Exodus 32:20

Posted on March 23, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 32:20 arripiensque vitulum quem fecerant, combussit, et contrivit usque ad pulverem, quem sparsit in aquam, et dedit ex eo potum filiis Israel.

and seizing the calf which they had made, he burned it, and crushed it even to powder, which he scattered upon the water, and he gave the sons of Israel to drink from it.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 arripiensque and seizing NOM.SG.M PTCP.PRES.ACT 3RD CONJ
2 vitulum calf ACC.SG.M NOUN 2ND DECL
3 quem which ACC.SG.M PRON REL
4 fecerant they had made 3PL.PLUP.ACT.IND 3RD CONJ
5 combussit he burned 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND 3RD CONJ
6 et and CONJ INDECL
7 contrivit he crushed 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND 3RD CONJ
8 usque even to ADV INDECL
9 ad to / up to PREP+ACC INDECL
10 pulverem powder ACC.SG.M NOUN 3RD DECL
11 quem which ACC.SG.M PRON REL
12 sparsit he scattered 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND 3RD CONJ
13 in into / in PREP+ACC INDECL
14 aquam water ACC.SG.F NOUN 1ST DECL
15 et and CONJ INDECL
16 dedit he gave 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND 3RD CONJ
17 ex from PREP+ABL INDECL
18 eo from it ABL.SG.N PRON DEM
19 potum drink ACC.SG.M NOUN 4TH DECL
20 filiis to the sons DAT.PL.M NOUN 2ND DECL
21 Israel Israel DAT.PL.M NOUN INDECL

Syntax

Participial Phrase:
arripiensque vitulum quem fecerant — “and seizing the calf which they had made”
• arripiensque = circumstantial participle modifying Moses.
• quem fecerant = relative clause describing vitulum.

Main Clause Sequence:
combussit … et contrivit — “he burned … and crushed”
• Two coordinated perfect verbs describing destruction of the idol.

Goal Phrase:
usque ad pulverem — “even to powder”
• Limits extent of crushing.

Relative Clause:
quem sparsit in aquam — “which he scattered into the water”
• Specifies what was scattered.

Final Clause:
dedit ex eo potum filiis Israel — “he gave the sons of Israel to drink from it”
• potum = internal object (“a drink”).
• filiis Israel = indirect object.

Morphology

  1. arripiensque — Lemma: arripio; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular masculine present active participle + enclitic -que; Function: circumstantial modifier; Translation: and seizing; Notes: Indicates simultaneous action with main verb.
  2. vitulum — Lemma: vitulus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of arripiens; Translation: calf; Notes: Refers to the golden calf idol.
  3. quem — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object in relative clause; Translation: which; Notes: Agrees with vitulum.
  4. fecerant — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third plural pluperfect active indicative; Function: verb of relative clause; Translation: they had made; Notes: Pluperfect indicates completed prior action.
  5. combussit — Lemma: comburo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third singular perfect active indicative; Function: first main verb; Translation: burned; Notes: Violent destruction, typical purgative act.
  6. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: links verbs; Translation: and; Notes: Coordinating.
  7. contrivit — Lemma: contrivo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third singular perfect active indicative; Function: second main verb; Translation: crushed; Notes: Completes the physical dismantling of the idol.
  8. usque — Lemma: usque; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: intensifier before prepositional phrase; Translation: even to; Notes: Expresses extent.
  9. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces goal; Translation: to; Notes: Common with extent expressions.
  10. pulverem — Lemma: pulvis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of ad; Translation: powder; Notes: Indicates thorough destruction.
  11. quem — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of sparsit; Translation: which; Notes: Refers to the pulverized idol.
  12. sparsit — Lemma: spargo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third singular perfect active indicative; Function: verb of relative clause; Translation: scattered; Notes: Marks ritual humiliation of the idol.
  13. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative (motion); Function: indicates target; Translation: into; Notes: Shows direction into water.
  14. aquam — Lemma: aqua; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of in; Translation: water; Notes: Likely drinking water near camp.
  15. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: connects clauses; Translation: and; Notes: Continues narrative sequence.
  16. dedit — Lemma: do; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: gave; Notes: Marks final action of Moses.
  17. ex — Lemma: ex; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: indicates source; Translation: from; Notes: Introduces the material of the drink.
  18. eo — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: object of ex; Translation: it; Notes: Refers to the water mixed with powdered idol.
  19. potum — Lemma: potus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: internal object / resultative accusative; Translation: drink; Notes: Classical “internal accusative” expressing result of giving.
  20. filiis — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative plural masculine; Function: indirect object; Translation: to the sons; Notes: Dative of advantage.
  21. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: dative plural masculine (indeclinable form); Function: completes indirect object; Translation: Israel; Notes: Hebrew name treated as indeclinable in Latin.

 

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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