Exodus 19:18

Posted on March 10, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 19:18 Totus autem mons Sinai fumabat: eo quod descendisset Dominus super eum in igne, et ascenderet fumus ex eo quasi de fornace: eratque omnis mons terribilis.

And the whole mountain of Sinai was smoking, because the LORD had descended upon it in fire, and smoke went up from it as from a furnace, and the whole mountain was terrible.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Totus whole ADJ.NOM.SG.M
2 autem however CONJ
3 mons mountain NOUN.NOM.SG.M
4 Sinai Sinai NOUN.GEN.SG.M
5 fumabat was smoking 3SG.IMP.ACT.IND
6 eo because ADV
7 quod that CONJ
8 descendisset had descended 3SG.PLUP.ACT.SUBJ
9 Dominus LORD NOUN.NOM.SG.M
10 super upon PREP+ACC
11 eum it PRON.ACC.SG.M
12 in in PREP+ABL
13 igne fire NOUN.ABL.SG.M
14 et and CONJ
15 ascenderet went up 3SG.IMP.ACT.SUBJ
16 fumus smoke NOUN.NOM.SG.M
17 ex from PREP+ABL
18 eo it PRON.ABL.SG.M
19 quasi as if ADV
20 de from PREP+ABL
21 fornace a furnace NOUN.ABL.SG.F
22 eratque and was 3SG.IMP.ACT.IND + ENCLITIC
23 omnis all ADJ.NOM.SG.M
24 mons mountain NOUN.NOM.SG.M
25 terribilis terrible ADJ.NOM.SG.M

Syntax

Main Clause:
Totus autem mons Sinai fumabat — imperfect indicates continuous, visible phenomenon.

Causal Clause:
eo quod descendisset Dominus super eum in igne — “because the LORD had descended upon it in fire”; pluperfect subjunctive expressing divine prior action.

Secondary Phenomenon:
et ascenderet fumus ex eo quasi de fornace — subjunctive in subordinate descriptive clause, expressing ongoing rising smoke.

Result/State:
eratque omnis mons terribilis — imperfect “was” marking sustained awe/terror.

Morphology

  1. Totus — Lemma: totus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: attributive adjective modifying mons; Translation: whole; Notes: emphasizes the entirety of the mountain, not just part of it.
  2. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: connective particle in narrative; Translation: however / now; Notes: weakly contrastive or transitional, very common in biblical Latin prose.
  3. mons — Lemma: mons; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: head noun of the subject; Translation: mountain; Notes: here specifically the mountain Sinai.
  4. Sinai — Lemma: Sinai; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: dependent genitive modifying mons; Translation: of Sinai; Notes: place name in oblique (genitive) form: “the mountain of Sinai.”
  5. fumabat — Lemma: fumo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperfect active indicative 3rd person singular; Function: main verb of the first clause; Translation: was smoking; Notes: imperfect highlights ongoing, continuous action during the theophany.
  6. eo — Lemma: eo; Part of Speech: adverb (in this construction); Form: invariable; Function: part of the causal idiom eo quod; Translation: because; Notes: in late and biblical Latin, eo quod functions as a fixed causal expression.
  7. quod — Lemma: quod; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces the causal subordinate clause; Translation: that / because; Notes: completes the set phrase eo quod meaning “because.”
  8. descendisset — Lemma: descendo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: pluperfect active subjunctive 3rd person singular; Function: verb of the causal clause introduced by eo quod; Translation: had descended; Notes: pluperfect shows divine descent as prior to the mountain’s smoking.
  9. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun (divine title); Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of descendisset; Translation: LORD; Notes: used here for YHWH, rendered as “LORD” in English.
  10. super — Lemma: super; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses spatial relation of divine descent onto the mountain; Translation: upon; Notes: indicates vertical movement and resting upon.
  11. eum — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of the preposition super; Translation: it; Notes: pronominal reference back to the mountain (mons).
  12. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative here; Function: expresses manner or medium; Translation: in; Notes: marks the form in which the LORD appears: “in fire.”
  13. igne — Lemma: ignis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of in indicating means/manner; Translation: fire; Notes: fire as a standard biblical symbol of divine presence.
  14. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: coordinates the next subordinate descriptive clause to the causal description; Translation: and; Notes: adds the rising of the smoke to the description.
  15. ascenderet — Lemma: ascendo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperfect active subjunctive 3rd person singular; Function: verb of a subordinate descriptive clause (depending on the causal-complex); Translation: went up; Notes: imperfect subjunctive portrays continuous rising action.
  16. fumus — Lemma: fumus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of ascenderet; Translation: smoke; Notes: concrete image of divine manifestation.
  17. ex — Lemma: ex (also written e); Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: marks origin or source; Translation: from; Notes: shows smoke emerging out from the mountain.
  18. eo — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of ex; Translation: it; Notes: again refers back to the mountain as the source.
  19. quasi — Lemma: quasi; Part of Speech: adverb / comparative particle; Form: invariable; Function: introduces a simile; Translation: as if / as; Notes: marks the following prepositional phrase as metaphorical comparison.
  20. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses origin; Translation: from; Notes: used with fornace to picture smoke like that from a furnace.
  21. fornace — Lemma: fornax; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of de in the simile; Translation: a furnace; Notes: conveys extremely dense, rising smoke and heat.
  22. eratque — Lemma: sum + enclitic -que; Part of Speech: verb (with enclitic conjunction); Form: imperfect active indicative 3rd person singular; Function: main verb in the final descriptive clause; Translation: and was; Notes: -que links this state closely to the preceding description of smoke and fire.
  23. omnis — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: attributive adjective modifying mons; Translation: whole / all; Notes: again stresses that the entire mountain shares this quality.
  24. mons — Lemma: mons; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of eratque; Translation: mountain; Notes: repetition of the subject heightens rhetorical emphasis.
  25. terribilis — Lemma: terribilis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: predicate adjective with eratque; Translation: terrible / fearsome; Notes: describes the awe-inspiring and frightening character of the mountain under the LORD’s presence.

 

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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