Exodus 15:10

Posted on March 6, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 15:10 Flavit spiritus tuus, et operuit eos mare: submersi sunt quasi plumbum in aquis vehementibus.

Your breath blew, and the sea covered them; they sank like lead in the mighty waters.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Flavit blew 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 spiritus breath NOUN.NOM.SG.M
3 tuus your ADJ.NOM.SG.M
4 et and CONJ
5 operuit covered 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
6 eos them PRON.ACC.PL.M
7 mare sea NOUN.NOM.SG.N
8 submersi sank PPP.NOM.PL.M
9 sunt they were 3PL.PRES.ACT.IND
10 quasi like ADV
11 plumbum lead NOUN.ACC.SG.N
12 in in PREP+ABL
13 aquis waters NOUN.ABL.PL.F
14 vehementibus mighty ADJ.ABL.PL.F

Syntax

Clause 1: Flavit spiritus tuus — perfect active verb + nominative subject + possessive adjective.
Clause 2: et operuit eos mare — perfect verb + direct object + nominative subject.
Clause 3: submersi sunt quasi plumbum — passive perfect construction + comparative adverb + comparison noun.
Locative phrase: in aquis vehementibus — ablative of location with adjective.

Morphology

  1. Flavit — Lemma: flo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative third singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “blew”; Notes: describes divine wind.
  2. spiritus — Lemma: spiritus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “breath”; Notes: metaphor of divine power.
  3. tuus — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: modifies spiritus; Translation: “your”; Notes: refers to the LORD.
  4. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: links clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: narrative continuation.
  5. operuit — Lemma: operio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative third singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “covered”; Notes: describes engulfing action.
  6. eos — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: direct object; Translation: “them”; Notes: refers to Egyptians.
  7. mare — Lemma: mare; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: subject; Translation: “sea”; Notes: the Red Sea waters.
  8. submersi — Lemma: submergo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: perfect passive participle nominative plural masculine; Function: predicate; Translation: “sunk”; Notes: agrees with implied subject.
  9. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative third plural; Function: auxiliary; Translation: “they were”; Notes: completes passive.
  10. quasi — Lemma: quasi; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces comparison; Translation: “like”; Notes: simile marker.
  11. plumbum — Lemma: plumbum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of comparison; Translation: “lead”; Notes: heavy sinking imagery.
  12. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: locative; Translation: “in”; Notes: introduces location.
  13. aquis — Lemma: aqua; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural feminine; Function: object of in; Translation: “waters”; Notes: refers to surrounding sea.
  14. vehementibus — Lemma: vehemens; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative plural feminine; Function: modifies aquis; Translation: “mighty”; Notes: denotes forcefulness.

 

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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