Exodus 33:23

Posted on March 24, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 33:23 tollamque manum meam, et videbis posteriora mea: faciem autem meam videre non poteris.

and I will remove My hand, and you shall see My back parts; but My face you will not be able to see.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 tollamque and I will remove 1SG.FUT.ACT.IND 3RD CONJ + ENCLITIC
2 manum hand ACC.SG.F 4TH DECL
3 meam my ACC.SG.F POSS.PRON
4 et and CONJ
5 videbis you shall see 2SG.FUT.ACT.IND 2ND CONJ
6 posteriora back parts ACC.PL.N 2ND DECL
7 mea my ACC.PL.N POSS.PRON
8 faciem face ACC.SG.F 5TH DECL
9 autem however / but ADV
10 meam my ACC.SG.F POSS.PRON
11 videre to see PRES.ACT.INF
12 non not ADV
13 poteris you will be able 2SG.FUT.ACT.IND IRREG

Syntax

Main Clause 1:
tollamque manum meam — “and I will remove my hand.”
que links to the previous divine action.

Resulting Perception:
et videbis posteriora mea — “and you shall see my back parts.”
posteriora mea = direct object + possessive.

Contrastive Clause:
faciem autem meam videre non poteris — “but my face you will not be able to see.”
videre = complementary infinitive;
poteris = main verb governing videre.

Morphology

  1. tollamque — Lemma: tollo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 1st person singular future active indicative + enclitic -que; Function: main verbal action; Translation: and I will remove; Notes: enclitic links to the preceding divine action.
  2. manum — Lemma: manus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object of tollam; Translation: hand; Notes: 4th-declension feminine noun.
  3. meam — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: possessive pronoun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: modifies manum; Translation: my; Notes: agrees with manum.
  4. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: links clauses; Translation: and; Notes: simple coordination.
  5. videbis — Lemma: video; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 2nd person singular future active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: you shall see; Notes: expresses future revelation.
  6. posteriora — Lemma: posteriora; Part of Speech: noun (substantivized adjective); Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: direct object of videbis; Translation: back parts; Notes: refers to partial divine self-disclosure.
  7. mea — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: possessive pronoun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: modifies posteriora; Translation: my; Notes: agrees with posteriora.
  8. faciem — Lemma: facies; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of videre; Translation: face; Notes: 5th-declension noun.
  9. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: adverb (postpositive); Form: invariable; Function: introduces contrast; Translation: however / but; Notes: signals contrast with previous clause.
  10. meam — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: possessive pronoun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: modifies faciem; Translation: my; Notes: agrees with faciem.
  11. videre — Lemma: video; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active infinitive; Function: complementary infinitive governed by poteris; Translation: to see; Notes: expresses the action that is not possible.
  12. non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: negation; Translation: not; Notes: negates poteris.
  13. poteris — Lemma: possum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 2nd person singular future active indicative; Function: main verb of negative clause; Translation: you will be able; Notes: governs infinitive videre.

 

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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