Exodus 32:15

Posted on March 23, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 32:15 Et reversus est Moyses de monte, portans duas tabulas testimonii in manu sua, scriptas ex utraque parte,

And Moyses returned from the mountain, carrying the two tablets of the testimony in his hand, written on each side,

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Et and CONJ INDECL
2 reversus having returned NOM.SG.M PTCP.PERF.DEP
3 est was / has 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND IRREG
4 Moyses Moses NOM.SG.M NOUN INDECL
5 de from PREP+ABL INDECL
6 monte the mountain ABL.SG.M NOUN 3RD DECL
7 portans carrying NOM.SG.M PTCP.PRES.ACT 1ST CONJ
8 duas two ACC.PL.F ADJ NUM
9 tabulas tablets ACC.PL.F NOUN 1ST DECL
10 testimonii of the testimony GEN.SG.N NOUN 2ND DECL
11 in in PREP+ABL INDECL
12 manu hand ABL.SG.F NOUN 4TH DECL
13 sua his ABL.SG.F POSS ADJ
14 scriptas written ACC.PL.F PTCP.PERF.PASS 3RD CONJ
15 ex from PREP+ABL INDECL
16 utraque each ABL.SG.F PRON INDEF
17 parte side ABL.SG.F NOUN 3RD DECL

Syntax

Main Clause:
Et reversus est Moyses — a periphrastic perfect of the deponent revertor.
• reversus est = “returned.”
• Moyses is the subject.

Source Phrase:
de monte — ablative of separation, “from the mountain.”

Circumstantial Participle:
portans duas tabulas testimonii — describes how Moses returned: “carrying the two tablets of the testimony.”
• duas tabulas = object of portans.
• testimonii = genitive of specification (“tablets of the testimony”).

Locative Ablative:
in manu sua — “in his hand.”
Possessive sua refers reflexively to Moses.

Final Participial Modifier:
scriptas ex utraque parte — “written on each side.”
• ex utraque parte expresses the distribution: the writing covered both front and back.

Morphology

  1. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: links narrative sequence; Translation: and; Notes: standard connective continuing the flow of events.
  2. reversus — Lemma: revertor; Part of Speech: participle (deponent); Form: nominative singular masculine perfect; Function: forms perfect periphrastic with est; Translation: having returned; Notes: deponent verbs form perfect with passive participle + active auxiliary.
  3. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third singular present indicative active; Function: auxiliary; Translation: was; Notes: completes perfect tense meaning with reversus.
  4. Moyses — Lemma: Moyses; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: Moses; Notes: indeclinable in Latin, though sometimes with minor variations.
  5. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: separation; Translation: from; Notes: used frequently for spatial departure.
  6. monte — Lemma: mons; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of de; Translation: mountain; Notes: refers to Mount Sinai.
  7. portans — Lemma: porto; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular masculine present active; Function: circumstantial participle modifying Moyses; Translation: carrying; Notes: describes the manner of his return.
  8. duas — Lemma: duo; Part of Speech: numeral adjective; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: modifies tabulas; Translation: two; Notes: numerals decline irregularly.
  9. tabulas — Lemma: tabula; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: object of portans; Translation: tablets; Notes: refers to the stone tablets of the covenant.
  10. testimonii — Lemma: testimonium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter; Function: genitive of specification; Translation: of the testimony; Notes: expresses what type of tablets they were.
  11. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: locative; Translation: in; Notes: here shows physical location.
  12. manu — Lemma: manus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of in; Translation: hand; Notes: fourth declension feminine.
  13. sua — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: modifies manu; Translation: his; Notes: reflexive, refers to Moses.
  14. scriptas — Lemma: scribo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: accusative plural feminine perfect passive; Function: modifies tabulas; Translation: written; Notes: indicates the nature of the tablets.
  15. ex — Lemma: ex; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: separation/point of origin; Translation: from; Notes: introduces the phrase specifying both sides.
  16. utraque — Lemma: uterque; Part of Speech: distributive pronoun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: modifies parte; Translation: each; Notes: means “both (taken individually).”
  17. parte — Lemma: pars; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: complement of ex; Translation: side; Notes: implies front and back sides of the tablets.

 

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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