Exodus 10:5

Posted on March 1, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 10:5 quæ operiat superficiem terræ, ne quidquam eius appareat, sed comedatur quod residuum fuerit grandini. corrodet enim omnia ligna quæ germinant in agris.

which shall cover the surface of the land, so that nothing of it may appear, but what shall have remained after the hail shall be eaten; for it will gnaw all the trees that sprout in the fields.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 quæ which NOM.SG.F.REL
2 operiat may cover 3SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
3 superficiem surface ACC.SG.F
4 terræ of the land GEN.SG.F
5 ne lest NEG.CONJ
6 quidquam anything NOM.SG.N.INDEF
7 eius of it GEN.SG.F
8 appareat may appear 3SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
9 sed but CONJ
10 comedatur may be eaten 3SG.PRES.PASS.SUBJ
11 quod what NOM.SG.N.REL
12 residuum left over NOM.SG.N.ADJ
13 fuerit shall have been 3SG.FUTPERF.ACT.IND
14 grandini to the hail DAT.SG.F
15 corrodet it will gnaw 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND
16 enim for ADV.CONJ
17 omnia all ACC.PL.N
18 ligna trees ACC.PL.N
19 quæ which NOM.PL.N.REL
20 germinant sprout 3PL.PRES.ACT.IND
21 in in PREP+ABL
22 agris fields ABL.PL.M

Syntax

Relative Clause of Purpose:
quæ operiat superficiem terræ — “which shall cover the surface of the land.”
Subjunctive operiat shows intended result of the locust swarm.

Negative Purpose Clause:
ne quidquam eius appareat — “lest anything of it appear.”
quidquam = indefinite subject of appareat.

Second Purpose Clause:
sed comedatur quod residuum fuerit grandini — “but what shall have remained after the hail may be eaten.”
Relative quod = subject of comedatur; fuerit = future perfect.

Causal Future Clause:
corrodet enim omnia ligna quæ germinant in agris — “for it will gnaw all the trees that sprout in the fields.”
Relative clause quæ germinant modifies ligna.

Morphology

  1. quæ — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject of operiat; Translation: “which”; Notes: refers to locustam from prior verse.
  2. operiat — Lemma: operio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular present active subjunctive; Function: purpose/result; Translation: “may cover”; Notes: subjunctive expresses intended effect.
  3. superficiem — Lemma: superficies; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of operiat; Translation: “surface”; Notes: technical geographic term.
  4. terræ — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: objective genitive; Translation: “of the land”; Notes: standard genitive of specification.
  5. ne — Lemma: ne; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: negative purpose; Function: introduces prohibition; Translation: “lest”; Notes: governs subjunctive.
  6. quidquam — Lemma: quisquam; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: subject; Translation: “anything”; Notes: used in negative clauses.
  7. eius — Lemma: is (id); Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive singular; Function: possessive; Translation: “of it”; Notes: refers to land’s surface.
  8. appareat — Lemma: appareo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular present active subjunctive; Function: negative purpose clause; Translation: “may appear”; Notes: subjunctive after ne.
  9. sed — Lemma: sed; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: adversative; Function: introduces contrast; Translation: “but”; Notes: contrasts disappearance with consumption.
  10. comedatur — Lemma: comedo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular present passive subjunctive; Function: purpose clause; Translation: “may be eaten”; Notes: anticipates locust consumption.
  11. quod — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: subject of comedatur; Translation: “what”; Notes: refers to remnants of crops.
  12. residuum — Lemma: residuus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: predicate to quod; Translation: “left over”; Notes: describes what remains after hail.
  13. fuerit — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular future perfect active indicative; Function: completes relative clause; Translation: “shall have been”; Notes: future perfect shows completed state before consumption.
  14. grandini — Lemma: grando; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative singular feminine; Function: dative of agent/advantage; Translation: “to the hail”; Notes: meaning: remnants spared by hail.
  15. corrodet — Lemma: corrodō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular future active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: “it will gnaw”; Notes: emphatic of locust devastation.
  16. enim — Lemma: enim; Part of Speech: conjunction/adverb; Form: postpositive; Function: introduces explanation; Translation: “for”; Notes: cannot stand first in clause.
  17. omnia — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective/pronoun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: modifies ligna; Translation: “all”; Notes: comprehensive scope.
  18. ligna — Lemma: lignum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: object of corrodet; Translation: “trees”; Notes: often means “wood,” here “trees.”
  19. quæ — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative plural neuter; Function: subject of germinant; Translation: “which”; Notes: modifies ligna.
  20. germinant — Lemma: germino; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person plural present active indicative; Function: describes trees; Translation: “sprout”; Notes: habitual present.
  21. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: locative; Translation: “in”; Notes: spatial marker.
  22. agris — Lemma: ager; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: object of in; Translation: “fields”; Notes: rural landscape setting.

 

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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