Exodus 18:17

Posted on March 9, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 18:17 At ille: Non bonam, inquit, rem facis:

But he said: “You are not doing a good thing;

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 At but CONJ
2 ille he PRON.DEM.NOM.SG.M
3 Non not ADV
4 bonam good ADJ.ACC.SG.F
5 inquit he said 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
6 rem thing NOUN.ACC.SG.F
7 facis you do 2SG.PRES.ACT.IND

Syntax

Transition Clause:
At ille — introduces the speaker (Jethro) with contrastive at.

Direct Statement:
Non bonam rem facis — “You are not doing a good thing”; object rem with adjective bonam.

Parenthetical Speech Tag:
inquit — inserted after bonam but not altering the sentence’s structure.

Morphology

  1. At — Lemma: at; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces contrast; Translation: but; Notes: stronger than et.
  2. ille — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: he; Notes: refers to Jethro.
  3. Non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: negation; Translation: not; Notes: negates facis.
  4. bonam — Lemma: bonus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: modifies rem; Translation: good; Notes: object attribute.
  5. inquit — Lemma: inquam; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative 3rd singular; Function: parenthetical speech tag; Translation: he said; Notes: fixed-form verb used in dialogue.
  6. rem — Lemma: res; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object of facis; Translation: thing; Notes: object of evaluation.
  7. facis — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative 2nd singular; Function: main verb; Translation: you do; Notes: present ongoing action.

 

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.
This entry was posted in Exodus. Bookmark the permalink.

Comments are closed.