Exodus 14:16

Posted on March 5, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 14:16 Tu autem eleva virgam tuam, et extende manum tuam super mare, et divide illud: ut gradiantur filii Israel in medio mari per siccum.

But you, lift up your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea, and divide it, so that the sons of Israel may walk in the midst of the sea on dry ground.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Tu you PRON.NOM.SG
2 autem however / but ADV
3 eleva lift 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMPER
4 virgam rod NOUN.ACC.SG.F
5 tuam your ADJ.ACC.SG.F
6 et and CONJ
7 extende stretch out 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMPER
8 manum hand NOUN.ACC.SG.F
9 tuam your ADJ.ACC.SG.F
10 super over PREP+ACC
11 mare sea NOUN.ACC.SG.N
12 et and CONJ
13 divide divide 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMPER
14 illud it PRON.ACC.SG.N
15 ut so that CONJ
16 gradiantur they may walk 3PL.PRES.DEP.SUBJ
17 filii sons NOUN.NOM.PL.M
18 Israel Israel NOUN.GEN.SG.M (INDECL.)
19 in in PREP+ABL
20 medio midst ADJ.ABL.SG.N (USED SUBSTANTIVELY)
21 mari sea NOUN.ABL.SG.N
22 per through PREP+ACC
23 siccum dry ground ADJ.ACC.SG.N (USED SUBSTANTIVELY)

Syntax

Direct address: Tu autem — emphatic contrastive subject.
Imperatives: eleva… extende… divide — three coordinated divine commands.
Objects of imperatives: virgam tuam, manum tuam, illud.
Prepositional phrase: super mare — specifies target of Moses’ gesture.
Purpose clause: ut gradiantur filii Israel — introduces intended result.
Locative construction: in medio mari — describes miraculous pathway.
Path phrase: per siccum — “through dry ground,” expressing miraculous condition.

Morphology

  1. Tu — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative singular; Function: emphatic subject; Translation: “you”; Notes: contrast with Israel’s inaction.
  2. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: adversative connector; Translation: “but / however”; Notes: sets Moses apart for action.
  3. eleva — Lemma: elevo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present imperative active second singular; Function: command; Translation: “lift”; Notes: begins miracle sequence.
  4. virgam — Lemma: virga; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of eleva; Translation: “rod”; Notes: symbol of divine authority.
  5. tuam — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: modifies virgam; Translation: “your”; Notes: possessive emphasis.
  6. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: links commands; Translation: “and”; Notes: coordinates actions.
  7. extende — Lemma: extendo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present imperative active second singular; Function: command; Translation: “stretch out”; Notes: repeated instruction from earlier verses.
  8. manum — Lemma: manus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of extende; Translation: “hand”; Notes: instrument of divine act.
  9. tuam — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: modifies manum; Translation: “your”; Notes: reinforces agency.
  10. super — Lemma: super; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: indicates position over; Translation: “over”; Notes: sets spatial target.
  11. mare — Lemma: mare; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of super; Translation: “sea”; Notes: site of the miracle.
  12. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: links imperatives; Translation: “and”; Notes: continues instructions.
  13. divide — Lemma: divido; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present imperative active second singular; Function: command; Translation: “divide”; Notes: act of miraculous separation.
  14. illud — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object; Translation: “it”; Notes: refers to mare.
  15. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces purpose clause; Translation: “so that”; Notes: expresses divine intent.
  16. gradiantur — Lemma: gradior; Part of Speech: deponent verb; Form: present subjunctive third plural; Function: verb of purpose clause; Translation: “they may walk”; Notes: deponent with active sense.
  17. filii — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject of gradiantur; Translation: “sons”; Notes: collective Israel.
  18. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: indeclinable; Function: genitive of filii; Translation: “of Israel”; Notes: Hebraism.
  19. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: locative; Translation: “in”; Notes: indicates location.
  20. medio — Lemma: medius; Part of Speech: adjective (substantive); Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: object of in; Translation: “midst”; Notes: used substantively.
  21. mari — Lemma: mare; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: completes locative phrase; Translation: “sea”; Notes: supports spatial description.
  22. per — Lemma: per; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses motion through; Translation: “through”; Notes: directional pathway.
  23. siccum — Lemma: siccus; Part of Speech: adjective (substantive); Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of per; Translation: “dry ground”; Notes: emphasizes miraculous dryness.

 

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.