Exodus 18:26

Posted on March 9, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 18:26 Qui iudicabant plebem omni tempore: quidquid autem gravius erat, referebant ad eum, faciliora tantummodo iudicantes.

They judged the people at all times: but whatever was more serious, they referred to him, judging only the easier matters.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Qui who PRON.REL.NOM.PL.M
2 iudicabant were judging 3PL.IMP.ACT.IND
3 plebem the people NOUN.ACC.SG.F
4 omni every ADJ.ABL.SG.F
5 tempore time NOUN.ABL.SG.N
6 quidquid whatever PRON.INDEF.NOM/ACC.SG.N
7 autem however / but CONJ
8 gravius more serious ADJ.CMPR.NOM/ACC.SG.N
9 erat was 3SG.IMP.ACT.IND
10 referebant they referred 3PL.IMP.ACT.IND
11 ad to PREP+ACC
12 eum him PRON.PERS.ACC.SG.M
13 faciliora the easier things ADJ.ACC.PL.N
14 tantummodo only ADV
15 iudicantes judging PTCP.PRES.ACT.NOM.PL.M

Syntax

Main Relative Clause:
Qui iudicabant plebem omni tempore — ongoing habitual action; the appointed judges judged continually.

Contrastive Clause:
quidquid autem gravius erat — introduces cases of greater seriousness.

Main Verb of Action:
referebant ad eum — they referred these harder cases to Moses.

Participial Phrase:
faciliora tantummodo iudicantes — describes their regular function: judging only the easier matters.

Morphology

  1. Qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject of iudicabant; Translation: who; Notes: refers to appointed leaders.
  2. iudicabant — Lemma: iudico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperfect active indicative 3rd plural; Function: main verb of relative clause; Translation: were judging; Notes: continual activity.
  3. plebem — Lemma: plebs; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object of iudicabant; Translation: the people; Notes: Israel’s populace.
  4. omni — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: modifies tempore; Translation: every; Notes: expresses continuity.
  5. tempore — Lemma: tempus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: ablative of time; Translation: time; Notes: “at all times.”
  6. quidquid — Lemma: quidquid; Part of Speech: indefinite pronoun; Form: nominative/accusative singular neuter; Function: subject of erat; Translation: whatever; Notes: introduces evaluation of cases.
  7. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: mild contrast; Translation: however; Notes: shifts focus.
  8. gravius — Lemma: gravis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative/accusative singular neuter comparative; Function: predicate complement with erat; Translation: more serious; Notes: comparative degree.
  9. erat — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: main verb of clause; Translation: was; Notes: describes ongoing classification.
  10. referebant — Lemma: refero; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperfect active indicative 3rd plural; Function: main narrative verb; Translation: they referred; Notes: repeated habitual action.
  11. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: direction; Translation: to; Notes: indicates referral.
  12. eum — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of ad; Translation: him; Notes: refers to Moses.
  13. faciliora — Lemma: facilis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative plural neuter comparative; Function: object of iudicantes; Translation: the easier things; Notes: contrasted with gravius.
  14. tantummodo — Lemma: tantummodo; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: restrictor; Translation: only; Notes: limits their jurisdiction.
  15. iudicantes — Lemma: iudico; Part of Speech: participle; Form: present active participle nominative plural masculine; Function: circumstantial participle modifying qui; Translation: judging; Notes: concurrent 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.
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