Exodus 12:32

Posted on March 3, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 12:32 Oves vestras et armenta assumite ut petieratis, et abeuntes benedicite mihi.

Take your sheep and your herds, as you had asked, and as you go, bless me.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Oves sheep ACC.PL.F
2 vestras your ACC.PL.F.ADJ
3 et and CONJ
4 armenta herds ACC.PL.N
5 assumite take 2PL.PRES.ACT.IMP
6 ut as CONJ
7 petieratis you had asked 2PL.PLUPERF.ACT.IND
8 et and CONJ
9 abeuntes going away NOM.PL.M.PRES.ACT.PPL
10 benedicite bless 2PL.PRES.ACT.IMP
11 mihi me DAT.SG.1ST.PRON

Syntax

Imperative clause:
Oves vestras et armenta assumite — “Take your sheep and your herds”
• Oves vestras = direct object
• armenta = coordinated direct object
• assumite = imperative verb

Comparative/affirming clause:
ut petieratis — “as you had asked”
• petieratis = pluperfect indicating prior request

Participial clause:
et abeuntes — “and as you go”
• circumstantial present participle

Final imperative:
benedicite mihi — “bless me”
• mihi = indirect object

Morphology

  1. Oves — Lemma: ovis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: direct object; Translation: “sheep”; Notes: refers to small livestock.
  2. vestras — Lemma: vester; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: modifies oves; Translation: “your”; Notes: indicates ownership.
  3. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: links objects; Translation: “and”; Notes: simple coordination.
  4. armenta — Lemma: armentum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: direct object; Translation: “herds”; Notes: refers to larger cattle.
  5. assumite — Lemma: assumo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperative present active second plural; Function: command; Translation: “take”; Notes: direct order from Pharaoh.
  6. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces comparative clause; Translation: “as”; Notes: not purposive here.
  7. petieratis — Lemma: peto; Part of Speech: verb; Form: pluperfect active indicative second plural; Function: indicates prior request; Translation: “you had asked”; Notes: Pharaoh acknowledges earlier negotiation.
  8. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: connects clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: adds participial instruction.
  9. abeuntes — Lemma: abeo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative plural masculine present active participle; Function: circumstantial modifier of vos; Translation: “going away”; Notes: describes concurrent action.
  10. benedicite — Lemma: benedico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperative present active second plural; Function: command; Translation: “bless”; Notes: Pharaoh seeks divine favor.
  11. mihi — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular; Function: indirect object; Translation: “me”; Notes: Pharaoh requests a blessing.

 

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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