Exodus 23:28

Posted on March 14, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 23:28 emittens crabrones prius, qui fugabunt Hevæum, et Chananæum, et Hethæum, antequam introeas.

sending hornets ahead, who will put to flight the Hevite, and the Chananite, and the Hethite, before you enter.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 emittens sending PRES.ACT.PTCP.NOM.SG.M
2 crabrones hornets ACC.PL.M NOUN 3RD DECL
3 prius before / beforehand ADV
4 qui who NOM.PL.M PRON REL
5 fugabunt they will put to flight 3PL.FUT.ACT.IND
6 Hevæum the Hevite ACC.SG.M NOUN
7 et and CONJ
8 Chananæum the Canaanite ACC.SG.M NOUN
9 et and CONJ
10 Hethæum the Hittite ACC.SG.M NOUN
11 antequam before CONJ
12 introeas you enter 2SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ

Syntax

Participle Construction:
emittens crabrones prius — “sending hornets beforehand”
• emittens = nominative masculine singular participle, describing the acting subject (understood from prior context: the LORD).
• crabrones = object of the participle.
• prius = adverb indicating temporal priority.

Relative Clause:
qui fugabunt Hevæum, et Chananæum, et Hethæum — “who will put to flight the Hevite, and the Canaanite, and the Hittite.”
• qui = subject of the relative clause.
• fugabunt = future indicative; main verb of the clause.
• Hevæum … Hethæum = coordinated direct objects.

Temporal Clause:
antequam introeas — “before you enter.”
• antequam introduces a temporal clause.
• introeas = present subjunctive expressing anticipated future action.

Morphology

  1. emittens — Lemma: emitto; Part of Speech: verb (participle); Form: present active participle, nominative singular masculine; Function: describes the acting subject (understood as the LORD); Translation: sending; Notes: participle used with a future-sense construction.
  2. crabrones — Lemma: crabo; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine, third declension; Function: direct object of emittens; Translation: hornets; Notes: refers to a divine instrument of terror or displacement.
  3. prius — Lemma: prius; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: modifies emittens; Translation: beforehand; Notes: indicates temporal priority relative to Israel’s entering.
  4. qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject of fugabunt; Translation: who; Notes: agrees with the implied antecedent (crabrones).
  5. fugabunt — Lemma: fugō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative, third person plural; Function: verb of the relative clause; Translation: they will put to flight; Notes: describes the anticipated action of the hornets.
  6. Hevæum — Lemma: Hevæus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of fugabunt; Translation: the Hevite; Notes: a Canaanite people group.
  7. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: links coordinated objects; Translation: and; Notes: simple coordination.
  8. Chananæum — Lemma: Chananæus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: coordinated object; Translation: the Canaanite; Notes: ethnonym of a regional people.
  9. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: links third object; Translation: and; Notes: additive.
  10. Hethæum — Lemma: Hethæus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: third object of fugabunt; Translation: the Hittite; Notes: another Canaanite people group.
  11. antequam — Lemma: antequam; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces temporal clause; Translation: before; Notes: commonly used with subjunctive expressing anticipated events.
  12. introeas — Lemma: introeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active subjunctive, second person singular; Function: verb of the temporal clause; Translation: you enter; Notes: subjunctive marks a future action not yet realized.

 

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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