Exodus 18:16

Posted on March 9, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 18:16 Cumque acciderit eis aliqua disceptatio, veniunt ad me ut iudicem inter eos, et ostendam præcepta Dei, et leges eius.

And whenever any dispute happens to them, they come to me so that I may judge between them, and I show the precepts of God and His laws.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Cumque and when CONJ
2 acciderit happens 3SG.FUTP.ACT.IND
3 eis to them PRON.PERS.DAT.PL
4 aliqua some ADJ.NOM.SG.F
5 disceptatio dispute NOUN.NOM.SG.F
6 veniunt they come 3PL.PRES.ACT.IND
7 ad to PREP+ACC
8 me me PRON.PERS.ACC.SG
9 ut so that CONJ
10 iudicem I may judge 1SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
11 inter between PREP+ACC
12 eos them PRON.PERS.ACC.PL
13 et and CONJ
14 ostendam I show 1SG.FUT.ACT.IND
15 præcepta precepts NOUN.ACC.PL.N
16 Dei of God NOUN.GEN.SG.M
17 et and CONJ
18 leges laws NOUN.ACC.PL.F
19 eius his PRON.POSS.GEN.SG.M

Syntax

Temporal–Conditional Clause:
Cumque acciderit eis aliqua disceptatio — “whenever any dispute happens to them”; future perfect indicates repeated contingency.

Main Clause 1:
veniunt ad me — subject they implied; Moses explains the procedure.

Purpose Clause:
ut iudicem inter eos — ut + subjunctive expresses intended purpose.

Main Clause 2:
et ostendam præcepta Dei et leges eius — two coordinated objects (præcepta, leges) governed by ostendam.

Morphology

  1. Cumque — Lemma: cum + que; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces temporal circumstance; Translation: and when; Notes: enclitic -que adds coordination.
  2. acciderit — Lemma: accido; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future perfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: verb of temporal clause; Translation: happens; Notes: used for future contingency.
  3. eis — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: dative plural; Function: indirect object; Translation: to them; Notes: refers to the people.
  4. aliqua — Lemma: aliquis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: modifies disceptatio; Translation: some; Notes: indefinite.
  5. disceptatio — Lemma: disceptatio; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject of acciderit; Translation: dispute; Notes: legal disagreement.
  6. veniunt — Lemma: venio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative 3rd plural; Function: main verb; Translation: they come; Notes: repeated habitual action.
  7. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: marks direction; Translation: to; Notes: motion toward.
  8. me — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: accusative singular; Function: object of ad; Translation: me; Notes: refers to Moses.
  9. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces purpose clause; Translation: so that; Notes: triggers subjunctive.
  10. iudicem — Lemma: iudico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active subjunctive 1st singular; Function: verb of purpose; Translation: I may judge; Notes: expresses intended action.
  11. inter — Lemma: inter; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: indicates between; Translation: between; Notes: mediating role.
  12. eos — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: accusative plural; Function: object of inter; Translation: them; Notes: disputing parties.
  13. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: joins clauses; Translation: and; Notes: coordination.
  14. ostendam — Lemma: ostendo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative 1st singular; Function: main verb; Translation: I show; Notes: future obligation or repeated future action.
  15. præcepta — Lemma: præceptum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: object of ostendam; Translation: precepts; Notes: divine instructions.
  16. Dei — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessive; Translation: of God; Notes: denotes divine origin.
  17. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: links objects; Translation: and; Notes: joins præcepta + leges.
  18. leges — Lemma: lex; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: object of ostendam; Translation: laws; Notes: normative commands.
  19. eius — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: possessive pronoun; Form: genitive singular; Function: modifies leges; Translation: his; Notes: refers to God.

 

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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