: sententia; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of quærens; Translation: judgment; Notes: legal decision.
  10. Dei — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessive modifier; Translation: of God; Notes: divine judgment.

 

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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