Exodus 14:2

Posted on March 5, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 14:2 Loquere filiis Israel: Reversi castrametentur e regione Phihahiroth quæ est inter Magdalum et mare contra Beelsephon: in conspectu eius castra ponetis super mare.

“Speak to the sons of Israel: Having turned back, they shall encamp opposite Phihahiroth, which is between Magdal and the sea, opposite Beelsephon; in its sight you shall pitch camp by the sea.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Loquere speak 2SG.PRES.DEP.IMP
2 filiis to the sons NOUN.DAT.PL.M
3 Israel Israel NOUN.GEN.SG.M (indeclinable)
4 Reversi having turned back PART.PERF.DEP.NOM.PL.M
5 castrametentur they shall encamp 3PL.FUT.DEP.IND
6 e from PREP+ABL
7 regione region NOUN.ABL.SG.F
8 Phihahiroth Pi-hahiroth NOUN.ABL.SG.F (indeclinable)
9 quæ which PRON.NOM.SG.F
10 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
11 inter between PREP+ACC
12 Magdalum Migdol NOUN.ACC.SG.M (indeclinable)
13 et and CONJ
14 mare sea NOUN.ACC.SG.N
15 contra opposite PREP+ACC
16 Beelsephon Baal-zephon NOUN.ACC.SG.M (indeclinable)
17 in in PREP+ABL
18 conspectu in the sight NOUN.ABL.SG.M
19 eius of it PRON.GEN.SG.M/N
20 castra camp NOUN.ACC.PL.N
21 ponetis you shall place 2PL.FUT.ACT.IND
22 super upon PREP+ACC
23 mare sea NOUN.ACC.SG.N

Syntax

Main directive: Loquere filiis Israel — imperative with dative of audience.
Subordinate instruction: Reversi castrametentur — perfect participle + future deponent indicating future encamping after turning back.
Locational details: e regione Phihahiroth — ablative of separation; inter Magdalum et mare — spatial relation; contra Beelsephon — opposite position.
Final command: in conspectu eius castra ponetis super mare — future plural verb addressing Israel collectively.

Morphology

  1. Loquere — Lemma: loquor; Part of Speech: deponent verb; Form: present imperative second singular; Function: command; Translation: “speak”; Notes: standard Mosaic commission formula.
  2. filiis — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative plural masculine; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to the sons”; Notes: collective term for the people.
  3. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular masculine (indeclinable); Function: dependent genitive; Translation: “of Israel”; Notes: Hebrew name used indeclinably in Latin.
  4. Reversi — Lemma: revertor; Part of Speech: deponent participle; Form: perfect participle nominative plural masculine; Function: circumstantial participle; Translation: “having turned back”; Notes: indicates prerequisite movement.
  5. castrametentur — Lemma: castrametor; Part of Speech: deponent verb; Form: future indicative third plural; Function: main verb of subordinate instruction; Translation: “they shall encamp”; Notes: term of military encampment.
  6. e — Lemma: e/ex; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses separation; Translation: “from”; Notes: indicates departure point.
  7. regione — Lemma: regio; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of e; Translation: “region”; Notes: geographic specification.
  8. Phihahiroth — Lemma: Phihahiroth; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: apposition to regione; Translation: “Pi-hahiroth”; Notes: indeclinable place-name.
  9. quæ — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: introduces relative clause; Translation: “which”; Notes: refers to Phihahiroth.
  10. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative third singular; Function: linking verb; Translation: “is”; Notes: states location.
  11. inter — Lemma: inter; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: indicates position between two points; Translation: “between”; Notes: spatial placement.
  12. Magdalum — Lemma: Magdalum; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of inter; Translation: “Migdol”; Notes: indeclinable place-name.
  13. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: coordination; Translation: “and”; Notes: joins the two objects of inter.
  14. mare — Lemma: mare; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: second object of inter; Translation: “sea”; Notes: the Red Sea region.
  15. contra — Lemma: contra; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses opposition/position; Translation: “against/opposite”; Notes: precise location marker.
  16. Beelsephon — Lemma: Beelsephon; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of contra; Translation: “Beelsephon”; Notes: Canaanite place or deity-title.
  17. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: locative phrase; Translation: “in”; Notes: introduces conspectu.
  18. conspectu — Lemma: conspectus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of in; Translation: “sight”; Notes: means “before / in view of.”
  19. eius — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive singular masculine/neuter; Function: possessive; Translation: “of it”; Notes: refers to Beelsephon.
  20. castra — Lemma: castra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: direct object of ponetis; Translation: “camp”; Notes: military styling common in Exodus.
  21. ponetis — Lemma: pono; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative second plural; Function: main verb (addressed to Israel); Translation: “you shall place”; Notes: command-like future.
  22. super — Lemma: super; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses position; Translation: “upon”; Notes: spatial emphasis.
  23. mare — Lemma: mare; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of super; Translation: “sea”; Notes: physical boundary of encampment.

 

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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