Exodus 14:15

Posted on March 5, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 14:15 Dixitque Dominus ad Moysen: Quid clamas ad me? Loquere filiis Israel ut proficiscantur.

And the LORD said to Moyses: “Why do you cry to Me? Speak to the sons of Israel, that they may set out.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Dixitque and said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND + CONJ
2 Dominus the LORD NOUN.NOM.SG.M
3 ad to PREP+ACC
4 Moysen Moses NOUN.ACC.SG.M
5 Quid why INTERROG.PRON.ACC.SG.N
6 clamas do you cry 2SG.PRES.ACT.IND
7 ad to PREP+ACC
8 me me PRON.ACC.SG
9 Loquere speak 2SG.PRES.DEP.IMPER
10 filiis to the sons NOUN.DAT.PL.M
11 Israel Israel NOUN.GEN.SG.M (indeclinable Hebraism)
12 ut that CONJ
13 proficiscantur they may set out 3PL.PRES.DEP.SUBJ

Syntax

Main clause: Dixitque Dominus ad Moysen — narrative reporting formula.
Direct question: Quid clamas ad me? — interrogative pronoun + present indicative.
Imperative: Loquere filiis Israel — deponent imperative directed to Moses.
Purpose clause: ut proficiscantur — ut + subjunctive expressing intended action of Israel.

Morphology

  1. Dixitque — Lemma: dico + que; Part of Speech: verb + enclitic conjunction; Form: perfect active indicative third singular; Function: main narrative verb with connective; Translation: “and said”; Notes: -que attaches to the verb.
  2. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “the LORD”; Notes: refers to YHWH.
  3. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces addressee; Translation: “to”; Notes: directional preposition.
  4. Moysen — Lemma: Moyses; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of ad; Translation: “Moses”; Notes: Latinized form of Moshe.
  5. Quid — Lemma: quis/quid; Part of Speech: interrogative pronoun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: interrogative meaning “why”; Translation: “why”; Notes: idiomatic use.
  6. clamas — Lemma: clamo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative second singular; Function: main verb of question; Translation: “you cry”; Notes: expresses appeal or desperation.
  7. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: shows direction of plea; Translation: “to”; Notes: expresses endpoint of crying.
  8. me — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular; Function: object of ad; Translation: “me”; Notes: refers to the LORD.
  9. Loquere — Lemma: loquor; Part of Speech: deponent verb; Form: present imperative second singular; Function: command; Translation: “speak”; Notes: deponent imperative with active sense.
  10. filiis — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative plural masculine; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to the sons”; Notes: dative of reference.
  11. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: indeclinable (Hebrew origin); Function: genitive of filiis; Translation: “of Israel”; Notes: treated as genitive despite indeclinability.
  12. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces purpose clause; Translation: “that”; Notes: governs subjunctive.
  13. proficiscantur — Lemma: proficiscor; Part of Speech: deponent verb; Form: present subjunctive third plural; Function: verb of purpose clause; Translation: “they may set out”; Notes: deponent morphology with active meaning.

 

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.
This entry was posted in Exodus. Bookmark the permalink.

Comments are closed.