Exodus 18:1

Posted on March 9, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 18:1 Cumque audisset Iethro, sacerdos Madian, cognatus Moysi, omnia quæ fecerat Deus Moysi, et Israeli populo suo, et quod eduxisset Dominus Israel de Ægypto:

And when Jethro, the priest of Madian, the kinsman of Moyses, had heard all that God had done for Moyses and for Israel His people, and that the LORD had brought Israel out of Egypt;

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Cumque and when CONJ
2 audisset had heard 3SG.PLUP.ACT.SUBJ
3 Iethro Jethro NOUN.NOM.SG.M
4 sacerdos priest NOUN.NOM.SG.M
5 Madian Midian NOUN.GEN.SG.M
6 cognatus kinsman NOUN.NOM.SG.M
7 Moysi of Moses NOUN.GEN.SG.M
8 omnia all things PRON.INDEF.ACC.PL.N
9 quæ which PRON.REL.NOM.PL.N
10 fecerat had done 3SG.PLUP.ACT.IND
11 Deus God NOUN.NOM.SG.M
12 Moysi for Moses NOUN.DAT.SG.M
13 et and CONJ
14 Israeli for Israel NOUN.DAT.SG.M
15 populo people NOUN.DAT.SG.M
16 suo his PRON.POSS.DAT.SG.M
17 et and CONJ
18 quod that CONJ
19 eduxisset had brought out 3SG.PLUP.ACT.SUBJ
20 Dominus LORD NOUN.NOM.SG.M
21 Israel Israel NOUN.ACC.SG.M
22 de out of PREP+ABL
23 Ægypto Egypt NOUN.ABL.SG.F

Syntax

Temporal Clause: Cumque audisset Iethro — pluperfect subjunctive used for prior circumstances.
Apposition: sacerdos Madian, cognatus Moysi — identifies Jethro by role and relation.
Object of Hearing: omnia quæ fecerat Deus Moysi et Israeli populo suo — large relative clause with two datives.
Additional Clause: et quod eduxisset Dominus Israel de Ægypto — further content of what he heard.

Morphology

  1. Cumque — Lemma: cum + que; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces temporal clause; Translation: and when; Notes: -que attaches to cum.
  2. audisset — Lemma: audio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: pluperfect active subjunctive 3rd singular; Function: verb of temporal clause; Translation: had heard; Notes: subjunctive required after cum for circumstantial past.
  3. Iethro — Lemma: Iethro; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: Jethro; Notes: father-in-law of Moses.
  4. sacerdos — Lemma: sacerdos; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: apposition to Iethro; Translation: priest; Notes: identifies office.
  5. Madian — Lemma: Madian; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessive with sacerdos; Translation: of Midian; Notes: tribal priesthood.
  6. cognatus — Lemma: cognatus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: apposition; Translation: kinsman; Notes: family relation to Moses.
  7. Moysi — Lemma: Moyses; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: modifies cognatus; Translation: of Moses; Notes: indicates relationship.
  8. omnia — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: direct object of audisset; Translation: all things; Notes: refers to God’s deeds.
  9. quæ — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative plural neuter; Function: subject of fecerat; Translation: which; Notes: introduces relative clause.
  10. fecerat — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: pluperfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: verb of relative clause; Translation: had done; Notes: prior divine actions.
  11. Deus — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: God; Notes: agent of deeds.
  12. Moysi — Lemma: Moyses; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: indirect object; Translation: for Moses; Notes: beneficiary of God’s acts.
  13. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: links datives; Translation: and; Notes: coordination.
  14. Israeli — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: indirect object; Translation: for Israel; Notes: whole nation.
  15. populo — Lemma: populus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: apposition; Translation: people; Notes: clarifies Israel.
  16. suo — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive pronoun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: modifies populo; Translation: his; Notes: God’s covenant people.
  17. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: adds second clause; Translation: and; Notes: continues content of hearing.
  18. quod — Lemma: quod; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces noun clause; Translation: that; Notes: object of audisset.
  19. eduxisset — Lemma: educo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: pluperfect active subjunctive 3rd singular; Function: verb of noun clause; Translation: had brought out; Notes: deliverance from Egypt.
  20. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: LORD; Notes: refers to YHWH.
  21. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object; Translation: Israel; Notes: the delivered nation.
  22. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses origin; Translation: out of; Notes: departure preposition.
  23. Ægypto — Lemma: Ægyptus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of de; Translation: Egypt; Notes: land of bondage.

 

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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