Exodus 32:23

Posted on March 23, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

23 dixerunt mihi: Fac nobis deos, qui nos præcedant: huic enim Moysi, qui nos eduxit de Terra Ægypti, nescimus quid acciderit.

they said to me: ‘Make for us gods who may go before us; for as for this Moyses who led us out of the Land of Egypt, we do not know what has happened to him.’

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 dixerunt they said 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND 3RD CONJ
2 mihi to me DAT.SG PRON PERS
3 Fac make 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP 3RD CONJ
4 nobis for us DAT.PL PRON PERS
5 deos gods ACC.PL.M NOUN 2ND DECL
6 qui who NOM.PL.M PRON REL
7 nos us ACC.PL PRON PERS
8 præcedant may go before 3PL.PRES.SUBJ.ACT 3RD CONJ
9 huic to this DAT.SG.M PRON DEM
10 enim for CONJ INDECL
11 Moysi Moses DAT.SG.M NOUN INDECL
12 qui who NOM.SG.M PRON REL
13 nos us ACC.PL PRON PERS
14 eduxit led out 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND 3RD CONJ
15 de from PREP+ABL INDECL
16 Terra Land ABL.SG.F NOUN 1ST DECL
17 Ægypti of Egypt GEN.SG.F NOUN INDECL
18 nescimus we do not know 1PL.PRES.ACT.IND 4TH CONJ
19 quid what ACC.SG.N PRON INTERROG
20 acciderit has happened 3SG.PERF.SUBJ.ACT 3RD CONJ

Syntax

Main Reporting Clause:
dixerunt mihi — “they said to me”
• dixerunt = perfect indicative.
• mihi = indirect object.

Quoted Command:
Fac nobis deos — “Make for us gods”
• Imperative fac = direct command.
• nobis = dative of advantage.
• deos = object.

Relative Clause of Purpose:
qui nos præcedant — “who may go before us”
• Subjunctive præcedant expresses intended purpose.
• nos = object.

Explanatory Clause:
huic enim Moysi … nescimus quid acciderit — “for as for this Moses … we do not know what has happened”
• huic Moysi = dative of reference (“regarding this Moses”).
• qui nos eduxit de Terra Ægypti = relative clause identifying Moses.
• nescimus introduces indirect question.
• quid acciderit = subjunctive because it is an indirect question.

Morphology

  1. dixerunt — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third plural perfect active indicative; Function: main reporting verb; Translation: they said; Notes: Perfect marks completed speech event.
  2. mihi — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular; Function: indirect object; Translation: to me; Notes: Dative of person addressed.
  3. Fac — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second singular present active imperative; Function: direct command; Translation: make; Notes: Imperative expressing request or coercion.
  4. nobis — Lemma: nos; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative plural; Function: dative of advantage; Translation: for us; Notes: Shows intended beneficiaries.
  5. deos — Lemma: deus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object of Fac; Translation: gods; Notes: Plural indicates idolatry.
  6. qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject of præcedant; Translation: who; Notes: Refers to the “gods” they demand.
  7. nos — Lemma: nos; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative plural; Function: object of præcedant; Translation: us; Notes: Direct object.
  8. præcedant — Lemma: præcedo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third plural present active subjunctive; Function: verb of relative clause of purpose; Translation: may go before; Notes: Subjunctive expresses intended action.
  9. huic — Lemma: hic; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: dative of reference; Translation: to this; Notes: Distancing, reproachful.
  10. enim — Lemma: enim; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: explanatory connector; Translation: for; Notes: Postpositive.
  11. Moysi — Lemma: Moyses; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: dative singular (indeclinable form with case by context); Function: completes huic; Translation: Moses; Notes: Hebrew names treated as indeclinable in the Vulgate.
  12. qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of eduxit; Translation: who; Notes: Identifies Moses.
  13. nos — Lemma: nos; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative plural; Function: object of eduxit; Translation: us; Notes: Direct object.
  14. eduxit — Lemma: educo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third singular perfect active indicative; Function: verb of relative clause; Translation: led out; Notes: Refers to the Exodus.
  15. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses source; Translation: from; Notes: Standard spatial preposition.
  16. Terra — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of de; Translation: Land; Notes: First declension.
  17. Ægypti — Lemma: Ægyptus; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular; Function: modifies Terra; Translation: of Egypt; Notes: Place name, often indeclinable except for Latin endings.
  18. nescimus — Lemma: nescio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: first plural present active indicative; Function: introduces indirect question; Translation: we do not know; Notes: Contrasts with nosti in previous verse.
  19. quid — Lemma: quis, quid; Part of Speech: interrogative pronoun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object in indirect question; Translation: what; Notes: Sets up subordinate clause.
  20. acciderit — Lemma: accido; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third singular perfect active subjunctive; Function: verb of indirect question; Translation: has happened; Notes: Subjunctive required in indirect questions.

 

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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