Exodus 34:30

Posted on March 25, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 34:30 Videntes autem Aaron et filii Israel cornutam Moysi faciem, timuerunt prope accedere.

But when Aaron and the sons of Israel saw the horned face of Moyses, they were afraid to approach near.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Videntes seeing NOM.PL.M PTCP.PRES.ACT 3RD CONJ
2 autem however / but CONJ
3 Aaron Aaron NOM.SG.M INDECL
4 et and CONJ
5 filii sons NOM.PL.M 2ND DECL
6 Israel of Israel GEN.SG.INDECL
7 cornutam horned / shining ACC.SG.F ADJ 1ST DECL
8 Moysi of Moses GEN.SG.M 3RD DECL
9 faciem face ACC.SG.F 5TH DECL
10 timuerunt they feared 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND 2ND CONJ
11 prope near ADV
12 accedere to approach INF.PRES.ACT 3RD CONJ

Syntax

Subject Phrase:
Videntes autem Aaron et filii Israel — “But Aaron and the sons of Israel, seeing…”
• Videntes = circumstantial participle.
• Aaron et filii Israel = compound subject.

Object of Perception:
cornutam Moysi faciem — “the horned face of Moses.”
• cornutam modifies faciem.
• Moysi = objective genitive (“of Moses”).

Main Verb:
timuerunt — “they feared.”

Complement (infinitive clause):
prope accedere — “to approach near.”
• adverb prope strengthens infinitive accedere.

Morphology

  1. Videntes — Lemma: videō; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative plural masculine present active participle; Function: circumstantial modifier of subject; Translation: seeing; Notes: introduces the circumstance leading to fear.
  2. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: contrastive connector; Translation: however / but; Notes: soft adversative particle.
  3. Aaron — Lemma: Aaron; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular indeclinable; Function: subject; Translation: Aaron; Notes: Hebrew name transliterated into Latin.
  4. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: coordination; Translation: and; Notes: links Aaron with the sons of Israel.
  5. filii — Lemma: fīlius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject; Translation: sons; Notes: typical expression for the people of Israel.
  6. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular indeclinable; Function: genitive of possession modifying filii; Translation: of Israel; Notes: indeclinable in Latin biblical tradition.
  7. cornutam — Lemma: cornūtus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: modifies faciem; Translation: horned / shining; Notes: reflects Hebrew *qāran*, “to shine forth rays.”
  8. Moysi — Lemma: Moyses; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: objective genitive; Translation: of Moses; Notes: expresses whose face is radiant.
  9. faciem — Lemma: faciēs; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object of participle Videntes; Translation: face; Notes: grammatically the thing seen.
  10. timuerunt — Lemma: timeō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person plural perfect active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: they feared; Notes: perfect expresses completed reaction to the sight.
  11. prope — Lemma: propē; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: modifies infinitive accedere; Translation: near; Notes: strengthens the sense of hesitation.
  12. accedere — Lemma: accēdō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active infinitive; Function: complements timuerunt; Translation: to approach; Notes: infinitive of feared action.

 

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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