Exodus 15:20

Posted on March 6, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 15:20 Sumpsit ergo Maria prophetissa, soror Aaron, tympanum in manu sua: egressæque sunt omnes mulieres post eam cum tympanis et choris,

Then Mary the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand, and all the women went out after her with timbrels and dances,

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Sumpsit took 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 ergo therefore ADV
3 Maria Mary NOUN.NOM.SG.F
4 prophetissa prophetess NOUN.NOM.SG.F
5 soror sister NOUN.NOM.SG.F
6 Aaron of Aaron NOUN.GEN.SG.M
7 tympanum timbrel NOUN.ACC.SG.N
8 in in PREP+ABL
9 manu hand NOUN.ABL.SG.F
10 sua her ADJ.ABL.SG.F
11 egressæque and went out PPP.NOM.PL.F + -QUE
12 sunt they were 3PL.PRES.ACT.IND
13 omnes all ADJ.NOM.PL.F
14 mulieres women NOUN.NOM.PL.F
15 post after PREP+ACC
16 eam her PRON.ACC.SG.F
17 cum with PREP+ABL
18 tympanis timbrels NOUN.ABL.PL.N
19 et and CONJ
20 choris dances NOUN.ABL.PL.M/F

Syntax

Main clause: Sumpsit ergo Maria prophetissa soror Aaron tympanum — verb + adverb + compound nominative subject + direct object.
Prepositional phrase: in manu sua — ablative of location.
Second clause: egressæque sunt omnes mulieres — periphrastic perfect passive; subject “omnes mulieres.”
Adverbial phrase: post eam — accusative of motion after.
Accompaniment phrase: cum tympanis et choris — ablative with cum.

Morphology

  1. Sumpsit — Lemma: sumo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative third singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “took”; Notes: introduces the action.
  2. ergo — Lemma: ergo; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: inferential marker; Translation: “therefore”; Notes: links to prior events.
  3. Maria — Lemma: Maria; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject; Translation: “Mary”; Notes: Miriam in Hebrew.
  4. prophetissa — Lemma: prophetissa; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: apposition to Maria; Translation: “prophetess”; Notes: title of office.
  5. soror — Lemma: soror; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: second apposition; Translation: “sister”; Notes: familial identifier.
  6. Aaron — Lemma: Aaron; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: genitive of relationship; Translation: “of Aaron”; Notes: Hebrew Aharon.
  7. tympanum — Lemma: tympanum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object; Translation: “timbrel”; Notes: ancient percussion instrument.
  8. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses location; Translation: “in”; Notes: standard spatial use.
  9. manu — Lemma: manus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of in; Translation: “hand”; Notes: indicates position.
  10. sua — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: modifies manu; Translation: “her”; Notes: reflexive to Maria.
  11. egressæque — Lemma: egredior; Part of Speech: participle + enclitic; Form: perfect passive participle nominative plural feminine; Function: with sunt; Translation: “and went out”; Notes: deponent verb, -que joins clauses.
  12. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative third plural; Function: auxiliary; Translation: “were”; Notes: completes periphrasis.
  13. omnes — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative plural feminine; Function: modifies mulieres; Translation: “all”; Notes: totality marker.
  14. mulieres — Lemma: mulier; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural feminine; Function: subject; Translation: “women”; Notes: refers to Israelite women.
  15. post — Lemma: post; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: indicates sequence; Translation: “after”; Notes: temporal/spatial.
  16. eam — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of post; Translation: “her”; Notes: refers to Mary.
  17. cum — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: accompaniment; Translation: “with”; Notes: musical procession context.
  18. tympanis — Lemma: tympanum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural neuter; Function: object of cum; Translation: “timbrels”; Notes: percussion instruments.
  19. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: links items; Translation: “and”; Notes: simple connector.
  20. choris — Lemma: chorus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural masculine/feminine; Function: object of cum; Translation: “dances”; Notes: celebratory movement.

 

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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