Exodus 1:8

Posted on February 20, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 1:8 Surrexit interea rex novus super Ægyptum, qui ignorabat Ioseph:

Meanwhile a new king arose over Egypt, who did not know Joseph;

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Surrexit arose 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 interea meanwhile ADV
3 rex king NOM.SG.M
4 novus new NOM.SG.M
5 super over PREP+ACC
6 Ægyptum Egypt ACC.SG.F
7 qui who NOM.SG.M REL
8 ignorabat did not know 3SG.IMPERF.ACT.IND
9 Ioseph Joseph ACC.SG.M

Syntax

Main Clause: Surrexit interea rex novus super Ægyptum — “a new king arose over Egypt”; subject + verb + prepositional phrase.
Relative Clause: qui ignorabat Ioseph — modifies “rex novus”; describes the king’s ignorance of Joseph.
Function: Introduces a major transition in the narrative, marking the beginning of Israel’s oppression.

Morphology

  1. Surrexit — Lemma: surgo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: “arose”; Notes: Marks sudden appearance or rise to power.
  2. interea — Lemma: interea; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: temporal marker; Translation: “meanwhile”; Notes: Indicates narrative shift.
  3. rex — Lemma: rex; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “king”; Notes: Introduces new political authority.
  4. novus — Lemma: novus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: modifies “rex”; Translation: “new”; Notes: Implies a change in dynasty or policy.
  5. super — Lemma: super; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces jurisdiction; Translation: “over”; Notes: Indicates ruling authority.
  6. Ægyptum — Lemma: Ægyptus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of “super”; Translation: “Egypt”; Notes: Geographical region.
  7. qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: introduces relative clause; Translation: “who”; Notes: Refers to the new king.
  8. ignorabat — Lemma: ignoro; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular imperfect active indicative; Function: main verb of relative clause; Translation: “did not know”; Notes: Imperfect shows ongoing ignorance, not a momentary lapse.
  9. Ioseph — Lemma: Ioseph; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of “ignorabat”; Translation: “Joseph”; Notes: Refers to Joseph, former vizier of Egypt.

 

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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