Exodus 1:21

Posted on February 20, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 1:21 Et quia timuerunt obstetrices Deum, ædificavit eis domos.

And because the midwives feared God, He built houses for them.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Et and CONJ
2 quia because CONJ
3 timuerunt they feared 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
4 obstetrices the midwives NOM.PL.F
5 Deum God ACC.SG.M
6 ædificavit built 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
7 eis for them DAT.PL
8 domos houses ACC.PL.F

Syntax

Causal Clause:
quia timuerunt obstetrices Deum — “because the midwives feared God.”
• obstetrices = subject
• timuerunt = verb
• Deum = object

Main Clause:
ædificavit eis domos — “He built houses for them.”
• ædificavit = divine action
• eis = indirect object (beneficiary)
• domos = direct object

Function: Expresses divine reward for the midwives’ reverence, with “houses” traditionally understood as families or enduring lineage.

Morphology

  1. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: links this verse to the previous action; Translation: “and”; Notes: Standard connective.
  2. quia — Lemma: quia; Part of Speech: subordinating conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces causal clause; Translation: “because”; Notes: Gives reason for divine reward.
  3. timuerunt — Lemma: timeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person plural perfect active indicative; Function: main verb of causal clause; Translation: “they feared”; Notes: Completed reverential act.
  4. obstetrices — Lemma: obstetrix; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural feminine; Function: subject of “timuerunt”; Translation: “midwives”; Notes: Refers to Sephora, Phua, and possibly others.
  5. Deum — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object; Translation: “God”; Notes: Object of reverential fear.
  6. ædificavit — Lemma: ædifico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: “built”; Notes: Traditional interpretation: “established families for them.”
  7. eis — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative plural; Function: indirect object; Translation: “for them”; Notes: Beneficiaries of divine action.
  8. domos — Lemma: domus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: direct object of “ædificavit”; Translation: “houses”; Notes: Can imply physical houses or figurative households (lineage).

 

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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