Exodus 19:17

Posted on March 10, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 19:17 Cumque eduxisset eos Moyses in occursum Dei de loco castrorum, steterunt ad radices montis.

And when Moyses had led them out to meet God from the place of the camp, they stood at the foot of the mountain.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Cumque and when CONJ + ENCLITIC
2 eduxisset had led out 3SG.PLUP.ACT.SUBJ
3 eos them PRON.ACC.PL.M
4 Moyses Moses NOUN.NOM.SG.M
5 in into PREP+ACC
6 occursum meeting NOUN.ACC.SG.M
7 Dei of God NOUN.GEN.SG.M
8 de from PREP+ABL
9 loco place NOUN.ABL.SG.M
10 castrorum of the camp NOUN.GEN.PL.N
11 steterunt they stood 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
12 ad at PREP+ACC
13 radices foot NOUN.ACC.PL.F
14 montis of the mountain NOUN.GEN.SG.M

Syntax

Temporal Clause:
Cumque eduxisset eos Moyses — pluperfect subjunctive in a temporal cum-clause indicating action prior to standing.

Prepositional Phrase of Purpose:
in occursum Dei — “to meet God,” goal of the movement.

Ablative of Place From Which:
de loco castrorum — from the starting point of the camp.

Main Clause:
steterunt ad radices montis — indicates the solemn position of the people at the foot of Sinai.

Morphology

  1. Cumque — Lemma: cum + que; Part of Speech: conjunction + enclitic; Form: invariable; Function: introduces temporal clause; Translation: and when; Notes: classical cum-temporal construction.
  2. eduxisset — Lemma: educo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: pluperfect active subjunctive 3rd singular; Function: verb of temporal clause; Translation: had led out; Notes: subjunctive required by cum-temporal.
  3. eos — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: direct object of eduxisset; Translation: them; Notes: refers to Israel.
  4. Moyses — Lemma: Moyses; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: Moses; Notes: leader performing the action.
  5. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: + accusative; Function: expresses motion toward; Translation: into; Notes: goal of motion.
  6. occursum — Lemma: occursus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine (verbal noun); Function: object of in; Translation: meeting; Notes: standard idiom: “in occursum” = “to meet.”
  7. Dei — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: objective genitive; Translation: of God; Notes: refers to YHWH.
  8. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: + ablative; Function: expresses movement from; Translation: from; Notes: ablative of separation.
  9. loco — Lemma: locus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of de; Translation: place; Notes: refers to the camp’s location.
  10. castrorum — Lemma: castra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural neuter; Function: dependent genitive; Translation: of the camp; Notes: military plural.
  11. steterunt — Lemma: sto; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd plural; Function: main verb; Translation: they stood; Notes: solemn stance at Sinai.
  12. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: + accusative; Function: indicates position at boundary; Translation: at; Notes: expresses proximity.
  13. radices — Lemma: radix; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: object of ad; Translation: roots/foot; Notes: idiomatically “at the foot.”
  14. montis — Lemma: mons; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: dependent genitive; Translation: of the mountain; Notes: Mount Sinai.

 

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.