Exodus 14:27

Posted on March 5, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 14:27 Cumque extendisset Moyses manum contra mare, reversum est primo diluculo ad priorem locum: fugientibusque Ægyptiis occurrerunt aquæ, et involvit eos Dominus in mediis fluctibus.

And when Moyses had extended his hand toward the sea it returned at first dawn to its former place and with the Egyptians fleeing the waters met them and the LORD enveloped them in the midst of the waves.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Cumque and when CONJ + ENCLITIC
2 extendisset had extended 3SG.PLUP.ACT.SUBJ
3 Moyses Moses NOUN.NOM.SG.M
4 manum hand NOUN.ACC.SG.F
5 contra toward PREP+ACC
6 mare sea NOUN.ACC.SG.N
7 reversum returned PTCP.PERF.PASS.NOM.SG.N
8 est was 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
9 primo at first ADJ.ABL.SG.M
10 diluculo dawn NOUN.ABL.SG.N
11 ad to PREP+ACC
12 priorem former ADJ.ACC.SG.M/F
13 locum place NOUN.ACC.SG.M
14 fugientibusque and as they were fleeing PTCP.PRES.ACT.ABL.PL.M + ENCLITIC
15 Ægyptiis the Egyptians NOUN.ABL.PL.M
16 occurrerunt met 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
17 aquæ waves / waters NOUN.NOM.PL.F
18 et and CONJ
19 involvit enveloped 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
20 eos them PRON.ACC.PL
21 Dominus the LORD NOUN.NOM.SG.M
22 in in PREP+ABL
23 mediis midst ADJ.ABL.PL.M/N
24 fluctibus waves NOUN.ABL.PL.M

Syntax

Temporal frame: Cumque extendisset Moyses manum contra mare — circumstantial cum-clause with pluperfect subjunctive.
Main action: reversum est primo diluculo ad priorem locum — perfect passive periphrastic indicating return of the waters.
Secondary circumstance: fugientibusque Ægyptiis — ablative absolute describing simultaneous flight.
Resulting action: occurrerunt aquæ — perfect verb with nominative subject.
Final divine act: et involvit eos Dominus — perfect verb with object and subject.
Location phrase: in mediis fluctibus — ablative of place where.

Morphology

  1. Cumque — Lemma: cum + -que; Part of Speech: conjunction with enclitic; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces temporal clause; Translation: “and when”; Notes: -que links with previous narrative flow.
  2. extendisset — Lemma: extendo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: pluperfect active subjunctive third singular; Function: verb of circumstantial cum-clause; Translation: “had extended”; Notes: prior action.
  3. Moyses — Lemma: Moyses; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “Moses”; Notes: proper name.
  4. manum — Lemma: manus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object; Translation: “hand”; Notes: raised in gesture of command.
  5. contra — Lemma: contra; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: direction toward; Translation: “toward”; Notes: confrontational orientation.
  6. mare — Lemma: mare; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of contra; Translation: “sea”; Notes: the Red Sea.
  7. reversum — Lemma: revertor; Part of Speech: participle; Form: perfect passive participle nominative singular neuter; Function: predicate with est; Translation: “returned”; Notes: neuter agrees with implied mare.
  8. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative third singular; Function: auxiliary with participle; Translation: “was”; Notes: completes periphrasis.
  9. primo — Lemma: primus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: modifies diluculo; Translation: “at first”; Notes: temporal specification.
  10. diluculo — Lemma: diluculum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: ablative of time; Translation: “dawn”; Notes: earliest light.
  11. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: direction; Translation: “to”; Notes: motion toward place.
  12. priorem — Lemma: prior; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular masculine/feminine; Function: modifies locum; Translation: “former”; Notes: original position.
  13. locum — Lemma: locus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of ad; Translation: “place”; Notes: previous location.
  14. fugientibusque — Lemma: fugio + -que; Part of Speech: participle with enclitic; Form: present active participle ablative plural masculine; Function: ablative absolute; Translation: “and as they were fleeing”; Notes: describes simultaneous action.
  15. Ægyptiis — Lemma: Ægyptius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: ablative absolute; Translation: “the Egyptians”; Notes: the fleeing subjects.
  16. occurrerunt — Lemma: occurro; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative third plural; Function: main verb; Translation: “met”; Notes: waters collide with Egyptians.
  17. aquæ — Lemma: aqua; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural feminine; Function: subject of occurrerunt; Translation: “waters”; Notes: returning sea.
  18. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: connects actions; Translation: “and”; Notes: sequential narrative.
  19. involvit — Lemma: involvo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative third singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “enveloped”; Notes: describes engulfing.
  20. eos — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative plural; Function: direct object; Translation: “them”; Notes: Egyptians.
  21. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “the LORD”; Notes: refers to YHWH.
  22. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: location; Translation: “in”; Notes: place where.
  23. mediis — Lemma: medius; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative plural masculine/neuter; Function: modifies fluctibus; Translation: “midst”; Notes: interior space.
  24. fluctibus — Lemma: fluctus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: object of in; Translation: “waves”; Notes: sea waves closing in.

 

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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