Exodus 14:24

Posted on March 5, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 14:24 Iamque advenerat vigilia matutina, et ecce respiciens Dominus super castra Ægyptiorum per columnam ignis et nubis, interfecit exercitum eorum:

And now the morning watch had arrived, and behold the LORD looking down upon the camp of the Egyptians through the column of fire and of cloud struck their army;

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Iamque and already ADV + ENCLITIC
2 advenerat had arrived 3SG.PLUP.ACT.IND
3 vigilia watch NOUN.NOM.SG.F
4 matutina morning ADJ.NOM.SG.F
5 et and CONJ
6 ecce behold INTERJ
7 respiciens looking down PTCP.PRES.ACT.NOM.SG.M
8 Dominus the LORD NOUN.NOM.SG.M
9 super upon PREP+ACC
10 castra camp NOUN.ACC.PL.N
11 Ægyptiorum of the Egyptians NOUN.GEN.PL.M
12 per through PREP+ACC
13 columnam column NOUN.ACC.SG.F
14 ignis of fire NOUN.GEN.SG.M
15 et and CONJ
16 nubis of cloud NOUN.GEN.SG.F
17 interfecit struck 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
18 exercitum army NOUN.ACC.SG.M
19 eorum of them PRON.GEN.PL

Syntax

Temporal frame: Iamque advenerat vigilia matutina — pluperfect verb with nominative subject phrase marking the time setting.
Exclamatory insertion: et ecce — narrative spotlight introducing divine action.
Divine action: respiciens Dominus super castra Ægyptiorum — present participle with nominative subject indicating ongoing perception.
Instrumental pathway: per columnam ignis et nubis — agency expressed through the theophanic pillar.
Main action: interfecit exercitum eorum — perfect verb with direct object and possessive genitive.

Morphology

  1. Iamque — Lemma: iam + -que; Part of Speech: adverb with enclitic; Form: indeclinable; Function: temporal marker; Translation: “and already”; Notes: enclitic -que joins this clause to the previous.
  2. advenerat — Lemma: advenio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: pluperfect active indicative third singular; Function: main temporal verb; Translation: “had arrived”; Notes: sets the time frame.
  3. vigilia — Lemma: vigilia; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject; Translation: “watch”; Notes: Roman military time division.
  4. matutina — Lemma: matutinus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: modifies vigilia; Translation: “morning”; Notes: defines the specific watch.
  5. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: connective; Translation: “and”; Notes: links narrative units.
  6. ecce — Lemma: ecce; Part of Speech: interjection; Form: indeclinable; Function: calls attention; Translation: “behold”; Notes: introduces divine intervention.
  7. respiciens — Lemma: respicio; Part of Speech: participle; Form: present active participle nominative singular masculine; Function: circumstantial modifier; Translation: “looking down”; Notes: ongoing divine perception.
  8. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “the LORD”; Notes: refers to YHWH (therefore translated “LORD”).
  9. super — Lemma: super; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: spatial relation; Translation: “upon”; Notes: viewing from above.
  10. castra — Lemma: castra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: object of super; Translation: “camp”; Notes: military encampment.
  11. Ægyptiorum — Lemma: Ægyptius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: possessive genitive; Translation: “of the Egyptians”; Notes: denotes ownership.
  12. per — Lemma: per; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses means; Translation: “through”; Notes: instrumentality.
  13. columnam — Lemma: columna; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of per; Translation: “column”; Notes: theophanic pillar.
  14. ignis — Lemma: ignis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: genitive of quality; Translation: “of fire”; Notes: part of dual pillar.
  15. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: connective; Translation: “and”; Notes: links ignis and nubis.
  16. nubis — Lemma: nubes; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: genitive of quality; Translation: “of cloud”; Notes: second component of the pillar.
  17. interfecit — Lemma: interficio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative third singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “struck”; Notes: decisive divine action.
  18. exercitum — Lemma: exercitus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object; Translation: “army”; Notes: Egyptian forces.
  19. eorum — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive plural; Function: possessive; Translation: “of them”; Notes: refers to the Egyptians.

 

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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