Exodus 12:36

Posted on March 3, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 12:36 Dominus autem dedit gratiam populo coram Ægyptiis ut commodarent eis: et spoliaverunt Ægyptios.

But the LORD gave favor to the people in the sight of the Egyptians so that they lent to them, and they despoiled the Egyptians.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Dominus the LORD NOM.SG.M
2 autem but ADV/CONJ
3 dedit gave 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
4 gratiam favor ACC.SG.F
5 populo to the people DAT.SG.M
6 coram before PREP+ABL
7 Ægyptiis the Egyptians ABL.PL.M
8 ut so that CONJ
9 commodarent they might lend 3PL.IMPF.ACT.SUBJ
10 eis to them DAT.PL.PRON
11 et and CONJ
12 spoliaverunt they despoiled 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
13 Ægyptios the Egyptians ACC.PL.M

Syntax

Main clause:
Dominus autem dedit gratiam populo coram Ægyptiis — “But the LORD gave favor to the people before the Egyptians.”
• Dominus = subject
• dedit = verb
• gratiam = direct object
• populo = indirect object
• coram Ægyptiis = prepositional phrase indicating viewpoint

Purpose clause:
ut commodarent eis — “so that they might lend to them”
• commodarent = subjunctive verb of purpose
• eis = indirect object

Coordinated clause:
et spoliaverunt Ægyptios — “and they despoiled the Egyptians”
• spoliaverunt = verb
• Ægyptios = object

Morphology

  1. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “the LORD”; Notes: refers to YHWH.
  2. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: adversative particle; Form: indeclinable; Function: mild contrast; Translation: “but”; Notes: typical narrative connector.
  3. dedit — Lemma: do; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative third singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “gave”; Notes: decisive divine action.
  4. gratiam — Lemma: gratia; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object; Translation: “favor”; Notes: denotes goodwill.
  5. populo — Lemma: populus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to the people”; Notes: refers to Israel.
  6. coram — Lemma: coram; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses presence or sight; Translation: “before”; Notes: classical and biblical use.
  7. Ægyptiis — Lemma: Ægyptius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: object of coram; Translation: “the Egyptians”; Notes: indicates those perceiving Israel’s favor.
  8. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: introduces subjunctive purpose clause; Function: purpose marker; Translation: “so that”; Notes: standard Latin construction.
  9. commodarent — Lemma: commodo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperfect active subjunctive third plural; Function: verb of purpose clause; Translation: “they might lend”; Notes: subjunctive expresses intended result.
  10. eis — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative plural; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to them”; Notes: refers back to Israelites.
  11. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: links clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: joins final action.
  12. spoliaverunt — Lemma: spolio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative third plural; Function: main verb; Translation: “they despoiled”; Notes: indicates taking valuables.
  13. Ægyptios — Lemma: Ægyptius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: direct object; Translation: “the Egyptians”; Notes: emphasizes reversal of power.

 

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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