Exodus 33:18

Posted on March 24, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 33:18 Qui ait: Ostende mihi gloriam tuam.

He said: “Show me Your glory.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Qui who NOM.SG.M REL.PRON
2 ait said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND IRREG
3 Ostende show 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP 3RD CONJ
4 mihi to me DAT.SG.1ST.PERS PRON
5 gloriam glory ACC.SG.F 3RD DECL
6 tuam your ACC.SG.F POSS.PRON

Syntax

Relative Clause:
Qui ait — “Who said”; qui refers back to Moses in the previous verse.

Direct Command:
Ostende mihi gloriam tuam — Imperative Ostende expresses a direct plea toward the LORD.

Ostende — imperative main verb
 mihi — indirect object
gloriam tuam — direct object + possessive pronoun

The whole sentence functions as Moses’ request within the narrative.

Morphology

  1. Qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: refers back to Moses; Translation: who; Notes: begins relative clause.
  2. ait — Lemma: aio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular perfect active indicative; Function: verb of speaking; Translation: said; Notes: defective verb commonly used in narrative.
  3. Ostende — Lemma: ostendo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 2nd person singular present active imperative; Function: direct command; Translation: show; Notes: expresses Moses’ petition to the LORD.
  4. mihi — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular; Function: indirect object; Translation: to me; Notes: recipient of the requested action.
  5. gloriam — Lemma: gloria; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object of Ostende; Translation: glory; Notes: refers to divine presence.
  6. tuam — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: possessive pronoun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: modifies gloriam; Translation: your; Notes: agrees in case, number, gender with gloriam.

 

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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