Exodus 12:38

Posted on March 3, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 12:38 Sed et vulgus promiscuum innumerabile ascendit cum eis, oves et armenta et animantia diversi generis multa nimis.

But also a mixed crowd, innumerable, went up with them, and sheep and herds and living creatures of many kinds, exceedingly many.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Sed but CONJ
2 et also CONJ
3 vulgus crowd NOM.SG.N
4 promiscuum mixed NOM.SG.N.ADJ
5 innumerabile innumerable NOM.SG.N.ADJ
6 ascendit went up 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
7 cum with PREP+ABL
8 eis them ABL.PL.PRON
9 oves sheep NOM.PL.F
10 et and CONJ
11 armenta herds NOM.PL.N
12 et and CONJ
13 animantia living creatures NOM.PL.N
14 diversi of different GEN.SG.M/GEN.PL.M
15 generis kinds GEN.SG.N
16 multa many NOM.PL.N.ADJ
17 nimis exceedingly ADV

Syntax

Main clause:
Sed et vulgus promiscuum innumerabile ascendit cum eis — “But also a mixed crowd, innumerable, went up with them.”
• Sed et = connective contrast + addition
• vulgus = subject
• promiscuum innumerabile = adjectives modifying vulgus
• ascendit = verb
• cum eis = accompaniment phrase

Additional subjects:
oves et armenta et animantia — “sheep and herds and living creatures”
• Three coordinated nominative subjects

Genitive qualifier:
diversi generis — “of different kinds”
• Specifies variety of animantia

Adverbial modifier:
multa nimis — “very many / exceedingly many”

Morphology

  1. Sed — Lemma: sed; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: contrastive connector; Translation: “but”; Notes: introduces additional narrative detail.
  2. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: adds emphasis; Translation: “also”; Notes: strengthens addition.
  3. vulgus — Lemma: vulgus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: subject; Translation: “crowd”; Notes: denotes non-Israelite followers.
  4. promiscuum — Lemma: promiscuus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: modifies vulgus; Translation: “mixed”; Notes: suggests ethnic/social diversity.
  5. innumerabile — Lemma: innumerabilis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: modifies vulgus; Translation: “innumerable”; Notes: hyperbolic for massive number.
  6. ascendit — Lemma: ascendo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative third singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “went up”; Notes: perfect narrative action.
  7. cum — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses accompaniment; Translation: “with”; Notes: standard use.
  8. eis — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: ablative plural; Function: object of cum; Translation: “them”; Notes: refers to Israelites.
  9. oves — Lemma: ovis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural feminine; Function: coordinated subject; Translation: “sheep”; Notes: livestock.
  10. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: coordination; Translation: “and”; Notes: joins subjects.
  11. armenta — Lemma: armentum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural neuter; Function: coordinated subject; Translation: “herds”; Notes: typically cattle.
  12. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: coordination; Translation: “and”; Notes: links further items.
  13. animantia — Lemma: animal/animans; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural neuter; Function: coordinated subject; Translation: “living creatures”; Notes: broad category of animals.
  14. diversi — Lemma: diversus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: genitive singular masculine or genitive plural masculine (here genitive singular agreeing with generis); Function: modifies generis; Translation: “of different”; Notes: expresses diversity.
  15. generis — Lemma: genus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter; Function: genitive of quality; Translation: “of kind”; Notes: denotes types/species.
  16. multa — Lemma: multus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative plural neuter; Function: predicate adjective; Translation: “many”; Notes: describes quantity of animals.
  17. nimis — Lemma: nimis; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: intensifier; Translation: “exceedingly”; Notes: heightens emphasis.

 

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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