Exodus 10:7

Posted on March 1, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 10:7 Dixerunt autem servi Pharaonis ad eum: Usquequo patiemur hoc scandalum: dimitte homines, ut sacrificent Domino Deo suo. nonne vides quod perierit Ægyptus?

And the servants of Pharao said to him: “Until when shall we endure this scandal? Send the men, so that they may sacrifice to the LORD their God. Do you not see that Egypt has perished?”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Dixerunt they said 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
2 autem however ADV.CONJ
3 servi servants NOM.PL.M
4 Pharaonis of Pharaoh GEN.SG.M
5 ad to PREP+ACC
6 eum him ACC.SG.M.PRON
7 Usquequo until when ADV.INTERROG
8 patiemur shall we endure 1PL.FUT.ACT.IND
9 hoc this ACC.SG.N.DEM
10 scandalum scandal ACC.SG.N
11 dimitte send forth 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP
12 homines men ACC.PL.M
13 ut so that CONJ.PURPOSE
14 sacrificent they may sacrifice 3PL.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
15 Domino to the LORD DAT.SG.M
16 Deo to God DAT.SG.M
17 suo their ABL.SG.M.POSS
18 nonne do you not? ADV.INTERROG
19 vides you see 2SG.PRES.ACT.IND
20 quod that CONJ
21 perierit has perished 3SG.PERF.ACT.SUBJ
22 Ægyptus Egypt NOM.SG.F

Syntax

Main Clause:
Dixerunt autem servi Pharaonis ad eum — “And the servants of Pharaoh said to him.”
Subject: servi Pharaonis
Verb: Dixerunt
Indirect object: ad eum

Direct Question:
Usquequo patiemur hoc scandalum — “Until when shall we endure this scandal?”
Usquequo introduces an impatience question.
patiemur = future indicative, first plural.

Imperative Command:
dimitte homines — “send the men.”
Direct object: homines.

Purpose Clause:
ut sacrificent Domino Deo suo — “so that they may sacrifice to the LORD their God.”
ut + subjunctive sacrificent.

Rhetorical Question:
nonne vides quod perierit Ægyptus — “Do you not see that Egypt has perished?”
quod introduces a clause of fact.

Morphology

  1. Dixerunt — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative, third plural; Function: main verb; Translation: “they said”; Notes: perfect used for narrative action.
  2. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: adverb/conjunction; Form: postpositive; Function: adds contrastive nuance; Translation: “however”; Notes: cannot stand first in sentence.
  3. servi — Lemma: servus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject of Dixerunt; Translation: “servants”; Notes: royal court attendants.
  4. Pharaonis — Lemma: Pharao; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessive genitive; Translation: “of Pharaoh”; Notes: modifies servi.
  5. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: marks indirect object; Translation: “to”; Notes: directional.
  6. eum — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of ad; Translation: “him”; Notes: refers to Pharaoh.
  7. Usquequo — Lemma: usque + quo; Part of Speech: interrogative adverb; Form: compound; Function: introduces direct question; Translation: “until when”; Notes: expresses impatience.
  8. patiemur — Lemma: patior; Part of Speech: verb (deponent); Form: future indicative active in meaning, first plural; Function: main verb of question; Translation: “we shall endure”; Notes: deponent but active in sense.
  9. hoc — Lemma: hic; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of patiemur; Translation: “this”; Notes: refers to the plagues.
  10. scandalum — Lemma: scandalum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: internal object; Translation: “scandal”; Notes: sense: “ruin, disaster.”
  11. dimitte — Lemma: dimitto; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperative present active, second singular; Function: command to Pharaoh; Translation: “send forth”; Notes: urgent tone.
  12. homines — Lemma: homo; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: direct object of dimitte; Translation: “men”; Notes: refers to Israelite males for sacrifice.
  13. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: introduces purpose clause; Function: expresses purpose; Translation: “so that”; Notes: standard ut + subjunctive.
  14. sacrificent — Lemma: sacrifico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active subjunctive, third plural; Function: verb of purpose clause; Translation: “they may sacrifice”; Notes: to the LORD (YHWH).
  15. Domino — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to the LORD”; Notes: refers to YHWH.
  16. Deo — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: indirect object in hendiadys; Translation: “to God”; Notes: in parallel with Domino.
  17. suo — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: modifies Deo; Translation: “their”; Notes: reflexive to homines.
  18. nonne — Lemma: nonne; Part of Speech: interrogative adverb; Form: rhetorical question marker; Function: expects “yes”; Translation: “do you not?”; Notes: emphasizes urgency.
  19. vides — Lemma: video; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative, second singular; Function: direct question; Translation: “you see”; Notes: addressed to Pharaoh.
  20. quod — Lemma: quod; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: neuter indeclinable; Function: introduces clause of fact; Translation: “that”; Notes: often introduces indirect discourse.
  21. perierit — Lemma: pereo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect subjunctive active, third singular; Function: verb of subordinate clause; Translation: “has perished”; Notes: perfect subjunctive used after quod in Vulgate style.
  22. Ægyptus — Lemma: Ægyptus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject of perierit; Translation: “Egypt”; Notes: nation personified.

 

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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