Exodus 15:16

Posted on March 6, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 15:16 Irruat super eos formido et pavor, in magnitudine brachii tui: fiant immobiles quasi lapis, donec pertranseat populus tuus Domine, donec pertranseat populus tuus iste, quem possedisti.

Let fear and dread rush upon them, in the greatness of Your arm; let them become motionless like a stone, until Your people pass through, O LORD, until this people of Yours passes through, whom You have possessed.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Irruat may rush 3SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
2 super upon PREP+ACC
3 eos them PRON.ACC.PL.M
4 formido fear NOUN.NOM.SG.F
5 et and CONJ
6 pavor dread NOUN.NOM.SG.M
7 in in PREP+ABL
8 magnitudine greatness NOUN.ABL.SG.F
9 brachii of the arm NOUN.GEN.SG.N
10 tui your ADJ.GEN.SG.N
11 fiant may become 3PL.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
12 immobiles motionless ADJ.NOM.PL.M
13 quasi as if ADV
14 lapis stone NOUN.NOM.SG.M
15 donec until CONJ
16 pertranseat passes through 3SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
17 populus people NOUN.NOM.SG.M
18 tuus your ADJ.NOM.SG.M
19 Domine O LORD NOUN.VOC.SG.M
20 donec until CONJ
21 pertranseat passes through 3SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
22 populus people NOUN.NOM.SG.M
23 tuus your ADJ.NOM.SG.M
24 iste this PRON.NOM.SG.M
25 quem whom REL.PRON.ACC.SG.M
26 possedisti you have possessed 2SG.PERF.ACT.IND

Syntax

Jussive clause 1: Irruat super eos formido et pavor — subjunctive expressing invocation; prepositional phrase + compound subject.
Instrumental phrase: in magnitudine brachii tui — ablative expressing power/agency.
Jussive clause 2: fiant immobiles quasi lapis — subjunctive + predicate adjective + comparative phrase.
Temporal clauses: donec pertranseat populus tuus Domine and repeated donec pertranseat populus tuus iste — subjunctive required by “donec” of expectation.
Relative clause: quem possedisti — relative pronoun + perfect verb indicating divine ownership.

Morphology

  1. Irruat — Lemma: irruo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active subjunctive third singular; Function: jussive verb; Translation: “may rush”; Notes: expresses invocation for divine terror.
  2. super — Lemma: super; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: direction towards object; Translation: “upon”; Notes: intensifies overwhelming fear.
  3. eos — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object of super; Translation: “them”; Notes: refers to hostile nations.
  4. formido — Lemma: formido; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject; Translation: “fear”; Notes: part of compound subject.
  5. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: joins subjects; Translation: “and”; Notes: simple connective.
  6. pavor — Lemma: pavor; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “dread”; Notes: heightened fear.
  7. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces ablative of instrument/agency; Translation: “in”; Notes: refers to magnitude of divine strength.
  8. magnitudine — Lemma: magnitudo; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: ablative of means; Translation: “greatness”; Notes: power being exercised.
  9. brachii — Lemma: brachium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter; Function: genitive of possession; Translation: “of the arm”; Notes: symbolic of divine might.
  10. tui — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: genitive singular neuter; Function: modifies brachii; Translation: “your”; Notes: refers to YHWH.
  11. fiant — Lemma: fio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active subjunctive third plural; Function: jussive verb; Translation: “may become”; Notes: expresses desired outcome.
  12. immobiles — Lemma: immobilis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: predicate complement; Translation: “motionless”; Notes: paralysis from divine terror.
  13. quasi — Lemma: quasi; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: comparative marker; Translation: “as if”; Notes: introduces simile.
  14. lapis — Lemma: lapis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: complement of comparison; Translation: “stone”; Notes: imagery of total immobility.
  15. donec — Lemma: donec; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces temporal clause; Translation: “until”; Notes: takes subjunctive.
  16. pertranseat — Lemma: pertranseo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active subjunctive third singular; Function: verb of temporal clause; Translation: “passes through”; Notes: expected future action.
  17. populus — Lemma: populus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “people”; Notes: Yisraʾel.
  18. tuus — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: modifies populus; Translation: “your”; Notes: indicates divine possession.
  19. Domine — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: vocative singular masculine; Function: direct address; Translation: “O LORD”; Notes: reverent invocation.
  20. donec — Lemma: donec; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces second temporal clause; Translation: “until”; Notes: parallel to previous clause.
  21. pertranseat — Lemma: pertranseo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active subjunctive third singular; Function: main verb of second temporal clause; Translation: “passes through”; Notes: repetition adds emphasis.
  22. populus — Lemma: populus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “people”; Notes: identical subject restated.
  23. tuus — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: modifier; Translation: “your”; Notes: divine ownership.
  24. iste — Lemma: iste; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: demonstrative modifier; Translation: “this”; Notes: reinforces immediacy.
  25. quem — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of possedisti; Translation: “whom”; Notes: introduces relative clause.
  26. possedisti — Lemma: possideo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative second singular; Function: main verb of clause; Translation: “you have possessed”; Notes: denotes covenantal ownership.

 

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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