Exodus 20:21

Posted on March 11, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 20:21 Stetitque populus de longe. Moyses autem accessit ad caliginem in qua erat Deus.

And the people stood from afar. But Moyses approached the darkness in which God was.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Stetitque and stood 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND +ENCLITIC
2 populus people NOM.SG.M 2ND DECL
3 de from PREP+ABL
4 longe afar ADV INDECL
5 Moyses Moses NOM.SG.M 3RD DECL
6 autem but CONJ INDECL
7 accessit approached 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
8 ad to PREP+ACC
9 caliginem darkness ACC.SG.F 3RD DECL
10 in in PREP+ABL
11 qua in which ABL.SG.F PRON REL
12 erat was 3SG.IMP.ACT.IND
13 Deus God NOM.SG.M 2ND DECL

Syntax

Clause 1: Stetitque populus de longe — verb Stetit with enclitic -que linking to the next clause; subject populus; prepositional phrase de longe expresses distance “from afar.”

Clause 2 (contrast): Moyses autem accessit ad caliginem — postpositive autem marks contrast; verb accessit; subject Moyses; object of motion ad caliginem.

Relative clause: in qua erat Deus — qua (feminine ablative) refers back to caliginem; verb erat with subject Deus; expresses God’s presence in the darkness.

Morphology

  1. Stetitque — Lemma: sto; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular perfect active indicative + enclitic -que; Function: main verb of first clause; Translation: “and stood”; Notes: -que joins this clause tightly to what follows.
  2. populus — Lemma: populus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine, 2nd declension; Function: subject of Stetit; Translation: “people”; Notes: Refers to the congregation at Sinai.
  3. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses separation; Translation: “from”; Notes: Frequently used for “from a distance.”
  4. longe — Lemma: longe; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: modifies Stetit; Translation: “afar”; Notes: Indicates great distance.
  5. Moyses — Lemma: Moyses; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of accessit; Translation: “Moses”; Notes: Contrasted with “the people.”
  6. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: conjunction/particle; Form: postpositive; Function: marks contrast; Translation: “but”; Notes: Cannot stand first in clause.
  7. accessit — Lemma: accedo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb of second clause; Translation: “approached”; Notes: Perfect indicates completed movement toward.
  8. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses motion toward; Translation: “to”; Notes: Common with verbs of motion.
  9. caliginem — Lemma: caligo; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine, 3rd declension; Function: object of ad; Translation: “darkness,” “thick gloom”; Notes: Refers to the enveloping divine darkness at Sinai.
  10. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses location; Translation: “in”; Notes: Introduces the relative clause’s setting.
  11. qua — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of the preposition in, referring to caliginem; Translation: “in which”; Notes: Agrees in gender and number with its antecedent.
  12. erat — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular imperfect active indicative; Function: verb of relative clause; Translation: “was”; Notes: Imperfect expresses ongoing divine presence.
  13. Deus — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of erat; Translation: “God”; Notes: Refers to YHWH manifest in the thick darkness.

 

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.