Exodus 34:9

Posted on March 25, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 34:9 ait: Si inveni gratiam in conspectu tuo Domine, obsecro ut gradiaris nobiscum (populus enim duræ cervicis est) et auferas iniquitates nostras atque peccata, nosque possideas.

he said: “If I have found grace in Your sight, LORD, I beg that You would walk with us (for the people is stiff-necked), and that You would take away our iniquities and sins, and that You would take possession of us.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 ait he said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND IRREG
2 Si if CONJ
3 inveni I have found 1SG.PERF.ACT.IND 4TH CONJ
4 gratiam grace ACC.SG.F 1ST DECL
5 in in PREP+ABL
6 conspectu sight ABL.SG.M 4TH DECL
7 tuo your ABL.SG.M POSS.ADJ
8 Domine LORD VOC.SG.M 2ND DECL
9 obsecro I beg 1SG.PRES.ACT.IND 1ST CONJ
10 ut that CONJ
11 gradiaris you walk 2SG.PRES.DEP.SUBJ DEP
12 nobiscum with us ABL.PL PRON + CUM
13 (populus (the people NOM.SG.M 2ND DECL
14 enim for CONJ
15 duræ of stiff GEN.SG.F ADJ
16 cervicis neck GEN.SG.F 3RD DECL
17 est) is) 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND IRREG
18 et and CONJ
19 auferas you remove 2SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ 3RD CONJ
20 iniquitates iniquities ACC.PL.F 3RD DECL
21 nostras our ACC.PL.F POSS.ADJ
22 atque and also CONJ
23 peccata sins ACC.PL.N 2ND DECL
24 nosque and us ACC.PL PRON + ENCLITIC
25 possideas you possess 2SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ 1ST CONJ

Syntax

Main Reporting Verb:
ait — introduces Moses’ prayer.

Conditional Protasis:
Si inveni gratiam in conspectu tuo Domine — “If I have found grace in your sight, LORD.”

Pleading Imperatival Subjunctives:
obsecro ut gradiaris nobiscum — “I beg that you would walk with us.”
The verb gradiaris is deponent and subjunctive of request.

Parenthetical Explanation:
(populus enim duræ cervicis est) — “(for the people is stiff-necked).”

Coordinated Petitions:
et auferas iniquitates nostras atque peccata — “and that you would take away our iniquities and sins.”

Final Petition:
nosque possideas — “and that you would take possession of us,”
Subjunctive as part of Moses’ multi-clause request.

Morphology

  1. ait — Lemma: aio; Part of Speech: defective verb; Form: 3rd person singular perfect active indicative; Function: introduces direct discourse; Translation: he said; Notes: common biblical narrative verb.
  2. Si — Lemma: si; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces conditional clause; Translation: if; Notes: marks protasis.
  3. inveni — Lemma: invenio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 1st person singular perfect active indicative; Function: protasis verb; Translation: I have found; Notes: perfect expresses completed state relevant to request.
  4. gratiam — Lemma: gratia; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object of inveni; Translation: grace; Notes: denotes divine favor.
  5. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces spatial metaphor; Translation: in; Notes: idiomatically “in the sight of.”
  6. conspectu — Lemma: conspectus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of in; Translation: sight; Notes: juridical and relational sense.
  7. tuo — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: modifies conspectu; Translation: your; Notes: refers to LORD.
  8. Domine — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: vocative singular masculine; Function: direct address; Translation: LORD; Notes: refers to YHWH by your rule.
  9. obsecro — Lemma: obsecro; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 1st person singular present active indicative; Function: verb of urgent request; Translation: I beg; Notes: expresses supplication.
  10. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces clause of request; Translation: that; Notes: governs subjunctive.
  11. gradiaris — Lemma: gradior; Part of Speech: deponent verb; Form: 2nd person singular present subjunctive deponent; Function: verb of Moses’ request; Translation: you would walk; Notes: expresses desired divine accompaniment.
  12. nobiscum — Lemma: nos + cum; Part of Speech: pronoun + enclitic preposition; Form: ablative plural; Function: accompaniment; Translation: with us; Notes: enclitic placement is classical.
  13. (populus — Lemma: populus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of est; Translation: the people; Notes: beginning of parenthetical remark.
  14. enim — Lemma: enim; Part of Speech: postpositive conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: gives explanation; Translation: for; Notes: never begins clause in classical word order.
  15. duræ — Lemma: durus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: modifies cervicis; Translation: of stiff; Notes: expresses obstinacy.
  16. cervicis — Lemma: cervix; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: genitive of description; Translation: neck; Notes: idiom “stiff-necked.”
  17. est) — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular present active indicative; Function: completes parenthetical clause; Translation: is; Notes: used parenthetically.
  18. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: coordinates petitions; Translation: and; Notes: adds new request.
  19. auferas — Lemma: aufero; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 2nd person singular present active subjunctive; Function: verb of petition; Translation: you would take away; Notes: subjunctive governed by ut (understood).
  20. iniquitates — Lemma: iniquitas; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: direct object of auferas; Translation: iniquities; Notes: moral faults.
  21. nostras — Lemma: noster; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: modifies iniquitates; Translation: our; Notes: first-person plural covenant identity.
  22. atque — Lemma: atque; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: intensifying connector; Translation: and also; Notes: stronger than et.
  23. peccata — Lemma: peccatum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: second object of auferas; Translation: sins; Notes: broad category of wrongdoing.
  24. nosque — Lemma: nos + que; Part of Speech: pronoun with enclitic; Form: accusative plural; Function: object of possideas; Translation: and us; Notes: enclitic binds the request to the previous one.
  25. possideas — Lemma: possideo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 2nd person singular present active subjunctive; Function: final petition; Translation: you would possess; Notes: expresses desire that the LORD claim Israel as His own.

 

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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