Exodus 16:3

Posted on March 7, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 16:3 Dixeruntque filii Israel ad eos: Utinam mortui essemus per manum Domini in Terra Ægypti, quando sedebamus super ollas carnium, et comedebamus panem in saturitate: cur eduxistis nos in desertum istud, ut occideretis omnem multitudinem fame?

And the sons of Israel said to them: “Would that we had died by the hand of the LORD in the Land of Egypt, when we sat over the pots of meat and ate bread to fullness. Why have you brought us out into this wilderness, that you might kill all the multitude with famine?”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Dixeruntque and they said 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND + ENCLITIC
2 filii sons NOM.PL.M
3 Israel Israel NOM.SG.INDECL
4 ad to PREP+ACC
5 eos them ACC.PL.M
6 Utinam would that ADV
7 mortui dead NOM.PL.M.PTCP
8 essemus we were 1PL.IMPERF.ACT.SUBJ
9 per by PREP+ACC
10 manum hand ACC.SG.F
11 Domini of the LORD GEN.SG.M
12 in in PREP+ABL
13 Terra land ABL.SG.F
14 Ægypti of Egypt GEN.SG.F
15 quando when CONJ
16 sedebamus we sat 1PL.IMPERF.ACT.IND
17 super over PREP+ACC
18 ollas pots ACC.PL.F
19 carnium of meat GEN.PL.F
20 et and CONJ
21 comedebamus we ate 1PL.IMPERF.ACT.IND
22 panem bread ACC.SG.M
23 in in PREP+ABL
24 saturitate fullness ABL.SG.F
25 cur why ADV
26 eduxistis you brought out 2PL.PERF.ACT.IND
27 nos us ACC.PL.M/F
28 in into PREP+ACC
29 desertum wilderness ACC.SG.N
30 istud this ACC.SG.N
31 ut that CONJ
32 occideretis you might kill 2PL.IMPERF.ACT.SUBJ
33 omnem all ACC.SG.F
34 multitudinem multitude ACC.SG.F
35 fame with hunger / famine ABL.SG.F

Syntax

Main clause: Dixeruntque filii Israel ad eos
Subject: filii Israel
Verb: Dixerunt
Indirect object: ad eos

Optative clause: Utinam mortui essemus per manum Domini — expresses a wish contrary to fact.

Temporal clause: quando sedebamus super ollas carnium et comedebamus panem in saturitate

Interrogative clause: cur eduxistis nos in desertum istud

Final clause: ut occideretis omnem multitudinem fame — indicates intended (or feared) result.

Morphology

  1. Dixeruntque — Lemma: dico + -que; Part of Speech: verb + enclitic; Form: third person plural perfect active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: “and they said”; Notes: -que adds connective force.
  2. filii — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “sons”; Notes: plural of lineage.
  3. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: noun; Form: indeclinable nominative; Function: modifies filii; Translation: “Israel”; Notes: ethnic identifier.
  4. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: indirect object marker; Translation: “to”; Notes: expresses direction toward persons.
  5. eos — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: indirect object; Translation: “them”; Notes: refers to Moses and Aaron.
  6. Utinam — Lemma: utinam; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: optative marker; Function: introduces wish; Translation: “would that”; Notes: governs subjunctive.
  7. mortui — Lemma: morior; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative plural masculine perfect participle; Function: predicate adjective; Translation: “dead”; Notes: deponent verb form.
  8. essemus — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: first person plural imperfect subjunctive; Function: verb of optative clause; Translation: “we were”; Notes: irrealis mood.
  9. per — Lemma: per; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: denotes agency; Translation: “by”; Notes: usual for intermediary agency.
  10. manum — Lemma: manus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of per; Translation: “hand”; Notes: metaphor for power.
  11. Domini — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessive; Translation: “of the LORD”; Notes: refers to YHWH.
  12. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: locative; Translation: “in”; Notes: static location.
  13. Terra — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: locative complement; Translation: “land”; Notes: geographical sense.
  14. Ægypti — Lemma: Ægyptus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular; Function: modifies Terra; Translation: “of Egypt”; Notes: place-name.
  15. quando — Lemma: quando; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: temporal; Function: introduces time clause; Translation: “when”; Notes: standard narrative linkage.
  16. sedebamus — Lemma: sedeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: first person plural imperfect active indicative; Function: verb of temporal clause; Translation: “we sat”; Notes: continuous past.
  17. super — Lemma: super; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: spatial; Translation: “over”; Notes: literal or figurative position.
  18. ollas — Lemma: olla; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: object of super; Translation: “pots”; Notes: cooking vessels.
  19. carnium — Lemma: caro; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural feminine; Function: modifies ollas; Translation: “of meat”; Notes: specifies contents.
  20. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links verbs; Translation: “and”; Notes: adds another action.
  21. comedebamus — Lemma: comedo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: first person plural imperfect active indicative; Function: describes habitual past; Translation: “we ate”; Notes: continuous aspect.
  22. panem — Lemma: panis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object; Translation: “bread”; Notes: staple food.
  23. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses manner; Translation: “in”; Notes: ablative of state.
  24. saturitate — Lemma: saturitas; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: expresses fullness; Translation: “fullness”; Notes: satiation.
  25. cur — Lemma: cur; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: interrogative; Function: introduces question; Translation: “why”; Notes: expresses complaint.
  26. eduxistis — Lemma: educo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person plural perfect active indicative; Function: main verb of question; Translation: “you brought out”; Notes: direct accusation.
  27. nos — Lemma: nos; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative plural; Function: direct object; Translation: “us”; Notes: refers to the people.
  28. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: marks motion into; Translation: “into”; Notes: directional.
  29. desertum — Lemma: desertum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of in; Translation: “wilderness”; Notes: barren region.
  30. istud — Lemma: iste; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: demonstrative modifier; Translation: “this”; Notes: deictic emphasis.
  31. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: introduces final clause; Function: purpose; Translation: “that”; Notes: signals subjunctive.
  32. occideretis — Lemma: occido; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person plural imperfect active subjunctive; Function: verb of final clause; Translation: “you might kill”; Notes: expresses feared outcome.
  33. omnem — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: modifies multitudinem; Translation: “all”; Notes: intensifies totality.
  34. multitudinem — Lemma: multitudo; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of occideretis; Translation: “multitude”; Notes: refers to the people.
  35. fame — Lemma: fames; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: ablative of means; Translation: “with hunger”; Notes: instrument of death.

 

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.
This entry was posted in Exodus. Bookmark the permalink.

Comments are closed.