Exodus 23:31

Posted on March 14, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 23:31 Ponam autem terminos tuos a Mari rubro usque ad Mare Palæstinorum, et a deserto usque ad fluvium: tradam in manibus vestris habitatores Terræ, et eiiciam eos de conspectu vestro.

But I will set your boundaries from the Red Sea even to the Sea of the Philistines, and from the desert even to the river; I will deliver into your hands the inhabitants of the Land, and I will drive them out from before you.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Ponam I will place 1SG.FUT.ACT.IND
2 autem however / but CONJ
3 terminos boundaries ACC.PL.M NOUN 2ND DECL
4 tuos your ACC.PL.M ADJ POSS
5 a from PREP+ABL
6 Mari sea ABL.SG.N NOUN 2ND DECL
7 rubro red ABL.SG.N ADJ
8 usque all the way to PREP+ACC
9 ad to PREP+ACC
10 Mare Sea ACC.SG.N NOUN 2ND DECL
11 Palæstinorum of the Philistines GEN.PL.M NOUN
12 et and CONJ
13 a from PREP+ABL
14 deserto desert ABL.SG.N NOUN 2ND DECL
15 usque even to PREP+ACC
16 ad to PREP+ACC
17 fluvium river ACC.SG.M NOUN 2ND DECL
18 tradam I will deliver 1SG.FUT.ACT.IND
19 in into PREP+ACC
20 manibus hands ABL.PL.F NOUN 4TH DECL
21 vestris your ABL.PL.F ADJ POSS
22 habitatores inhabitants ACC.PL.M NOUN 3RD DECL
23 Terræ of the Land GEN.SG.F NOUN 1ST DECL
24 et and CONJ
25 eiiciam I will drive out 1SG.FUT.ACT.IND
26 eos them ACC.PL.M PRON PERS
27 de from PREP+ABL
28 conspectu sight ABL.SG.M NOUN 4TH DECL
29 vestro your ABL.SG.M ADJ POSS

Syntax

Main Divine Promise Clause:
Ponam autem terminos tuos a Mari rubro usque ad Mare Palæstinorum — “But I will set your boundaries from the Red Sea to the Sea of the Philistines.”
• Ponam = main future verb.
• terminos tuos = direct object.
• a Mari rubro … usque ad Mare Palæstinorum = paired limit expression.

Second Boundary Pair:
et a deserto usque ad fluvium — “and from the desert even to the river.”
• Parallel geographical markers delimiting the promised territory.

Deliverance Clause:
tradam in manibus vestris habitatores Terræ — “I will deliver into your hands the inhabitants of the Land.”
• tradam = future indicative.
• habitatores Terræ = object.

Final Divine Action:
et eiiciam eos de conspectu vestro — “and I will drive them out from before you.”
• eiiciam = future, parallel to tradam.
• de conspectu vestro = ablative of separation.

Morphology

  1. Ponam — Lemma: pono; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative, first person singular; Function: main verb of divine declaration; Translation: I will place; Notes: expresses covenantal establishment of borders.
  2. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: adds contrastive nuance; Translation: but / however; Notes: frequent connective in Latin prose.
  3. terminos — Lemma: terminus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine, second declension; Function: direct object of ponam; Translation: boundaries; Notes: denotes territorial limits.
  4. tuos — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: modifies terminos; Translation: your; Notes: refers to Israel.
  5. a — Lemma: a/ab; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces starting point; Translation: from; Notes: paired with usque ad.
  6. Mari — Lemma: mare; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter, second declension; Function: object of a; Translation: sea; Notes: refers to the Red Sea.
  7. rubro — Lemma: ruber; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: modifies Mari; Translation: red; Notes: standard epithet for the Red Sea.
  8. usque — Lemma: usque; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: marks limit of extent; Translation: up to / even to; Notes: must be paired with ad.
  9. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: specifies direction toward endpoint; Translation: to; Notes: completes usque ad.
  10. Mare — Lemma: mare; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter, second declension; Function: object of usque ad; Translation: Sea; Notes: refers to Mediterranean.
  11. Palæstinorum — Lemma: Palæstinus; Part of Speech: noun (ethnic); Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: dependent genitive modifying Mare; Translation: of the Philistines; Notes: geographical marker.
  12. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: links parallel boundary pair; Translation: and; Notes: simple coordination.
  13. a — Lemma: a/ab; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces second starting point; Translation: from; Notes: parallels first boundary marker.
  14. deserto — Lemma: desertum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter, second declension; Function: object of a; Translation: desert; Notes: likely Sinai wilderness.
  15. usque — Lemma: usque; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: limit indicator; Translation: to; Notes: paired again with ad.
  16. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: endpoint marker; Translation: to; Notes: expresses direction.
  17. fluvium — Lemma: fluvius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine, second declension; Function: object of usque ad; Translation: river; Notes: traditionally the Euphrates.
  18. tradam — Lemma: trado; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative, first person singular; Function: main verb of second promise; Translation: I will deliver; Notes: conveyance of victory.
  19. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: indicates motion into possession; Translation: into; Notes: directs action toward recipient.
  20. manibus — Lemma: manus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural feminine, fourth declension; Function: object of in; Translation: hands; Notes: idiom for power or control.
  21. vestris — Lemma: vester; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: ablative plural feminine; Function: modifies manibus; Translation: your; Notes: referring to Israel.
  22. habitatores — Lemma: habitator; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine, third declension; Function: direct object of tradam; Translation: inhabitants; Notes: native peoples of the land.
  23. Terræ — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine, first declension; Function: dependent genitive; Translation: of the Land; Notes: covenant land.
  24. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: links final divine action; Translation: and; Notes: additive.
  25. eiiciam — Lemma: eiicio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative, first person singular; Function: main verb of final clause; Translation: I will drive out; Notes: expresses completion of conquest.
  26. eos — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: direct object of eiiciam; Translation: them; Notes: refers again to land’s inhabitants.
  27. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces separation; Translation: from; Notes: used with verbs of removal.
  28. conspectu — Lemma: conspectus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine, fourth declension; Function: ablative of separation; Translation: sight; Notes: “from before you.”
  29. vestro — Lemma: vester; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: modifies conspectu; Translation: your; Notes: plural possession.

 

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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