Exodus 34:6

Posted on March 25, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

6 Quo transeunte coram eo, ait: Dominator Domine Deus, misericors et clemens, patiens et multæ miserationis, ac verax,

When He passed before him, he said: “Ruler LORD God, merciful and gracious, patient and of great compassion, and true,

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Quo who / when he ABL.SG.M REL.PRON
2 transeunte passing ABL.SG.M PRES.ACT.PTCP 3RD CONJ
3 coram before PREP+ABL
4 eo him ABL.SG.M PRON
5 ait said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND IRREG
6 Dominator Ruler NOM.SG.M NOUN
7 Domine LORD VOC.SG.M 2ND DECL
8 Deus God NOM.SG.M 2ND DECL
9 misericors merciful NOM.SG.M ADJ
10 et and CONJ
11 clemens gracious NOM.SG.M ADJ
12 patiens patient NOM.SG.M ADJ
13 et and CONJ
14 multæ of great GEN.SG.F ADJ
15 miserationis compassion GEN.SG.F 3RD DECL
16 ac and also CONJ
17 verax true NOM.SG.M ADJ

Syntax

Ablative Absolute:
Quo transeunte coram eo — “as He was passing before him.”
Quo transeunte = ablative absolute referring to the LORD’s passing-by presence.
coram eo = prepositional phrase “before him” (Moses).

Main Clause:
ait — “He said,” introducing the divine proclamation.

Divine Self-Proclamation (Vocative + Descriptors):
Dominator Domine Deus — vocative formula: “Ruler, LORD God.”
Followed by attributes in nominative:

• misericors — merciful
• clemens — gracious
• patiens — patient
• multæ miserationis — “of great compassion,” genitive of quality
• verax — true

Morphology

  1. Quo — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: part of ablative absolute; Translation: who / as he; Notes: refers to the LORD.
  2. transeunte — Lemma: transeo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: ablative singular masculine present active participle; Function: verb of ablative absolute; Translation: passing; Notes: simultaneous action.
  3. coram — Lemma: coram; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: spatial relation; Translation: before; Notes: often used in legal or sacred contexts.
  4. eo — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of coram; Translation: him; Notes: refers to Moses.
  5. ait — Lemma: aio; Part of Speech: defective verb; Form: 3rd person singular perfect active indicative; Function: introduces divine speech; Translation: said; Notes: standard narrative formula.
  6. Dominator — Lemma: dominator; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: substantive title of God; Translation: Ruler; Notes: highlights sovereignty.
  7. Domine — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: vocative singular masculine; Function: direct address; Translation: LORD; Notes: vocative of reverence.
  8. Deus — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: appositional title; Translation: God; Notes: completes divine name-formula.
  9. misericors — Lemma: misericors; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: divine attribute; Translation: merciful; Notes: part of the creedal formula (Ex 34:6).
  10. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: joins adjectives; Translation: and; Notes: simple connector.
  11. clemens — Lemma: clemens; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: attribute of God; Translation: gracious; Notes: moral quality.
  12. patiens — Lemma: patiens; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: attribute of God; Translation: patient; Notes: indicates long-suffering.
  13. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: connects genitive phrase; Translation: and; Notes: joins coordinated qualities.
  14. multæ — Lemma: multus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: modifies miserationis; Translation: of great; Notes: genitive of quality.
  15. miserationis — Lemma: miseratio; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: governed by genitive of quality; Translation: compassion; Notes: expresses divine mercy.
  16. ac — Lemma: ac; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: adds final attribute; Translation: and also; Notes: stronger connective than et.
  17. verax — Lemma: verax; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: divine attribute; Translation: true; Notes: denotes faithfulness.

 

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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