Exodus 14:22

Posted on March 5, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 14:22 Et ingressi sunt filii Israel per medium sicci maris: erat enim aqua quasi murus a dextra eorum et læva.

And the children of Israel entered through the midst of the dry sea, for the water was like a wall on their right side and on their left.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Et and CONJ
2 ingressi having entered PTCP.PERF.ACT.NOM.PL.M
3 sunt they 3PL.PRES.ACT.IND
4 filii sons NOUN.NOM.PL.M
5 Israel of Israel NOUN.GEN.SG
6 per through PREP+ACC
7 medium middle ADJ.ACC.SG.N
8 sicci dry ADJ.GEN.SG.M/N
9 maris of the sea NOUN.GEN.SG.N
10 erat was 3SG.IMP.ACT.IND
11 enim for ADV
12 aqua water NOUN.NOM.SG.F
13 quasi as if ADV
14 murus wall NOUN.NOM.SG.M
15 a from PREP+ABL
16 dextra right NOUN.ABL.SG.F
17 eorum of them PRON.GEN.PL
18 et and CONJ
19 læva left NOUN.ABL.SG.F

Syntax

Main clause: Et ingressi sunt filii Israel per medium sicci maris — perfect periphrastic construction (ingressi sunt) with subject phrase and prepositional extension.
Explanatory clause: erat enim aqua quasi murus — imperfect equative structure with quasi introducing comparison.
Spatial specification: a dextra eorum et læva — ablatives after preposition a, indicating position on both sides.

Morphology

  1. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: links clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: narrative continuation.
  2. ingressi — Lemma: ingredior; Part of Speech: participle (deponent); Form: perfect active participle nominative plural masculine; Function: part of periphrastic verb; Translation: “having entered”; Notes: deponent with active sense.
  3. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative third plural; Function: auxiliary verb; Translation: “they”; Notes: completes periphrastic perfect.
  4. filii — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “sons”; Notes: tribal designation.
  5. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular; Function: possessive modifier; Translation: “of Israel”; Notes: national identity.
  6. per — Lemma: per; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses movement through; Translation: “through”; Notes: marks passage.
  7. medium — Lemma: medius; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of per; Translation: “middle”; Notes: spatial reference.
  8. sicci — Lemma: siccus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: genitive singular masculine/neuter; Function: modifies maris; Translation: “dry”; Notes: describes condition of sea bed.
  9. maris — Lemma: mare; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter; Function: genitive dependent on sicci; Translation: “of the sea”; Notes: parted Red Sea.
  10. erat — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperfect active indicative third singular; Function: equative verb; Translation: “was”; Notes: describes ongoing state.
  11. enim — Lemma: enim; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: explanatory particle; Translation: “for”; Notes: provides rationale.
  12. aqua — Lemma: aqua; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject; Translation: “water”; Notes: parted waters.
  13. quasi — Lemma: quasi; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces comparison; Translation: “as if”; Notes: marks metaphorical relation.
  14. murus — Lemma: murus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: predicate nominative; Translation: “wall”; Notes: vertical water formation.
  15. a — Lemma: a/ab; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses position “from/by”; Translation: “from”; Notes: spatial marker.
  16. dextra — Lemma: dextra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of a; Translation: “right side”; Notes: right flank.
  17. eorum — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive plural; Function: possessive; Translation: “of them”; Notes: refers to Israel.
  18. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: joins parallel ablatives; Translation: “and”; Notes: symmetry.
  19. læva — Lemma: laeva; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of implicit a; Translation: “left side”; Notes: left flank.

 

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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