Exodus 10:15

Posted on March 1, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 10:15 Operueruntque universam superficiem terræ, vastantes omnia. Devorata est igitur herba terræ, et quidquid pomorum in arboribus fuit, quæ grando dimiserat: nihilque omnino virens relictum est in lignis, et in herbis terræ, in cuncta Ægypto.

And they covered the whole surface of the land, laying waste all things. Therefore the herb of the land was devoured, and whatever fruit had been on the trees which the hail had left behind; and nothing at all green was left on the trees and in the herbs of the land, in all Egypt.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Operueruntque and they covered 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND + ENCLITIC
2 universam all ACC.SG.F
3 superficiem surface ACC.SG.F
4 terræ of the land GEN.SG.F
5 vastantes laying waste NOM.PL.M.PRES.ACT.PTCP
6 omnia all things ACC.PL.N
7 Devorata devoured NOM.SG.F.PERF.PASS.PTCP
8 est was 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
9 igitur therefore ADV
10 herba herb NOM.SG.F
11 terræ of the land GEN.SG.F
12 et and CONJ
13 quidquid whatever NOM.SG.N
14 pomorum of fruits GEN.PL.N
15 in on PREP+ABL
16 arboribus trees ABL.PL.F
17 fuit had been 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
18 quæ which NOM.SG.F
19 grando hail NOM.SG.F
20 dimiserat had left behind 3SG.PLUP.ACT.IND
21 nihilque and nothing NOM.SG.N + ENCLITIC
22 omnino at all ADV
23 virens green NOM.SG.N.PRES.ACT.PTCP
24 relictum left NOM.SG.N.PERF.PASS.PTCP
25 est was 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
26 in in PREP+ABL
27 lignis trees ABL.PL.N
28 et and CONJ
29 in in PREP+ABL
30 herbis herbs ABL.PL.F
31 terræ of the land GEN.SG.F
32 in in PREP+ABL
33 cuncta all ABL.SG.F
34 Ægypto Egypt ABL.SG.F

Syntax

Clause 1:
Subject: implied (locusts)
Verb: Operueruntque
Object: universam superficiem terræ
Participle: vastantes modifying subject

Clause 2:
Devorata est igitur herba terræ — passive periphrasis, herba subject, devorata est verb phrase

Clause 3:
et quidquid pomorum in arboribus fuit — quidquid as subject; fuit verb; prepositional phrase modifying location

Relative Clause:
quæ grando dimiserat — quæ refers to pomorum; dimiserat pluperfect

Negative Result Clause:
nihilque omnino virens relictum est — nihil subject; relictum est verb

Series of Prepositional Phrases:
in lignis, et in herbis terræ, in cuncta Ægypto — indicating locations where nothing green remained

Morphology

  1. Operueruntque — Lemma: operio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative third plural + enclitic –que; Function: main verb; Translation: “and they covered”; Notes: –que links to prior clause.
  2. universam — Lemma: universus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: modifies superficiem; Translation: “all”; Notes: emphasizes extent.
  3. superficiem — Lemma: superficies; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object; Translation: “surface”; Notes: third declension.
  4. terræ — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: possessive; Translation: “of the land”; Notes: descriptive genitive.
  5. vastantes — Lemma: vasto; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative plural masculine present active participle; Function: modifies implied subject; Translation: “laying waste”; Notes: simultaneous action.
  6. omnia — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective/pronoun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: object; Translation: “all things”; Notes: direct object of vastantes.
  7. Devorata — Lemma: devoro; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular feminine perfect passive participle; Function: agrees with herba; Translation: “devoured”; Notes: passive construction.
  8. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative third singular; Function: auxiliary; Translation: “was”; Notes: completes perfect passive.
  9. igitur — Lemma: igitur; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: adverb; Function: logical connector; Translation: “therefore”; Notes: postpositive.
  10. herba — Lemma: herba; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject; Translation: “herb”; Notes: collective vegetative term.
  11. terræ — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: possessive; Translation: “of the land”; Notes: qualifies herba.
  12. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: standard coordinator.
  13. quidquid — Lemma: quisquis; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: subject; Translation: “whatever”; Notes: indefinite pronoun.
  14. pomorum — Lemma: pomum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural neuter; Function: genitive of whole; Translation: “of fruits”; Notes: partitive genitive.
  15. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: structural relation; Translation: “in/on”; Notes: static location.
  16. arboribus — Lemma: arbor; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural feminine; Function: object of preposition; Translation: “trees”; Notes: physical location.
  17. fuit — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative third singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “had been”; Notes: denotes prior existence.
  18. quæ — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject of relative clause; Translation: “which”; Notes: refers to pomorum.
  19. grando — Lemma: grando; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject; Translation: “hail”; Notes: agent of prior destruction.
  20. dimiserat — Lemma: dimitto; Part of Speech: verb; Form: pluperfect active indicative third singular; Function: verb of clause; Translation: “had left behind”; Notes: earlier past action.
  21. nihilque — Lemma: nihil + que; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: subject; Translation: “and nothing”; Notes: absolute negation.
  22. omnino — Lemma: omnino; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: adverb; Function: intensifier; Translation: “at all”; Notes: total negation.
  23. virens — Lemma: vireō; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular neuter present active participle; Function: predicate adjective; Translation: “green”; Notes: describes state.
  24. relictum — Lemma: relinquo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular neuter perfect passive participle; Function: predicate adjective; Translation: “left”; Notes: passive of state.
  25. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative third singular; Function: completes passive periphrasis; Translation: “was”; Notes: main verb.
  26. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: locative; Translation: “in”; Notes: specifies location.
  27. lignis — Lemma: lignum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural neuter; Function: object of in; Translation: “trees”; Notes: larger woody plants.
  28. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links phrases; Translation: “and”; Notes: connects further locations.
  29. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: locative; Translation: “in”; Notes: marks place.
  30. herbis — Lemma: herba; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural feminine; Function: object of in; Translation: “herbs”; Notes: low vegetation.
  31. terræ — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: possessive genitive; Translation: “of the land”; Notes: clarifies locality.
  32. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: locative; Translation: “in”; Notes: final prepositional phrase.
  33. cuncta — Lemma: cunctus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: modifies Ægypto; Translation: “all”; Notes: emphasizes totality.
  34. Ægypto — Lemma: Ægyptus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of in; Translation: “Egypt”; Notes: entire country affected.

 

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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