Exodus 17:5

Posted on March 8, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 17:5 Et ait Dominus ad Moysen: Antecede populum, et sume tecum de senioribus Israel: et virgam qua percussisti fluvium, tolle in manu tua, et vade.

And the LORD said to Moyses: “Go before the people, and take with you some of the elders of Israel; and the staff with which you struck the river, take in your hand, and go.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Et and CONJ
2 ait said 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
3 Dominus the LORD NOUN.NOM.SG.M
4 ad to PREP+ACC
5 Moysen Moses NOUN.ACC.SG.M
6 Antecede go before 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP
7 populum the people NOUN.ACC.SG.M
8 et and CONJ
9 sume take 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP
10 tecum with you PREP+ABL (cum + ABL.PRON)
11 de from PREP+ABL
12 senioribus the elders NOUN.ABL.PL.M
13 Israel Israel NOUN.INDECL
14 et and CONJ
15 virgam staff NOUN.ACC.SG.F
16 qua with which PRON.REL.ABL.SG.F
17 percussisti you struck 2SG.PERF.ACT.IND
18 fluvium the river NOUN.ACC.SG.M
19 tolle take up 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP
20 in in PREP+ABL
21 manu hand NOUN.ABL.SG.F
22 tua your POSS.ABL.SG.F
23 et and CONJ
24 vade go 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP

Syntax

Main Clause: Et ait Dominus ad Moysen — subject + verb + indirect object.
Imperative 1: Antecede populum — command with direct object.
Complementary Imperative: sume tecum de senioribus Israel — imperatival clause with ablative of accompaniment (tecum) and ablative of source (de senioribus).
Relative-Clause Link: virgam qua percussisti fluvium — relative pronoun qua refers to virgam; perfect verb describes past action.
Imperative 2: tolle in manu tua — take up, with locative ablative phrase.
Final Imperative: vade — concluding directive.

Morphology

  1. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: connects clauses; Translation: and; Notes: frequent narrative linker.
  2. ait — Lemma: aio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative 3rd singular; Function: introduces speech; Translation: said; Notes: defective verb used only in certain forms.
  3. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: the LORD; Notes: refers to YHWH.
  4. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: indicates direction; Translation: to; Notes: standard preposition of goal.
  5. Moysen — Lemma: Moyses; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: indirect object; Translation: Moses; Notes: Hebrew proper noun.
  6. Antecede — Lemma: antecedo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active imperative 2nd singular; Function: command; Translation: go before; Notes: imperatival directive.
  7. populum — Lemma: populus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object; Translation: the people; Notes: collective singular.
  8. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: coordinates imperatives; Translation: and; Notes: simple connector.
  9. sume — Lemma: sumo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active imperative 2nd singular; Function: command; Translation: take; Notes: common imperative.
  10. tecum — Lemma: cum + te; Part of Speech: prepositional phrase; Form: ablative singular; Function: ablative of accompaniment; Translation: with you; Notes: enclitic form.
  11. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: indicates source; Translation: from; Notes: common with groups.
  12. senioribus — Lemma: senior; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: object of de; Translation: (some of the) elders; Notes: comparative form functioning substantivally.
  13. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: noun; Form: indeclinable; Function: genitive of association; Translation: Israel; Notes: proper ethnic name.
  14. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces next command; Translation: and; Notes: common connector.
  15. virgam — Lemma: virga; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object; Translation: the staff; Notes: symbol of authority.
  16. qua — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: instrument; Translation: with which; Notes: refers to virgam.
  17. percussisti — Lemma: percuto; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 2nd singular; Function: relative clause verb; Translation: you struck; Notes: describes past sign.
  18. fluvium — Lemma: fluvius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of percussisti; Translation: river; Notes: the Nile implied.
  19. tolle — Lemma: tollo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active imperative 2nd singular; Function: command; Translation: take up; Notes: distinct from sume.
  20. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses location; Translation: in; Notes: static locative.
  21. manu — Lemma: manus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of in; Translation: hand; Notes: fourth declension.
  22. tua — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: modifies manu; Translation: your; Notes: agrees in case, gender, number.
  23. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: links final clause; Translation: and; Notes: continuation.
  24. vade — Lemma: vado; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active imperative 2nd singular; Function: concluding command; Translation: go; Notes: sends Moses on mission.

 

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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