Exodus 15:22

Posted on March 6, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 15:22 Tulit autem Moyses Israel de mari rubro, et egressi sunt in desertum Sur: ambulaveruntque tribus diebus per solitudinem, et non inveniebant aquam.

But Moses led Israel from the Red Sea, and they went out into the desert of Shur; and they walked three days through the wilderness, and found no water.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Tulit led / took 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 autem however / but ADV
3 Moyses Moses NOUN.NOM.SG.M
4 Israel Israel NOUN.ACC.SG.M
5 de from PREP+ABL
6 mari sea NOUN.ABL.SG.N
7 rubro red ADJ.ABL.SG.N
8 et and CONJ
9 egressi having gone out PPP.NOM.PL.M
10 sunt they were 3PL.PRES.ACT.IND
11 in into PREP+ACC
12 desertum desert NOUN.ACC.SG.N
13 Sur Shur NOUN.ACC.SG.M/INDECL
14 ambulaveruntque and they walked 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND + -QUE
15 tribus three NUM.ABL.PL
16 diebus days NOUN.ABL.PL.M
17 per through PREP+ACC
18 solitudinem wilderness NOUN.ACC.SG.F
19 et and CONJ
20 non not ADV
21 inveniebant were finding 3PL.IMP.ACT.IND
22 aquam water NOUN.ACC.SG.F

Syntax

Main clause: Tulit autem Moyses Israel de mari rubro — perfect verb + contrastive adverb + nominative subject + direct object + ablative of separation.
Second clause: egressi sunt — perfect periphrastic passive; subject implied (Israel).
Locative phrase: in desertum Sur — motion into a place.
Third clause: ambulaveruntque tribus diebus per solitudinem — perfect verb with enclitic -que + ablative of time + prepositional phrase.
Final clause: et non inveniebant aquam — imperfect verb indicating continuous unsuccessful searching.

Morphology

  1. Tulit — Lemma: tollo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative third singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “led / took”; Notes: carries sense of leading onward.
  2. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: contrastive marker; Translation: “however / but”; Notes: shifts narrative point.
  3. Moyses — Lemma: Moyses; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “Moses”; Notes: leader of Israel.
  4. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object; Translation: “Israel”; Notes: the people collectively.
  5. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: motion from; Translation: “from”; Notes: expresses origin.
  6. mari — Lemma: mare; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: object of de; Translation: “sea”; Notes: refers to the Red Sea.
  7. rubro — Lemma: ruber; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: modifies mari; Translation: “red”; Notes: epithet distinguishing the location.
  8. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: clause link; Translation: “and”; Notes: simple connector.
  9. egressi — Lemma: egredior; Part of Speech: participle; Form: perfect passive participle nominative plural masculine; Function: with sunt to form perfect; Translation: “having gone out”; Notes: deponent in meaning.
  10. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative third plural; Function: auxiliary; Translation: “they were”; Notes: completes periphrasis.
  11. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: motion toward; Translation: “into”; Notes: spatial direction.
  12. desertum — Lemma: desertum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of in; Translation: “desert”; Notes: wilderness terrain.
  13. Sur — Lemma: Sur; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular; Function: locative identifier; Translation: “Shur”; Notes: indeclinable in Latin.
  14. ambulaveruntque — Lemma: ambulo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative third plural + enclitic -que; Function: main verb; Translation: “and they walked”; Notes: indicates completed journey time.
  15. tribus — Lemma: tres; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: ablative plural; Function: ablative of time; Translation: “three”; Notes: duration of travel.
  16. diebus — Lemma: dies; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: ablative of time; Translation: “days”; Notes: complements tribus.
  17. per — Lemma: per; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: spatial progress; Translation: “through”; Notes: expresses movement across territory.
  18. solitudinem — Lemma: solitudo; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of per; Translation: “wilderness”; Notes: describes barren terrain.
  19. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: links clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: connective.
  20. non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: negation; Translation: “not”; Notes: negates verb.
  21. inveniebant — Lemma: invenio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperfect active indicative third plural; Function: main verb; Translation: “were finding”; Notes: continuous attempt without success.
  22. aquam — Lemma: aqua; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object; Translation: “water”; Notes: essential resource missing.

 

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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