Exodus 15:27

Posted on March 6, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 15:27 Venerunt autem in Elim filii Israel, ubi erant duodecim fontes aquarum, et septuaginta palmæ: et castrametati sunt iuxta aquas.

The sons of Israel came into Elim, where there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees, and they camped beside the waters.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Venerunt they came 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
2 autem however ADV
3 in into PREP+ACC
4 Elim Elim PN.ACC.SG
5 filii sons NOM.PL.M
6 Israel Israel PN.GEN.SG
7 ubi where ADV
8 erant there were 3PL.IMP.ACT.IND
9 duodecim twelve NUM.INDECL
10 fontes springs NOUN.NOM.PL.M
11 aquarum of waters NOUN.GEN.PL.F
12 et and CONJ
13 septuaginta seventy NUM.INDECL
14 palmæ palms NOUN.NOM.PL.F
15 et and CONJ
16 castrametati they camped PERF.PASS.PTCP.NOM.PL.M
17 sunt they were 3PL.PRES.ACT.IND
18 iuxta beside PREP+ACC
19 aquas waters NOUN.ACC.PL.F

Syntax

Main clause: Venerunt autem in Elim filii Israel — basic S-V word order reversed for focus.
Relative/adverbial clause: ubi erant duodecim fontes aquarum et septuaginta palmæ — description of the oasis.
Final clause: et castrametati sunt iuxta aquas — resulting action upon arrival.

Morphology

  1. Venerunt — Lemma: venio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative third plural; Function: main verb; Translation: “they came”; Notes: inceptive arrival.
  2. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: connective; Translation: “however”; Notes: contrasts with previous location.
  3. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: direction; Translation: “into”; Notes: motion toward Elim.
  4. Elim — Lemma: Elim; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular; Function: object of in; Translation: “Elim”; Notes: oasis location.
  5. filii — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “sons”; Notes: collective Israel.
  6. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular; Function: genitive of possession; Translation: “of Israel”; Notes: patriarchal identification.
  7. ubi — Lemma: ubi; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces description; Translation: “where”; Notes: locative clause.
  8. erant — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperfect active indicative third plural; Function: existential; Translation: “there were”; Notes: scene setting.
  9. duodecim — Lemma: duodecim; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: indeclinable; Function: quantifier; Translation: “twelve”; Notes: symbolic number.
  10. fontes — Lemma: fons; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject complement; Translation: “springs”; Notes: natural water sources.
  11. aquarum — Lemma: aqua; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural feminine; Function: genitive of content; Translation: “of waters”; Notes: specifying type of springs.
  12. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: joins clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: addition.
  13. septuaginta — Lemma: septuaginta; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: indeclinable; Function: quantifier; Translation: “seventy”; Notes: abundance.
  14. palmæ — Lemma: palma; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural feminine; Function: subject complement; Translation: “palms”; Notes: oasis imagery.
  15. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: links final clause; Translation: “and”; Notes: sequential narrative.
  16. castrametati — Lemma: castrametor; Part of Speech: participle (deponent); Form: perfect participle nominative plural masculine; Function: predicate; Translation: “having camped”; Notes: Israel’s encampment.
  17. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative third plural; Function: auxiliary; Translation: “they are”; Notes: completes perfect of deponent.
  18. iuxta — Lemma: iuxta; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses proximity; Translation: “beside”; Notes: location marker.
  19. aquas — Lemma: aqua; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: object of iuxta; Translation: “waters”; Notes: encampment next to water supply.

 

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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