Exodus 1:18

Posted on February 20, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 1:18 Quibus ad se accersitis, rex ait: Quidnam est hoc quod facere voluistis, ut pueros servaretis?

And when they had been summoned to him, the king said: “What is this that you have wished to do, that you have preserved the boys?”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Quibus when whom ABL.PL.F REL
2 ad to PREP+ACC
3 se himself ACC.SG.REFL
4 accersitis having been summoned ABL.PL.F PERF.PASS.PART
5 rex the king NOM.SG.M
6 ait said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
7 Quidnam what indeed INTERROG.PRON
8 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
9 hoc this NOM.SG.N DEM
10 quod which NOM.SG.N REL
11 facere to do PRES.ACT.INF
12 voluistis you wished 2PL.PERF.ACT.IND
13 ut that CONJ
14 pueros boys ACC.PL.M
15 servaretis you preserve 2PL.IMPERF.ACT.SUBJ

Syntax

Ablative Absolute: Quibus ad se accersitis — “when they had been summoned to him.”
Main Clause: rex ait — introduces direct speech.
Interrogative Clause: Quidnam est hoc quod facere voluistis — “What is this that you have wished to do?”
• Quidnam = emphatic “what?”
• hoc quod = “this thing which…”
Purpose/Result Clause: ut pueros servaretis — “that you preserved the boys.”
Function: Pharaoh interrogates the midwives about their disobedience.

Morphology

  1. Quibus — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: ablative plural feminine; Function: ablative absolute; Translation: “when whom”; Notes: Refers to the midwives.
  2. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: directional; Translation: “to”; Notes: Indicates motion toward Pharaoh.
  3. se — Lemma: se; Part of Speech: reflexive pronoun; Form: accusative singular; Function: object of “ad”; Translation: “himself”; Notes: Refers to Pharaoh.
  4. accersitis — Lemma: accerso; Part of Speech: participle; Form: ablative plural feminine perfect passive participle; Function: part of ablative absolute; Translation: “having been summoned”; Notes: Describes completed action.
  5. rex — Lemma: rex; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “king”; Notes: Pharaoh.
  6. ait — Lemma: aio; Part of Speech: defective verb; Form: 3rd person singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb introducing speech; Translation: “said”; Notes: Standard narrative formula.
  7. Quidnam — Lemma: quidnam; Part of Speech: interrogative pronoun; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: interrogative; Translation: “what indeed?”; Notes: Strong questioning tone.
  8. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular present active indicative; Function: copular verb; Translation: “is”; Notes: Links subject and predicate.
  9. hoc — Lemma: hic; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: subject complement; Translation: “this”; Notes: Refers to the midwives’ action.
  10. quod — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: introduces subordinate clause; Translation: “which”; Notes: Refers to “hoc.”
  11. facere — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active infinitive; Function: complementary infinitive; Translation: “to do”; Notes: Verb of the subordinate clause.
  12. voluistis — Lemma: volo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 2nd person plural perfect active indicative; Function: main verb of subordinate clause; Translation: “you wished”; Notes: Shows intention behind action.
  13. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: introduces purpose/result; Function: introduces clause of explanation; Translation: “that”; Notes: Takes subjunctive.
  14. pueros — Lemma: puer; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: direct object; Translation: “boys”; Notes: Newborn males.
  15. servaretis — Lemma: servo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 2nd person plural imperfect active subjunctive; Function: verb of purpose clause; Translation: “you preserve”; Notes: Imperfect conveys repeated/ongoing 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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