Exodus 34:31

Posted on March 25, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 34:31 Vocatique ab eo, reversi sunt tam Aaron, quam principes synagogæ. Et postquam locutus est ad eos,

And being called by him, both Aaron and the leaders of the assembly returned. And after he had spoken to them,

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Vocatique and (having been) called NOM.PL.M PTCP.PERF.PASS 1ST CONJ + ENCLITIC -QUE
2 ab by PREP+ABL
3 eo him ABL.SG.M PERS.PRON
4 reversi returned NOM.PL.M PTCP.PERF.ACT (DEPONENT) 4TH CONJ
5 sunt they 3PL.PRES.ACT.IND (AUX)
6 tam as much / both ADV
7 Aaron Aaron NOM.SG.M INDECL
8 quam as / as well as CONJ
9 principes leaders NOM.PL.M 3RD DECL
10 synagogæ of the assembly GEN.SG.F 1ST DECL
11 Et and CONJ
12 postquam after CONJ
13 locutus spoken NOM.SG.M PTCP.PERF.ACT (DEPONENT) 3RD CONJ
14 est he 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND (AUX)
15 ad to PREP+ACC
16 eos them ACC.PL.M PERS.PRON

Syntax

Participial Phrase:
Vocatique ab eo — “And being called by him.”
• Vocati = perfect passive participle referring to Aaron + leaders.
• ab eo = ablative of agent (Moses).

Main Clause:
reversi sunt tam Aaron quam principes synagogæ
• Subject = compound pair “Aaron … and the leaders of the assembly.”
• reversi sunt = deponent perfect with auxiliary.

Subordinate Clause:
Et postquam locutus est ad eos — “And after he had spoken to them…”
• postquam introduces completed action prior to next event.
• locutus est = perfect deponent (“he spoke”).
• ad eos = indirect object.

Morphology

  1. Vocatique — Lemma: vocō; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative plural masculine perfect passive participle + enclitic -que; Function: circumstantial participle modifying the compound subject; Translation: and (having been) called; Notes: -que joins participle to the narrative sequence.
  2. ab — Lemma: ab; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces agent; Translation: by; Notes: used with passive constructions.
  3. eo — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: ablative of agent with passive participle; Translation: him; Notes: refers to Moses.
  4. reversi — Lemma: revertor; Part of Speech: participle (deponent); Form: nominative plural masculine perfect active participle; Function: main verb (with sunt); Translation: returned; Notes: deponents form perfect periphrastically.
  5. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: auxiliary verb; Form: 3rd person plural present active indicative; Function: auxiliary forming perfect of deponent; Translation: they; Notes: completes the deponent verb phrase.
  6. tam — Lemma: tam; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: first half of correlative pair “tam … quam”; Translation: both; Notes: sets up parallel structure.
  7. Aaron — Lemma: Aaron; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular indeclinable; Function: part of compound subject; Translation: Aaron; Notes: Hebrew name rendered indeclinably.
  8. quam — Lemma: quam; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: correlates with tam; Translation: as well as; Notes: joins parallel subject members.
  9. principes — Lemma: prīnceps; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: second part of compound subject; Translation: leaders; Notes: refers to tribal heads.
  10. synagogæ — Lemma: synagōga; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: modifies principes; Translation: of the assembly; Notes: here meaning “community assembly,” not NT synagogue.
  11. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: links next narrative action; Translation: and; Notes: sequential connector.
  12. postquam — Lemma: postquam; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces temporal clause; Translation: after; Notes: takes indicative for completed prior action.
  13. locutus — Lemma: loquor; Part of Speech: participle (deponent); Form: nominative singular masculine perfect active participle; Function: verb in perfect deponent form (with est); Translation: spoken; Notes: deponent verb meaning “to speak.”
  14. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: auxiliary verb; Form: 3rd person singular present active indicative; Function: auxiliary for deponent perfect; Translation: he; Notes: completes the perfect tense of locutus.
  15. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces indirect object; Translation: to; Notes: directional toward persons addressed.
  16. eos — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: indirect object of locutus est; Translation: them; Notes: refers to Aaron and the leaders.

 

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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