Exodus 34:10

Posted on March 25, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 34’10 Respondit Dominus: Ego inibo pactum videntibus cunctis, signa faciam quæ numquam visa sunt super terram, nec in ullis gentibus: ut cernat populus iste, in cuius es medio, opus Domini terribile quod facturus sum.

The LORD replied: “I will enter into a covenant, with all seeing it, I will perform signs which have never been seen upon the earth nor in any nations, so that this people, in whose midst you are, may behold the work of the LORD, terrible, which I am going to do.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Respondit replied 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND 2ND CONJ
2 Dominus the LORD NOM.SG.M 2ND DECL
3 Ego I NOM.SG 1 PERS.PRON
4 inibo I will enter 1SG.FUT.ACT.IND IRREG
5 pactum covenant ACC.SG.N 2ND DECL
6 videntibus to those seeing ABL.PL.PRES.ACT.PTCP 2ND CONJ
7 cunctis all ABL.PL.C ADJ
8 signa signs ACC.PL.N 2ND DECL
9 faciam I will do 1SG.FUT.ACT.IND 3RD CONJ
10 quæ which NOM.PL.N REL.PRON
11 numquam never ADV
12 visa seen NOM.PL.N PERF.PASS.PTCP 2ND CONJ
13 sunt have been 3PL.PRES.ACT.IND IRREG
14 super upon PREP+ACC
15 terram earth ACC.SG.F 1ST DECL
16 nec nor CONJ
17 in in PREP+ABL
18 ullis any ABL.PL.C ADJ
19 gentibus nations ABL.PL.F 3RD DECL
20 ut so that CONJ
21 cernat may see 3SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ 3RD CONJ
22 populus people NOM.SG.M 2ND DECL
23 iste this NOM.SG.M DEM.PRON
24 in in PREP+ABL
25 cuius whose GEN.SG.M/F/N REL.PRON
26 es you are 2SG.PRES.ACT.IND IRREG
27 medio midst ABL.SG.N 2ND DECL
28 opus work NOM.SG.N 3RD DECL
29 Domini of the LORD GEN.SG.M 2ND DECL
30 terribile terrible NOM.SG.N ADJ
31 quod which NOM.SG.N REL.PRON
32 facturus about to do NOM.SG.M FUT.ACT.PTCP 3RD CONJ
33 sum I am 1SG.PRES.ACT.IND IRREG

Syntax

Main Divine Response:
Respondit Dominus — “The LORD replied,” introducing the speech that follows.

First Main Declaration:
Ego inibo pactum — “I will enter into a covenant.”
The explicit subject Ego heightens emphasis on the LORD’s initiative, and pactum is the direct object.

Accompanying Circumstance:
videntibus cunctis — “with all seeing it,” an ablative phrase describing universal witness among those present.

Second Future Declaration:
signa faciam quæ numquam visa sunt super terram, nec in ullis gentibus — “I will perform signs which have never been seen upon the earth nor in any nations.”
The relative clause quæ numquam visa sunt specifies the unprecedented character of the signs, expanded by the parallel phrases super terram and nec in ullis gentibus.

Purpose Clause:
ut cernat populus iste… — “so that this people may behold…” with cernat in the present subjunctive expressing purpose.

Embedded Relative Clause:
in cuius es medio — “in whose midst you are,” modifying populus iste and highlighting the addressed person’s presence among the people.

Predicate Focus:
opus Domini terribile — “the work of the LORD, terrible,” where terribile stands as a predicate-like adjective intensifying the nature of the divine work.

Periphrastic Future:
quod facturus sum — “which I am going to do,” a future active periphrastic construction referring back to opus and closing the divine promise.

Morphology

  1. Respondit — Lemma: respondeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular perfect active indicative; Function: main narrative verb introducing the LORD’s reply; Translation: replied; Notes: perfect tense situates the divine answer as a completed speech act in the narrative flow.
  2. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of Respondit; Translation: the LORD; Notes: by your rule refers to YHWH and takes the role of the speaking deity.
  3. Ego — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: nominative singular; Function: explicit subject of inibo; Translation: I; Notes: the expressed pronoun adds emphasis to the LORD’s personal commitment to the covenant.
  4. inibo — Lemma: ineō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 1st person singular future active indicative; Function: main verb of the first divine declaration; Translation: I will enter; Notes: used with pactum to express entering into a covenantal arrangement.
  5. pactum — Lemma: pactum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object of inibo; Translation: covenant; Notes: legal and relational term for the solemn agreement the LORD establishes with His people.
  6. videntibus — Lemma: videō; Part of Speech: verb (participle); Form: ablative plural present active participle; Function: ablative of attendant circumstance or accompaniment; Translation: to those seeing / while all are seeing; Notes: describes that the covenant is enacted in full public view.
  7. cunctis — Lemma: cunctus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative plural common gender; Function: agrees with videntibus and qualifies it; Translation: all; Notes: stresses universality among the onlookers.
  8. signa — Lemma: signum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: direct object of faciam; Translation: signs; Notes: denotes miraculous acts which serve as visible tokens of the LORD’s covenant work.
  9. faciam — Lemma: faciō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 1st person singular future active indicative; Function: main verb of the second divine declaration; Translation: I will do; Notes: expresses the LORD’s determination to perform miraculous signs in the future.
  10. quæ — Lemma: quī, quae, quod; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative plural neuter; Function: subject of the verb phrase visa sunt in the relative clause; Translation: which; Notes: refers back to signa and introduces their characterization.
  11. numquam — Lemma: numquam; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: modifies visa sunt to express absolute negation in time; Translation: never; Notes: emphasizes that such signs have no precedent.
  12. visa — Lemma: videō; Part of Speech: verb (participle); Form: nominative plural neuter perfect passive participle; Function: predicate with sunt in the relative clause; Translation: seen; Notes: together with sunt forms a periphrastic perfect passive “have been seen.”
  13. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person plural present active indicative; Function: auxiliary verb with visa to form the perfect passive; Translation: have been; Notes: present tense with perfect participle gives perfect time reference.
  14. super — Lemma: super; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs the accusative; Function: introduces a prepositional phrase of location or scope; Translation: upon; Notes: here indicates the realm over which the signs have not been seen.
  15. terram — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of the preposition super; Translation: earth; Notes: suggests the entire inhabited world, not merely a local region.
  16. nec — Lemma: nec; Part of Speech: coordinating conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces a negative parallel clause; Translation: nor; Notes: links a second domain in which the signs have never occurred.
  17. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs the ablative; Function: introduces a locative phrase; Translation: in; Notes: here used with ablative to mark location among the nations.
  18. ullis — Lemma: ullus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative plural common gender; Function: modifies gentibus; Translation: any; Notes: intensifies the universal scope of the denial.
  19. gentibus — Lemma: gēns; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural feminine; Function: object of the preposition in; Translation: nations; Notes: designates foreign peoples collectively, not just Israel.
  20. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: subordinating conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces a purpose clause with subjunctive; Translation: so that; Notes: expresses the intended result of the LORD’s future actions.
  21. cernat — Lemma: cernō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular present active subjunctive; Function: verb of the purpose clause introduced by ut; Translation: may behold / may see; Notes: present subjunctive marks the desired perception of the people.
  22. populus — Lemma: populus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of cernat; Translation: people; Notes: refers specifically to Israel as the covenant people.
  23. iste — Lemma: iste; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun / adjective; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: determiner of populus; Translation: this; Notes: deictic nuance, focusing on the people present or spoken about directly.
  24. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces the prepositional phrase of location; Translation: in; Notes: combined with medio to express “in the midst of.”
  25. cuius — Lemma: quī, quae, quod; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: genitive singular (masculine / feminine / neuter); Function: genitive of possession in the relative clause; Translation: whose; Notes: refers back to populus iste, specifying the people in whose midst the addressee dwells.
  26. es — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 2nd person singular present active indicative; Function: verb of the relative clause in cuius es medio; Translation: you are; Notes: addressed to Moses (or the leader), marking his location among the people.
  27. medio — Lemma: medium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: object of the preposition in; Translation: midst; Notes: expresses central position within the community.
  28. opus — Lemma: opus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: subject of the periphrastic expression facturus sum; Translation: work; Notes: denotes the significant divine act that is about to be carried out.
  29. Domini — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessive genitive depending on opus; Translation: of the LORD; Notes: identifies the work as belonging to and originating from YHWH.
  30. terribile — Lemma: terribilis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: adjective agreeing with opus; Translation: terrible; Notes: conveys that the work is awe-inspiring and fear-provoking in its magnitude.
  31. quod — Lemma: quī, quae, quod; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: subject of the periphrastic facturus sum, referring back to opus; Translation: which; Notes: ties the future action directly to the described work.
  32. facturus — Lemma: faciō; Part of Speech: verb (participle); Form: nominative singular masculine future active participle; Function: part of the periphrastic future with sum; Translation: about to do; Notes: expresses intention or imminence of the LORD’s future deed.
  33. sum — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 1st person singular present active indicative; Function: auxiliary in the periphrastic future construction; Translation: I am; Notes: combines with facturus to describe what the LORD is going to do.

 

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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