Exodus 12:12

Posted on March 3, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 12:12 Et transibo per Terram Ægypti nocte illa, percutiamque omne primogenitum in Terra Ægypti ab homine usque ad pecus: et in cunctis diis Ægypti faciam iudicia, ego Dominus.

And I shall pass through the Land of Egypt on that night, and I shall strike every firstborn in the Land of Egypt, from man to beast; and on all the gods of Egypt I shall execute judgments, I, the LORD.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Et and CONJ
2 transibo I shall pass through 1SG.FUT.ACT.IND
3 per through PREP+ACC
4 Terram land ACC.SG.F
5 Ægypti of Egypt GEN.SG.F
6 nocte night ABL.SG.F
7 illa that ABL.SG.F.DEM
8 percutiamque and I shall strike 1SG.FUT.ACT.IND + ENCLITIC -QUE
9 omne every ACC.SG.N
10 primogenitum firstborn ACC.SG.N
11 in in PREP+ABL
12 Terra land ABL.SG.F
13 Ægypti of Egypt GEN.SG.F
14 ab from PREP+ABL
15 homine man ABL.SG.M
16 usque up to PREP+ACC
17 ad to PREPOSITION
18 pecus beast ACC.SG.N
19 et and CONJ
20 in on PREP+ABL
21 cunctis all ABL.PL.M
22 diis gods ABL.PL.M
23 Ægypti of Egypt GEN.SG.F
24 faciam I shall do / make 1SG.FUT.ACT.IND
25 iudicia judgments ACC.PL.N
26 ego I NOM.SG.PRON
27 Dominus the LORD NOM.SG.M

Syntax

Clause 1: transibo per Terram Ægypti nocte illa — “I shall pass through the land of Egypt on that night.”
• transibo = main verb
• per Terram Ægypti = prepositional phrase (extent/location)
• nocte illa = ablative of time

Clause 2 (linked by -que): percutiamque omne primogenitum — “and I shall strike every firstborn.”
• Object = omne primogenitum
• Location expressed again with in Terra Ægypti
• Range: ab homine usque ad pecus — “from man to beast”

Judicial Clause: et in cunctis diis Ægypti faciam iudicia — “and on all the gods of Egypt I shall execute judgments.”
• faciam = verb expressing judicial punishment
• in cunctis diis Ægypti = dative/ablative of agency or target

Final Emphatic Closure: ego Dominus — “I, the LORD,” asserting divine authority.

Morphology

  1. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: connects clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: marks continuation of prophecy.
  2. transibo — Lemma: trans-eo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative first singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “I shall pass through”; Notes: divine action.
  3. per — Lemma: per; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses movement through; Translation: “through”; Notes: spatial marker.
  4. Terram — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of per; Translation: “land”; Notes: geographical emphasis.
  5. Ægypti — Lemma: Ægyptus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular; Function: dependent genitive; Translation: “of Egypt”; Notes: modifies “land.”
  6. nocte — Lemma: nox; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular; Function: ablative of time; Translation: “night”; Notes: indicates timing of judgment.
  7. illa — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: demonstrative; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: modifies nocte; Translation: “that”; Notes: refers to a specific, appointed night.
  8. percutiamque — Lemma: per-cutio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative first singular with enclitic -que; Function: main verb; Translation: “and I shall strike”; Notes: expresses divine smiting.
  9. omne — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: modifies primogenitum; Translation: “every”; Notes: universal scope.
  10. primogenitum — Lemma: primogenitus; Part of Speech: noun/adj.; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object; Translation: “firstborn”; Notes: applies to humans and animals.
  11. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: marks location; Translation: “in”; Notes: local reference.
  12. Terra — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular; Function: object of in; Translation: “land”; Notes: location repeated for emphasis.
  13. Ægypti — Lemma: Ægyptus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular; Function: modifies Terra; Translation: “of Egypt”; Notes: reinforces geographic limitation.
  14. ab — Lemma: ab; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: starting point of range; Translation: “from”; Notes: introduces extent.
  15. homine — Lemma: homo; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: beginning of range; Translation: “man”; Notes: refers to humans.
  16. usque — Lemma: usque; Part of Speech: preposition/adverb; Form: governs accusative; Function: extent marker; Translation: “up to”; Notes: marks continuation.
  17. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: indicates terminus; Translation: “to”; Notes: completes range statement.
  18. pecus — Lemma: pecus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: end of range; Translation: “beast”; Notes: domestic animals.
  19. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces new clause; Translation: “and”; Notes: additive.
  20. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: marks target; Translation: “on”; Notes: indicates object of judgment.
  21. cunctis — Lemma: cunctus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: modifies diis; Translation: “all”; Notes: comprehensive inclusion.
  22. diis — Lemma: deus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: object of in; Translation: “gods”; Notes: refers to Egyptian deities.
  23. Ægypti — Lemma: Ægyptus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular; Function: modifies diis; Translation: “of Egypt”; Notes: specifies deity domain.
  24. faciam — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative first singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “I shall execute / make”; Notes: judicial action.
  25. iudicia — Lemma: iudicium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: direct object; Translation: “judgments”; Notes: divine punishments.
  26. ego — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative singular; Function: emphatic subject; Translation: “I”; Notes: personal divine assertion.
  27. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: predicate apposition; Translation: “the LORD”; Notes: refers to YHWH and asserts divine authority.

 

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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