Exodus 17:3

Posted on March 8, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 17:3 Sitivit ergo ibi populus præ aquæ penuria, et murmuravit contra Moysen, dicens: Cur fecisti nos exire de Ægypto, ut occideres nos, et liberos nostros, ac iumenta siti?

Therefore the people thirsted there because of the lack of water, and they murmured against Moyses, saying: “Why did you make us go out from Egypt, so that you might kill us, and our children, and our cattle with thirst?”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Sitivit thirsted 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 ergo therefore ADV
3 ibi there ADV
4 populus the people NOUN.NOM.SG.M
5 præ because of PREP+ABL
6 aquæ of water NOUN.GEN.SG.F
7 penuria lack NOUN.ABL.SG.F
8 et and CONJ
9 murmuravit murmured 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
10 contra against PREP+ACC
11 Moysen Moses NOUN.ACC.SG.M
12 dicens saying PTCP.PRES.ACT.NOM.SG.M
13 Cur why ADV.INTERJ
14 fecisti you made 2SG.PERF.ACT.IND
15 nos us PRON.PERS.ACC.PL
16 exire to go out INF.PRES.ACT
17 de from PREP+ABL
18 Ægypto Egypt NOUN.ABL.SG.F
19 ut so that CONJ
20 occideres you might kill 2SG.IMP.ACT.SUBJ
21 nos us PRON.PERS.ACC.PL
22 et and CONJ
23 liberos children NOUN.ACC.PL.M
24 nostros our POSS.ACC.PL.M
25 ac and CONJ
26 iumenta cattle NOUN.ACC.PL.N
27 siti with thirst NOUN.ABL.SG.F

Syntax

Main Clause 1: populus (subject) + Sitivit (verb).
Causal Phrase: præ aquæ penuria — ablative governed by præ expressing cause.
Main Clause 2: murmuravit contra Moysen — complaint verb + adversative phrase.
Participial Phrase: dicens introduces direct speech.
Interrogative Clause: Cur fecisti nos exire de Ægypto? — accusative + infinitive with causative verb.
Purpose Clause: ut occideres nos — expresses feared intention.
Coordinated Objects: nos, liberos nostros, ac iumenta — threefold list.
Final Ablative: siti — ablative of cause (“by thirst”).

Morphology

  1. Sitivit — Lemma: sitio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: main verb; Translation: thirsted; Notes: expresses physical deprivation.
  2. ergo — Lemma: ergo; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: logical connector; Translation: therefore; Notes: marks narrative consequence.
  3. ibi — Lemma: ibi; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: locative adverb; Translation: there; Notes: situational setting.
  4. populus — Lemma: populus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: people; Notes: collective singular.
  5. præ — Lemma: præ; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: causal marker; Translation: because of; Notes: expresses negative cause.
  6. aquæ — Lemma: aqua; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: complements penuria; Translation: of water; Notes: dependent genitive.
  7. penuria — Lemma: penuria; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of præ; Translation: lack; Notes: ablative of cause.
  8. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: clause connector; Translation: and; Notes: coordinates clauses.
  9. murmuravit — Lemma: murmuro; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: main verb; Translation: murmured; Notes: expresses complaint.
  10. contra — Lemma: contra; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses opposition; Translation: against; Notes: frequent in disputes.
  11. Moysen — Lemma: Moyses; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of contra; Translation: Moses; Notes: Hebrew loanword.
  12. dicens — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: participle; Form: present active participle nominative singular masculine; Function: introduces direct speech; Translation: saying; Notes: modifies subject of murmuring.
  13. Cur — Lemma: cur; Part of Speech: interrogative adverb; Form: invariable; Function: introduces question; Translation: why; Notes: conveys rebuke.
  14. fecisti — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 2nd singular; Function: verb governing acc-inf construction; Translation: you made; Notes: causative usage.
  15. nos — Lemma: nos; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative plural; Function: subject of infinitive; Translation: us; Notes: part of acc-inf clause.
  16. exire — Lemma: exeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active infinitive; Function: infinitive of object; Translation: to go out; Notes: dependent on fecisti.
  17. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses origin; Translation: from; Notes: standard ablative marker.
  18. Ægypto — Lemma: Ægyptus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of de; Translation: Egypt; Notes: geopolitical reference.
  19. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces purpose clause; Translation: so that; Notes: governs subjunctive.
  20. occideres — Lemma: occido; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperfect active subjunctive 2nd singular; Function: purpose clause; Translation: you might kill; Notes: expresses feared intent.
  21. nos — Lemma: nos; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative plural; Function: direct object of occideres; Translation: us; Notes: repeated for emphasis.
  22. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: connector; Translation: and; Notes: coordinates list.
  23. liberos — Lemma: liber; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: coordinated object; Translation: children; Notes: direct object.
  24. nostros — Lemma: noster; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: modifies liberos; Translation: our; Notes: agrees in case, number, gender.
  25. ac — Lemma: ac; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: connector; Translation: and; Notes: stronger linkage than et.
  26. iumenta — Lemma: iumentum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: coordinated object; Translation: cattle; Notes: includes beasts of burden.
  27. siti — Lemma: sitis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: ablative of cause; Translation: with thirst; Notes: expresses means or cause of danger.

 

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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