Exodus 15:4

Posted on March 6, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 15:4 Currus Pharaonis et exercitum eius proiecit in mare: electi principes eius submersi sunt in Mari rubro.

The chariots of Pharao and his army He cast into the sea; His chosen leaders were sunk in the Red Sea.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Currus chariots NOUN.NOM.PL.M
2 Pharaonis of Pharaoh NOUN.GEN.SG.M
3 et and CONJ
4 exercitum army NOUN.ACC.SG.M
5 eius his PRON.GEN.SG.M
6 proiecit cast 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
7 in into PREP+ACC
8 mare the sea NOUN.ACC.SG.N
9 electi chosen ADJ.NOM.PL.M
10 principes leaders NOUN.NOM.PL.M
11 eius his PRON.GEN.SG.M
12 submersi were sunk PPP.NOM.PL.M
13 sunt they were 3PL.PRES.ACT.IND
14 in in PREP+ABL
15 Mari in the Sea NOUN.ABL.SG.N
16 rubro Red ADJ.ABL.SG.N

Syntax

Main clause 1: Currus Pharaonis et exercitum eius proiecit in mare — subject + genitive modifier + direct object + verb + prepositional phrase of destination.
Main clause 2: electi principes eius submersi sunt in Mari rubro — nominative subject + genitive modifier + passive verb phrase + ablative of location.

Morphology

  1. Currus — Lemma: currus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “chariots”; Notes: subject of proiecit.
  2. Pharaonis — Lemma: Pharao; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessive modifier; Translation: “of Pharaoh”; Notes: identifies owner.
  3. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: connects nouns; Translation: “and”; Notes: joins subjects.
  4. exercitum — Lemma: exercitus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object; Translation: “army”; Notes: object of proiecit.
  5. eius — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessive descriptor; Translation: “his”; Notes: refers to Pharaoh.
  6. proiecit — Lemma: proicio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative third singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “cast”; Notes: describes divine action.
  7. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses motion toward; Translation: “into”; Notes: indicates destination.
  8. mare — Lemma: mare; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of in; Translation: “sea”; Notes: the Red Sea contextually.
  9. electi — Lemma: electus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: modifies principes; Translation: “chosen”; Notes: marks elite officers.
  10. principes — Lemma: princeps; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “leaders”; Notes: refers to commanders.
  11. eius — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessive; Translation: “his”; Notes: referring again to Pharaoh.
  12. submersi — Lemma: submergo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: perfect passive participle nominative plural masculine; Function: predicate of sunt; Translation: “sunk”; Notes: passive voice of destruction.
  13. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative third plural; Function: auxiliary; Translation: “they were”; Notes: completes passive construction.
  14. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: locative expression; Translation: “in”; Notes: indicates location.
  15. Mari — Lemma: mare; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: object of in; Translation: “Sea”; Notes: location within phrase.
  16. rubro — Lemma: ruber; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: modifies Mari; Translation: “Red”; Notes: specifies the Red Sea.

 

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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