Exodus 19:9

Posted on March 10, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 19:9 ait ei Dominus: Iam nunc veniam ad te in caligine nubis, ut audiat me populus loquentem ad te, et credat tibi in perpetuum. Nunciavit ergo Moyses verba populi ad Dominum.

And the LORD said to him: “Now I will come to you in the thick darkness of the cloud, so that the people may hear Me speaking to you, and may believe you forever.” And Moyses reported the words of the people to the LORD.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 ait said 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND (historic present)
2 ei to him PRON.DAT.SG.M
3 Dominus LORD NOUN.NOM.SG.M
4 Iam now ADV
5 nunc now ADV
6 veniam I will come 1SG.FUT.ACT.IND
7 ad to PREP+ACC
8 te you PRON.ACC.SG
9 in in PREP+ABL
10 caligine thick darkness NOUN.ABL.SG.F
11 nubis of the cloud NOUN.GEN.SG.F
12 ut so that CONJ
13 audiat may hear 3SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
14 me me PRON.ACC.SG
15 populus the people NOUN.NOM.SG.M
16 loquentem speaking PTCP.PRES.ACT.ACC.SG.M
17 ad to PREP+ACC
18 te you PRON.ACC.SG
19 et and CONJ
20 credat may believe 3SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
21 tibi you PRON.DAT.SG
22 in in PREP+ACC
23 perpetuum forever ADV (from ACC of duration)
24 Nunciavit reported 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
25 ergo therefore ADV
26 Moyses Moses NOUN.NOM.SG.M
27 verba words NOUN.ACC.PL.N
28 populi of the people NOUN.GEN.SG.M
29 ad to PREP+ACC
30 Dominum LORD NOUN.ACC.SG.M

Syntax

Main Clause:
ait ei Dominus — LORD as subject speaking to Moses.

Purpose Clause 1:
ut audiat me populus — subjunctive (audiat) shows divine intention: that the people hear the divine voice.

Object of audiat:
me loquentem ad te — participial construction “me speaking to you.”

Purpose Clause 2:
et credat tibi in perpetuum — belief in Moses’ divine authority.

Main Concluding Clause:
Nunciavit ergo Moyses verba populi ad Dominum — Moses reports people’s words back to YHWH.

Morphology

  1. ait — Lemma: aio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative 3rd singular (historic present); Function: main verb; Translation: said; Notes: narrative stylistic usage.
  2. ei — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: indirect object; Translation: to him; Notes: refers to Moses.
  3. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: LORD; Notes: YHWH speaking.
  4. Iam — Lemma: iam; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: intensifier; Translation: now; Notes: adds urgency.
  5. nunc — Lemma: nunc; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: temporal marker; Translation: now; Notes: reinforcing immediacy.
  6. veniam — Lemma: venio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative 1st singular; Function: divine promise; Translation: I will come; Notes: future assurance.
  7. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: direction toward; Translation: to; Notes: motion toward Moses.
  8. te — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular; Function: object of ad; Translation: you; Notes: direct address.
  9. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: location; Translation: in; Notes: describes enveloping manifestation.
  10. caligine — Lemma: caligo; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of in; Translation: thick darkness; Notes: theophanic imagery.
  11. nubis — Lemma: nubes; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: possession; Translation: of the cloud; Notes: specifies type of darkness.
  12. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces purpose clause; Translation: so that; Notes: divine intent.
  13. audiat — Lemma: audio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active subjunctive 3rd singular; Function: verb of purpose clause; Translation: may hear; Notes: subjunctive required by ut.
  14. me — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular; Function: object of audiat; Translation: me; Notes: divine speaker.
  15. populus — Lemma: populus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of audiat; Translation: people; Notes: Israel assembled.
  16. loquentem — Lemma: loquor; Part of Speech: participle (deponent); Form: present active participle accusative singular masculine; Function: describes me; Translation: speaking; Notes: divine speech directed to Moses.
  17. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: direction; Translation: to; Notes: indicates audience of speech.
  18. te — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular; Function: object of ad; Translation: you; Notes: refers to Moses.
  19. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: coordinates purpose clauses; Translation: and; Notes: additional divine purpose.
  20. credat — Lemma: credo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active subjunctive 3rd singular; Function: verb of purpose clause; Translation: may believe; Notes: faith in Moses’ role.
  21. tibi — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular; Function: indirect object; Translation: you; Notes: Moses as recipient of trust.
  22. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative (duration); Function: expresses duration; Translation: in; Notes: idiomatic.
  23. perpetuum — Lemma: perpetuus; Part of Speech: adjective used adverbially; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: duration; Translation: forever; Notes: classical construction.
  24. Nunciavit — Lemma: nuntio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: main verb; Translation: reported; Notes: narrative continuation.
  25. ergo — Lemma: ergo; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: logical connector; Translation: therefore; Notes: marks consequence.
  26. Moyses — Lemma: Moyses; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of nunciavit; Translation: Moses; Notes: mediator.
  27. verba — Lemma: verbum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: direct object; Translation: words; Notes: refers to people’s answer.
  28. populi — Lemma: populus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessive; Translation: of the people; Notes: identifies whose words.
  29. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: direction toward; Translation: to; Notes: toward YHWH.
  30. Dominum — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of ad; Translation: LORD; Notes: refers to YHWH.

 

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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