Exodus 34:29

Posted on March 25, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 34:29 Cumque descenderet Moyses de monte Sinai, tenebat duas tabulas testimonii, et ignorabat quod cornuta esset facies sua ex consortio sermonis Domini.

And when Moyses came down from mount Sinai, he was holding the two tablets of the testimony, and he did not know that his face was horned from the communion of the word of the LORD.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Cumque and when CONJ + ENCLITIC -QUE
2 descenderet was coming down 3SG.IMP.SUBJ.ACT 3RD CONJ
3 Moyses Moses NOM.SG.M 3RD DECL
4 de from PREP+ABL
5 monte mountain ABL.SG.M 3RD DECL
6 Sinai Sinai ABL.SG.INDECL
7 tenebat was holding 3SG.IMP.ACT.IND 2ND CONJ
8 duas two ACC.PL.F INDECL.NUM
9 tabulas tablets ACC.PL.F 1ST DECL
10 testimonii of the testimony GEN.SG.N 2ND DECL
11 et and CONJ
12 ignorabat he did not know 3SG.IMP.ACT.IND 1ST CONJ
13 quod that CONJ
14 cornuta horned / shining NOM.SG.F ADJ 1ST DECL
15 esset was 3SG.IMP.SUBJ.ACT IRREG (sum)
16 facies face NOM.SG.F 5TH DECL
17 sua his NOM.SG.F POSS.ADJ
18 ex from PREP+ABL
19 consortio communion / fellowship ABL.SG.N 3RD DECL
20 sermonis of the word / speech GEN.SG.M 3RD DECL
21 Domini of the LORD GEN.SG.M 2ND DECL

Syntax

Temporal Clause:
Cumque descenderet Moyses de monte Sinai
• Cumque introduces a temporal cum-clause.
• descenderet = imperfect subjunctive → background action.
• Moyses = subject.
• de monte Sinai = ablative of separation.

Main Clause:
tenebat duas tabulas testimonii
• tenebat = imperfect descriptive.
• duas tabulas = direct object.
• testimonii = genitive of quality.

Ignorance Clause:
et ignorabat quod cornuta esset facies sua
• ignorabat = imperfect of continued unawareness.
• quod introduces a substantive clause.
• cornuta esset = periphrastic with imperfect subjunctive.
• facies sua = subject–attribute pairing.

Ablative of Source:
ex consortio sermonis Domini
• Explains cause of Moses’ shining face.
• Domini = genitive → refers to YHWH → translated LORD.

Morphology

  1. Cumque — Lemma: cum + -que; Part of Speech: conjunction with enclitic; Form: invariable; Function: introduces temporal clause; Translation: and when; Notes: -que tightly links this clause to previous narrative.
  2. descenderet — Lemma: dēscendō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular imperfect active subjunctive; Function: verb of temporal cum-clause; Translation: was coming down; Notes: subjunctive required by temporal cum construction.
  3. Moyses — Lemma: Moyses; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of descenderet; Translation: Moses; Notes: Hebrew origin name.
  4. de — Lemma: dē; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: indicates separation; Translation: from; Notes: spatial separation from mount.
  5. monte — Lemma: mōns; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of de; Translation: mountain; Notes: refers to Sinai.
  6. Sinai — Lemma: Sinai; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: ablative singular indeclinable; Function: modifies monte; Translation: Sinai; Notes: indeclinable form in Latin tradition.
  7. tenebat — Lemma: teneō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular imperfect active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: was holding; Notes: descriptive imperfect forming narrative background.
  8. duas — Lemma: duo; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: modifies tabulas; Translation: two; Notes: feminine agrees with tablet.
  9. tabulas — Lemma: tabula; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: direct object; Translation: tablets; Notes: stone tablets of testimony.
  10. testimonii — Lemma: testimōnium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter; Function: genitive of identification; Translation: of the testimony; Notes: refers to the covenant inscription.
  11. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: coordinates clauses; Translation: and; Notes: simple narrative connector.
  12. ignorabat — Lemma: ignōrō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular imperfect active indicative; Function: introduces subordinate knowledge clause; Translation: he did not know; Notes: imperfect expresses ongoing ignorance.
  13. quod — Lemma: quod; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces substantive clause; Translation: that; Notes: links to content of Moses’ ignorance.
  14. cornuta — Lemma: cornūtus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: predicate adjective of facies; Translation: horned / shining; Notes: Latin “horned” reflects Hebrew qāran “to shine forth rays.”
  15. esset — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular imperfect active subjunctive; Function: subordinate verb in indirect statement; Translation: was; Notes: required after quod with a verb of knowing.
  16. facies — Lemma: faciēs; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject of esset; Translation: face; Notes: refers to Moses’ radiant face.
  17. sua — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: modifies facies; Translation: his; Notes: reflexive possession.
  18. ex — Lemma: ex; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses source; Translation: from; Notes: causal-from source expression.
  19. consortio — Lemma: consortiō; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: object of ex; Translation: communion / fellowship; Notes: divine-human communion through speech.
  20. sermonis — Lemma: sermō; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: modifies consortio; Translation: of the word / speech; Notes: refers to divine discourse.
  21. Domini — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: modifies sermonis; Translation: of the LORD; Notes: refers to YHWH, hence translated as LORD.

 

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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