Exodus 14:5

Posted on March 5, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 14:5 Et nunciatum est regi Ægyptiorum quod fugisset populus: immutatumque est cor Pharaonis et servorum eius super populo, et dixerunt: Quid voluimus facere ut dimitteremus Israel, ne serviret nobis?

And it was reported to the king of the Egyptians that the people had fled; and the heart of Pharaohand of his servants was changed regarding the people, and they said: “What have we wished to do, that we let Israel go, so that he might not serve us?”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Et and CONJ
2 nunciatum it was reported PART.PERF.PASS.NOM.SG.N
3 est was 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
4 regi to the king NOUN.DAT.SG.M
5 Ægyptiorum of the Egyptians NOUN.GEN.PL.M
6 quod that CONJ
7 fugisset had fled 3SG.PLUPERF.ACT.SUBJ
8 populus the people NOUN.NOM.SG.M
9 immutatumque and was changed PART.PERF.PASS.NOM.SG.N + ENCLITIC -QUE
10 est was 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
11 cor heart NOUN.NOM.SG.N
12 Pharaonis of Pharaoh NOUN.GEN.SG.M
13 et and CONJ
14 servorum of the servants NOUN.GEN.PL.M
15 eius his PRON.GEN.SG.M/N
16 super concerning PREP+ABL
17 populo the people NOUN.ABL.SG.M
18 et and CONJ
19 dixerunt they said 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
20 Quid what INTERROG.PRON.NOM/ACC.SG.N
21 voluimus have we wished 1PL.PERF.ACT.IND
22 facere to do INF.PRES.ACT
23 ut that CONJ
24 dimitteremus we let go 1PL.IMP.ACT.SUBJ
25 Israel Israel NOUN.ACC.SG.M (indeclinable)
26 ne lest CONJ
27 serviret might not serve 3SG.IMP.ACT.SUBJ
28 nobis us PRON.DAT.PL

Syntax

Opening clause: Et nunciatum est regi Ægyptiorum — impersonal passive with dative of recipient.
Content clause: quod fugisset populus — subjunctive in content clause after report.
Second clause: immutatumque est cor Pharaonis et servorum eius — passive perfect with compound subject.
Prepositional phrase: super populo — “concerning the people.”
Direct speech: Quid voluimus facere — rhetorical question.
Purpose clause: ut dimitteremus Israel — imperfect subjunctive for past purpose.
Negative clause: ne serviret nobis — “lest he might not serve us.”

Morphology

  1. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: connects clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: narrative continuation.
  2. nunciatum — Lemma: nuncio; Part of Speech: participle; Form: perfect passive participle nominative singular neuter; Function: impersonal passive; Translation: “it was reported”; Notes: used impersonally with est.
  3. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative third singular; Function: auxiliary; Translation: “was”; Notes: forms passive periphrasis.
  4. regi — Lemma: rex; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to the king”; Notes: recipient of report.
  5. Ægyptiorum — Lemma: Ægyptius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: dependent genitive; Translation: “of the Egyptians”; Notes: specifies kingdom.
  6. quod — Lemma: quod; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces content clause; Translation: “that”; Notes: standard in reported speech.
  7. fugisset — Lemma: fugio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: pluperfect active subjunctive third singular; Function: in content clause; Translation: “had fled”; Notes: subjunctive after verbs of reporting.
  8. populus — Lemma: populus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “the people”; Notes: Israel.
  9. immutatumque — Lemma: immuto; Part of Speech: participle; Form: perfect passive participle nominative singular neuter + enclitic -que; Function: predicate adjective; Translation: “and was changed”; Notes: describes emotional reversal.
  10. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative third singular; Function: auxiliary; Translation: “was”; Notes: completes passive.
  11. cor — Lemma: cor; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: subject; Translation: “heart”; Notes: figurative for will.
  12. Pharaonis — Lemma: Pharao; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: dependent genitive; Translation: “of Pharaoh”; Notes: identifies owner.
  13. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: coordination; Translation: “and”; Notes: links parallel nouns.
  14. servorum — Lemma: servus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: dependent genitive; Translation: “of the servants”; Notes: part of compound subject.
  15. eius — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive singular masculine/neuter; Function: possessive; Translation: “his”; Notes: refers to Pharaoh.
  16. super — Lemma: super; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: reference/topic; Translation: “concerning”; Notes: biblical Latin usage.
  17. populo — Lemma: populus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of super; Translation: “the people”; Notes: Israel.
  18. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: links verbs; Translation: “and”; Notes: continues narrative.
  19. dixerunt — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative third plural; Function: main verb of speech; Translation: “they said”; Notes: introduces direct words.
  20. Quid — Lemma: quis/quid; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: interrogative pronoun; Function: introduces question; Translation: “what”; Notes: rhetorical tone.
  21. voluimus — Lemma: volo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative first plural; Function: main verb of question; Translation: “have we wished”; Notes: expresses regret.
  22. facere — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active infinitive; Function: complementary infinitive; Translation: “to do”; Notes: completes voluimus.
  23. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces purpose clause; Translation: “that”; Notes: past purpose.
  24. dimitteremus — Lemma: dimitto; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperfect active subjunctive first plural; Function: verb of purpose clause; Translation: “we let go”; Notes: subjunctive for past intent.
  25. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular masculine (indeclinable); Function: direct object; Translation: “Israel”; Notes: Hebraism.
  26. ne — Lemma: ne; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: negative clause; Translation: “lest”; Notes: introduces negated purpose.
  27. serviret — Lemma: servio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperfect active subjunctive third singular; Function: verb of negative purpose; Translation: “might not serve”; Notes: refers to Israel’s former service.
  28. nobis — Lemma: nos; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative plural; Function: indirect object; Translation: “us”; Notes: refers to Egypt.

 

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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