Exodus 33:8

Posted on March 24, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 33:8 Cumque egrederetur Moyses ad tabernaculum, surgebat universa plebs, et stabat unusquisque in ostio papilionis sui, aspiciebantque tergum Moysi, donec ingrederetur tentorium.

And whenever Moyses went out to the tabernacle, all the people rose and each one stood at the entrance of his tent, and they looked at the back of Moyses until he entered the tent.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Cumque and when CONJ
2 egrederetur he was going out 3SG.IMP.DEP.SUBJ 3RD CONJ
3 Moyses Moses NOM.SG.M 3RD DECL
4 ad to PREP+ACC
5 tabernaculum the tabernacle ACC.SG.N 2ND DECL
6 surgebat rose 3SG.IMP.ACT.IND 3RD CONJ
7 universa all NOM.SG.F ADJ POS
8 plebs people NOM.SG.F 3RD DECL
9 et and CONJ
10 stabat stood 3SG.IMP.ACT.IND 1ST CONJ
11 unusquisque each one NOM.SG.M INDEF.PRON
12 in in PREP+ABL
13 ostio the entrance ABL.SG.N 3RD DECL
14 papilionis of the tent GEN.SG.M 3RD DECL
15 sui his GEN.SG.M POSS.PRON
16 aspiciebantque and they looked 3PL.IMP.ACT.IND 3RD CONJ
17 tergum back ACC.SG.N 2ND DECL
18 Moysi of Moses GEN.SG.M 3RD DECL
19 donec until CONJ
20 ingrederetur he entered 3SG.IMP.DEP.SUBJ 3RD CONJ
21 tentorium the tent ACC.SG.N 2ND DECL

Syntax

Temporal Clause: Cumque egrederetur Moyses ad tabernaculum — describes repeated circumstance; imperfect subjunctive for customary action.
Main Clause 1: surgebat universa plebs — collective subject, habitual rising in reverence.
Main Clause 2: stabat unusquisque in ostio papilionis sui — distributive emphasis (“each one”).
Coordinated Imperfect Clause: aspiciebantque tergum Moysi — continuous gazing toward Moses.
Subordinate Clause of Duration: donec ingrederetur tentorium — action continues until Moses fully enters the tent.

Morphology

  1. Cumque — Lemma: cum + que; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces temporal clause; Translation: and when; Notes: enclitic -que joins to narrative sequence.
  2. egrederetur — Lemma: egredior; Part of Speech: verb (deponent); Form: 3rd person singular imperfect subjunctive; Function: verb of temporal clause; Translation: he was going out; Notes: imperfect expresses repeated customary action.
  3. Moyses — Lemma: Moyses; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of egrederetur; Translation: Moses; Notes: central actor in narrative.
  4. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: indicates motion toward; Translation: to; Notes: destination marker.
  5. tabernaculum — Lemma: tabernaculum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of ad; Translation: the tabernacle; Notes: external meeting tent.
  6. surgebat — Lemma: surgo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular imperfect active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: rose; Notes: depicts habitual reverence.
  7. universa — Lemma: universus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: modifies plebs; Translation: all; Notes: collective totality.
  8. plebs — Lemma: plebs; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject of surgebat; Translation: people; Notes: classically “the common people,” here Israel generally.
  9. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: links main clauses; Translation: and; Notes: simple connective.
  10. stabat — Lemma: sto; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular imperfect active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: stood; Notes: continuous posture.
  11. unusquisque — Lemma: unusquisque; Part of Speech: indefinite pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of stabat; Translation: each one; Notes: distributive emphasis.
  12. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: locative phrase; Translation: in; Notes: static placement.
  13. ostio — Lemma: ostium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: object of in; Translation: entrance; Notes: doorway of tent dwelling.
  14. papilionis — Lemma: papilio; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: modifies ostio; Translation: of the tent; Notes: papilio = Latin for “tent” (military).
  15. sui — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive pronoun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: modifies papilionis; Translation: his; Notes: reflexive to each individual person.
  16. aspiciebantque — Lemma: aspicio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person plural imperfect active indicative with enclitic -que; Function: describes repeated collective action; Translation: and they looked; Notes: sustained attention.
  17. tergum — Lemma: tergum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of aspiciebant; Translation: back; Notes: refers to Moses walking toward the tent.
  18. Moysi — Lemma: Moyses; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessive; Translation: of Moses; Notes: identifies whose back.
  19. donec — Lemma: donec; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces limit clause; Translation: until; Notes: marks duration.
  20. ingrederetur — Lemma: ingredior; Part of Speech: verb (deponent); Form: 3rd person singular imperfect subjunctive; Function: verb of donec-clause; Translation: he entered; Notes: imperfect suggests repeated entry events.
  21. tentorium — Lemma: tentorium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of ingrederetur; Translation: the tent; Notes: synonym for papilio but used for sacred tent.

 

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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