Exodus 32:7

Posted on March 23, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 32:7 Locutus est autem Dominus ad Moysen, dicens: Vade, descende: peccavit populus tuus, quem eduxisti de Terra Ægypti.

And the LORD spoke to Moyses, saying: “Go, descend; your people have sinned, whom you brought out of the Land of Egypt.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Locutus having spoken NOM.SG.M PTCP.PERF.DEP 3RD CONJ
2 est was 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND IRREG
3 autem however ADV INDECL
4 Dominus the LORD NOM.SG.M NOUN 2ND DECL
5 ad to PREP+ACC INDECL
6 Moysen Moses ACC.SG.M NOUN 3RD DECL
7 dicens saying NOM.SG.M PTCP.PRES.ACT 3RD CONJ
8 Vade go 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP IRREG
9 descende descend 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP 3RD CONJ
10 peccavit has sinned 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND 1ST CONJ
11 populus the people NOM.SG.M NOUN 2ND DECL
12 tuus your NOM.SG.M POSS.ADJK POS
13 quem whom ACC.SG.M PRON REL
14 eduxisti you brought out 2SG.PERF.ACT.IND 3RD CONJ
15 de from PREP+ABL INDECL
16 Terra the land ABL.SG.F NOUN 1ST DECL
17 Ægypti of Egypt GEN.SG.F NOUN 1ST DECL

Syntax

Main Clause:
Locutus est Dominus — “the LORD spoke”; perfect periphrastic construction with a deponent participle.

Indirect Object:
ad Moysen — recipient of the speech.

Participial Modifier:
dicens — introduces the divine command that follows.

Imperatives:
Vade, descende — urgent divine commands to Moses.

Subordinate Clause:
peccavit populus tuus — gives the reason Moses must descend immediately.

Relative Clause:
quem eduxisti de Terra Ægypti — modifies populus tuus, emphasizing Moses’ role and responsibility.

Morphology

  1. Locutus — Lemma: loquor; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular masculine perfect deponent; Function: part of periphrastic verb; Translation: having spoken; Notes: deponent participle supplies the semantic past tense.
  2. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present indicative active third singular; Function: auxiliary; Translation: was; Notes: completes deponent periphrasis.
  3. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: discourse connective; Translation: however; Notes: soft contrastive marker.
  4. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: the LORD; Notes: refers to YHWH, thus capitalized.
  5. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces indirect object; Translation: to; Notes: directional.
  6. Moysen — Lemma: Moyses; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: indirect object; Translation: Moses; Notes: Greek-style declension.
  7. dicens — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular masculine present active; Function: introduces speech; Translation: saying; Notes: links speech to divine action.
  8. Vade — Lemma: vado; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second singular present imperative active; Function: command; Translation: go; Notes: urgent divine directive.
  9. descende — Lemma: descendo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second singular present imperative active; Function: command; Translation: descend; Notes: conveys urgency.
  10. peccavit — Lemma: peccō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative third singular; Function: main verb of subordinate clause; Translation: has sinned; Notes: moral/legal declaration.
  11. populus — Lemma: populus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of peccavit; Translation: the people; Notes: collective national identity.
  12. tuus — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: modifies populus; Translation: your; Notes: signifies responsibility placed upon Moses.
  13. quem — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of eduxisti; Translation: whom; Notes: ties subordinate clause to “your people.”
  14. eduxisti — Lemma: educo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second singular perfect active indicative; Function: predicate of relative clause; Translation: you brought out; Notes: recalls Exodus deliverance.
  15. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces origin; Translation: from; Notes: standard ablative of separation.
  16. Terra — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of de; Translation: the land; Notes: foundational biblical term.
  17. Ægypti — Lemma: Ægyptus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: possessive genitive; Translation: of Egypt; Notes: identifies origin of deliverance.

 

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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