Exodus 32:17

Posted on March 23, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 32:17 Audiens autem Iosue tumultum populi vociferantis, dixit ad Moysen: Ululatus pugnæ auditur in castris.

But Josue, hearing the tumult of the people shouting, said to Moyses: “A cry of battle is heard in the camp.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Audiens hearing NOM.SG.M PTCP.PRES.ACT 4TH CONJ
2 autem however / but ADV INDECL
3 Iosue Joshua NOM.SG.M NOUN INDECL
4 tumultum tumult / noise ACC.SG.M NOUN 2ND DECL
5 populi of the people GEN.SG.M NOUN 2ND DECL
6 vociferantis shouting GEN.SG.M PTCP.PRES.ACT 1ST CONJ
7 dixit he said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND 3RD CONJ
8 ad to PREP+ACC INDECL
9 Moysen Moses ACC.SG.M NOUN INDECL
10 Ululatus a cry / howl NOM.SG.M NOUN 4TH DECL
11 pugnæ of battle GEN.SG.F NOUN 1ST DECL
12 auditur is heard 3SG.PRES.PASS.IND 3RD CONJ
13 in in PREP+ABL INDECL
14 castris the camp ABL.PL.N NOUN 2ND DECL

Syntax

Circumstantial Participle Construction:
Audiens autem Iosue tumultum populi vociferantis — “But Joshua, hearing the tumult of the people shouting…”
• Audiens modifies Iosue (Joshua).
• tumultum populi = object phrase (“the tumult of the people”).
• vociferantis (genitive participle) modifies populi.

Main Verb:
dixit ad Moysen — “said to Moses.”

Direct Speech:
Ululatus pugnæ auditur in castris — “A cry of battle is heard in the camp.”
• Ululatus = subject.
• pugnæ = genitive of specification (“battle-cry”).
• auditur = passive (“is heard”).
• in castris = locative ablative (“in the camp”).

Morphology

  1. Audiens — Lemma: audio; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular masculine present active; Function: circumstantial participle modifying Iosue; Translation: hearing; Notes: introduces the circumstances in which Joshua speaks.
  2. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: adversative marker; Translation: however/but; Notes: signals narrative contrast, not strong opposition.
  3. Iosue — Lemma: Iosue; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of dixit; Translation: Joshua; Notes: indeclinable in Latin biblical usage.
  4. tumultum — Lemma: tumultus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of Audiens; Translation: tumult/noise; Notes: refers to chaotic shouting of the people.
  5. populi — Lemma: populus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessive genitive modifying tumultum; Translation: of the people; Notes: Israel as the source of the noise.
  6. vociferantis — Lemma: vociferor; Part of Speech: participle (deponent); Form: genitive singular masculine present active; Function: modifies populi; Translation: shouting; Notes: deponent verb but present active participle behaves normally in agreement.
  7. dixit — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: he said; Notes: introduces direct speech.
  8. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: marks indirect object; Translation: to; Notes: common with verbs of speaking.
  9. Moysen — Lemma: Moyses; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: complement of ad; Translation: Moses; Notes: object of address.
  10. Ululatus — Lemma: ululatus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of auditur; Translation: a cry / howl; Notes: can denote lament or battle-cry; context favors “battle cry.”
  11. pugnæ — Lemma: pugna; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: genitive of specification; Translation: of battle; Notes: qualifies the type of cry heard.
  12. auditur — Lemma: audio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third singular present passive indicative; Function: main verb of reported speech; Translation: is heard; Notes: passive emphasizes perception rather than agent.
  13. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: locative; Translation: in; Notes: situates the noise spatially.
  14. castris — Lemma: castra; Part of Speech: noun (plural-only); Form: ablative plural neuter; Function: locative complement; Translation: the camp; Notes: standard military term used for Israel’s encampment.

 

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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