Exodus 15:24

Posted on March 6, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 15:24 Et murmuravit populus contra Moysen, dicens: Quid bibemus?

And the people murmured against Moyses, saying: “What shall we drink?”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Et and CONJ
2 murmuravit murmured 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
3 populus the people NOUN.NOM.SG.M
4 contra against PREP+ACC
5 Moysen Moses NOUN.ACC.SG.M
6 dicens saying PRES.ACT.PTCP.NOM.SG.M
7 Quid what PRON.ACC.SG.N
8 bibemus shall we drink 1PL.FUT.ACT.IND

Syntax

Main clause: Et murmuravit populus — conjunction + perfect verb + nominative subject.
Prepositional phrase: contra Moysen — expresses opposition.
Participle: dicens — introduces direct speech.
Question clause: Quid bibemus? — interrogative pronoun + future indicative.

Morphology

  1. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: links narrative; Translation: “and”; Notes: introduces new action.
  2. murmuravit — Lemma: murmuro; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative third singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “murmured”; Notes: expresses complaint.
  3. populus — Lemma: populus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “the people”; Notes: Israel as a collective group.
  4. contra — Lemma: contra; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses opposition; Translation: “against”; Notes: indicates hostility.
  5. Moysen — Lemma: Moyses; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of contra; Translation: “Moses”; Notes: leader being criticized.
  6. dicens — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: participle; Form: present active participle nominative singular masculine; Function: introduces direct speech; Translation: “saying”; Notes: refers back to populus.
  7. Quid — Lemma: quis; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: interrogative object; Translation: “what”; Notes: direct question marker.
  8. bibemus — Lemma: bibo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative first plural; Function: main verb of question; Translation: “shall we drink”; Notes: expresses concern for survival.

 

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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