Exodus 33:20

Posted on March 24, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 33:20 Rursumque ait: Non poteris videre faciem meam: non enim videbit me homo, et vivet.

And he said again: You will not be able to see my face; for no man will see me and live.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Rursumque and again ADV + ENCLITIC
2 ait said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND IRREG
3 Non not ADV
4 poteris you will be able 2SG.FUT.ACT.IND IRREG
5 videre to see INF.PRES.ACT 2ND CONJ
6 faciem face ACC.SG.F 5TH DECL
7 meam my ACC.SG.F POSS.PRON
8 non not ADV
9 enim for ADV
10 videbit will see 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND 2ND CONJ
11 me me ACC.SG.1ST.PERS PRON
12 homo man NOM.SG.M 3RD DECL
13 et and CONJ
14 vivet will live 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND 3RD CONJ

Syntax

Narrative Introduction:
Rursumque ait — “And he said again,” continuing the divine speech.

Primary Prohibition / Limitation:
Non poteris videre faciem meam — “You will not be able to see my face.”
* poteris + infinitive videre = future impossibility.

Explanatory Clause:
non enim videbit me homo, et vivet — “for no man will see me and live.”
* homo = subject
* two coordinated future verbs → “will see” + “will live.”

Morphology

  1. Rursumque — Lemma: rursum + que; Part of Speech: adverb + enclitic; Form: invariable; Function: marks continuation of speech; Translation: and again; Notes: enclitic links to narrative flow.
  2. ait — Lemma: aio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular perfect active indicative; Function: introduces direct speech; Translation: said; Notes: defective verb used in quotations.
  3. Non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: negates poteris; Translation: not; Notes: standard negation.
  4. poteris — Lemma: possum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 2nd person singular future active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: you will be able; Notes: irregular compound of sum.
  5. videre — Lemma: video; Part of Speech: infinitive; Form: present active infinitive; Function: complementary infinitive to poteris; Translation: to see; Notes: expresses the act denied.
  6. faciem — Lemma: facies; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object of videre; Translation: face; Notes: idiom for divine presence.
  7. meam — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: possessive pronoun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: modifies faciem; Translation: my; Notes: agrees in case, number, gender.
  8. non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: negates videbit; Translation: not; Notes: marks impossibility.
  9. enim — Lemma: enim; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: gives the reason; Translation: for; Notes: logical connector.
  10. videbit — Lemma: video; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular future active indicative; Function: verb of seeing; Translation: will see; Notes: future general statement.
  11. me — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular; Function: direct object of videbit; Translation: me; Notes: refers to the LORD.
  12. homo — Lemma: homo; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of videbit and vivet; Translation: man; Notes: universal human reference.
  13. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: connects verbs; Translation: and; Notes: simple coordination.
  14. vivet — Lemma: vivo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular future active indicative; Function: coordinated verb; Translation: will live; Notes: seeing God directly results in death in Hebrew idiom.

 

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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