Exodus 25:1

Posted on March 16, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

1 Locutusque est Dominus ad Moysen, dicens:

And the LORD spoke to Moyses, saying:

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Locutusque and having spoken PTCP.PERF.NOM.SG.M.DEP
2 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
3 Dominus the LORD NOM.SG.M.NOUN.2ND DECL
4 ad to PREP+ACC
5 Moysen Moses ACC.SG.M.NOUN.3RD DECL
6 dicens saying PTCP.PRES.ACT.NOM.SG.M

Syntax

Main narrative sequence: Locutusque est Dominus expresses a completed divine action.
Prepositional phrase: ad Moysen marks Moses as the recipient of the LORD’s speech.
Speech introduction: dicens introduces the forthcoming divine speech.
Quoted speech: None yet — prepared by dicens and delivered in the next verse.
Conditional content: None present in this verse.
Responsive speech: None — the narrative waits for the LORD’s speech that follows.

Morphology

  1. Locutusque — Lemma: loquor; Part of Speech: verb participle (deponent) with enclitic; Form: nominative singular masculine perfect deponent participle; Function: forms the main verbal idea with est; Translation: and having spoken; Notes: enclitic -que adds “and” linking the clause to prior narrative.
  2. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third singular present active indicative; Function: auxiliary forming periphrastic perfect; Translation: is; Notes: creates the finite perfect sense “spoke.”
  3. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of the verb; Translation: the LORD; Notes: refers to YHWH.
  4. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: marks recipient; Translation: to; Notes: directional preposition.
  5. Moysen — Lemma: Moyses; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of ad; Translation: Moses; Notes: standard Latin accusative.
  6. dicens — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular masculine present active participle; Function: introduces coming speech; Translation: saying; Notes: formal biblical speech marker.

 

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.