Exodus 20:19

Posted on March 11, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 20:19 dicentes Moysi: Loquere tu nobis, et audiemus: non loquatur nobis Dominus, ne forte moriamur.

saying to Moyses: “Speak to us yourself, and we will hear; let not the LORD speak to us, lest perhaps we die.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 dicentes saying NOM.PL.M PTCP.PRES.ACT
2 Moysi to Moses DAT.SG.M 3RD DECL
3 Loquere speak 2SG.PRES.IMP.MOOD.DEP
4 tu you NOM.SG.PERS
5 nobis to us DAT.PL.PERS
6 et and CONJ INDECL
7 audiemus we will hear 1PL.FUT.ACT.IND
8 non not ADV INDECL
9 loquatur may speak 3SG.PRES.SUBJ.DEP
10 nobis to us DAT.PL.PERS
11 Dominus LORD NOM.SG.M NOUN 2ND DECL
12 ne lest CONJ INDECL
13 forte perhaps ADV INDECL
14 morientur we die 1PL.FUT.DEP.IND

Syntax

Participial frame: dicentes Moysi — nominative plural masculine participle (dicentes) with a dative indirect object (Moysi) setting up reported speech.

First request: Loquere tu nobis — imperative Loquere with explicit subject tu and indirect object nobis.

Result clause: et audiemus — future indicative showing willingness: “and we will hear.”

Second request (negative): non loquatur nobis Dominus — present subjunctive in a negative jussive after non, subject Dominus, indirect object nobis.

Final clause of danger: ne forte moriamur — ne introduces a negative purpose/precaution; forte adds “perhaps”; verb morientur (deponent) expresses potential death.

Morphology

  1. dicentes — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative plural masculine present active participle; Function: circumstantial participle introducing the speakers’ action; Translation: “saying”; Notes: Refers back to the people speaking to Moses.
  2. Moysi — Lemma: Moyses; Part of Speech: noun (proper); Form: dative singular masculine, 3rd declension; Function: indirect object of dicentes; Translation: “to Moses”; Notes: Dative of the person addressed.
  3. Loquere — Lemma: loquor; Part of Speech: verb (deponent); Form: second person singular present imperative; Function: direct command to Moses; Translation: “speak”; Notes: Deponent verb with active meaning; imperative expresses urgent request.
  4. tu — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative singular second person; Function: explicit subject of Loquere; Translation: “you”; Notes: Used for emphasis.
  5. nobis — Lemma: nos; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative plural first person; Function: indirect object of Loquere; Translation: “to us”; Notes: Marks the recipients of Moses’ speaking.
  6. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: joins clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: States consequence: “Speak… and we will hear.”
  7. audiemus — Lemma: audio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: first person plural future active indicative; Function: expresses the promised result; Translation: “we will hear”; Notes: Future indicative expresses resolve or willingness.
  8. non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: negates loquatur; Translation: “not”; Notes: Signals a negative jussive idea with the subjunctive.
  9. loquatur — Lemma: loquor; Part of Speech: verb (deponent); Form: third person singular present subjunctive; Function: negative jussive (“let… not”); Translation: “may speak”; Notes: Deponent; governed by negation as a precaution request.
  10. nobis — Lemma: nos; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative plural; Function: indirect object of loquatur; Translation: “to us”; Notes: Identical form and function as earlier.
  11. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine, 2nd declension; Function: subject of loquatur; Translation: “the LORD”; Notes: Refers to YHWH; nominative subject governing the feared speech.
  12. ne — Lemma: ne; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable negative-purpose conjunction; Function: introduces precaution clause; Translation: “lest”; Notes: Classical negative purpose marker.
  13. forte — Lemma: forte; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: modifies clause, softening with uncertainty; Translation: “perhaps”; Notes: Often used with ne to denote feared possibility.
  14. morientur — Lemma: morior; Part of Speech: verb (deponent); Form: first person plural future indicative; Function: main verb of clause introduced by ne forte; Translation: “we die”; Notes: Deponent; future indicative used of potential result feared by the people.

 

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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