Exodus 17:9

Posted on March 8, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 17:9 Dixitque Moyses ad Iosue: Elige viros: et egressus, pugna contra Amalec: cras ego stabo in vertice collis, habens virgam Dei in manu mea.

And Moyses said to Josue: “Choose men; and having gone out, fight against Amalec; tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill, having the staff of God in my hand.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Dixitque and said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 Moyses Moses NOUN.NOM.SG.M
3 ad to PREP+ACC
4 Iosue Joshua NOUN.ACC.SG.M
5 Elige choose 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP
6 viros men NOUN.ACC.PL.M
7 et and CONJ
8 egressus having gone out PTCP.PERF.ACT.NOM.SG.M
9 pugna fight 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP
10 contra against PREP+ACC
11 Amalec Amalek NOUN.INDECL
12 cras tomorrow ADV
13 ego I PRON.PERS.NOM.SG
14 stabo I will stand 1SG.FUT.ACT.IND
15 in on PREP+ABL
16 vertice top NOUN.ABL.SG.M
17 collis of the hill NOUN.GEN.SG.M
18 habens having PTCP.PRES.ACT.NOM.SG.M
19 virgam staff NOUN.ACC.SG.F
20 Dei of God NOUN.GEN.SG.M
21 in in PREP+ABL
22 manu hand NOUN.ABL.SG.F
23 mea my POSS.ABL.SG.F

Syntax

Direct Speech Setup: Dixitque Moyses ad Iosue — reporting clause directing commands to Joshua.
Imperative 1: Elige viros — command with direct object.
Circumstantial Participle: egressus — “having gone out,” temporal circumstance before the next action.
Imperative 2: pugna contra Amalec — command + prepositional phrase of opposition.
Temporal Adverb: cras — marks next-day actions.
Future Declarative: ego stabo in vertice collis — Moses’ future stance on the hill.
Participial Phrase: habens virgam Dei — expresses accompanying circumstance.
Locative Phrase: in manu mea — instrumental/locative nuance.

Morphology

  1. Dixitque — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd singular with enclitic –que; Function: narrative main verb; Translation: and said; Notes: –que links to previous clause.
  2. Moyses — Lemma: Moyses; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: Moses; Notes: Hebrew proper name.
  3. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: indicates direction toward person; Translation: to; Notes: standard marker.
  4. Iosue — Lemma: Iosue; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: indirect object; Translation: Joshua; Notes: proper name.
  5. Elige — Lemma: eligo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active imperative 2nd singular; Function: command; Translation: choose; Notes: selection of warriors.
  6. viros — Lemma: vir; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: direct object; Translation: men; Notes: refers to fighters.
  7. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: links commands; Translation: and; Notes: simple connector.
  8. egressus — Lemma: egredior; Part of Speech: participle; Form: perfect active participle nominative singular masculine; Function: circumstantial action; Translation: having gone out; Notes: describes prerequisite action.
  9. pugna — Lemma: pugno; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active imperative 2nd singular; Function: command; Translation: fight; Notes: military instruction.
  10. contra — Lemma: contra; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses opposition; Translation: against; Notes: used in hostile sense.
  11. Amalec — Lemma: Amalec; Part of Speech: noun; Form: indeclinable; Function: object of contra; Translation: Amalek; Notes: enemy nation.
  12. cras — Lemma: cras; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: temporal marker; Translation: tomorrow; Notes: shifts time forward.
  13. ego — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative singular; Function: subject; Translation: I; Notes: emphatic position.
  14. stabo — Lemma: sto; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative 1st singular; Function: main future verb; Translation: I will stand; Notes: expresses future posture.
  15. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: indicates location; Translation: on; Notes: static location.
  16. vertice — Lemma: vertex; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of in; Translation: top; Notes: elevated position.
  17. collis — Lemma: collis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: genitive of the whole; Translation: of the hill; Notes: topographical feature.
  18. habens — Lemma: habeo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: present active participle nominative singular masculine; Function: circumstantial participle; Translation: having; Notes: describes Moses’ equipment.
  19. virgam — Lemma: virga; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object of habens; Translation: staff; Notes: symbol of divine authority.
  20. Dei — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: genitive of possession; Translation: of God; Notes: refers to the LORD.
  21. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: locative; Translation: in; Notes: expresses physical placement.
  22. manu — Lemma: manus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of in; Translation: hand; Notes: fourth declension noun.
  23. mea — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: modifies manu; Translation: my; Notes: agrees with manu in case, number, and gender.

 

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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