Exodus 18:27

Posted on March 9, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 18:27 Dimisitque cognatum suum: qui reversus abiit in terram suam.

And he sent away his kinsman, who, having returned, went into his own land.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Dimisitque and he sent away 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND + ENCLITIC
2 cognatum kinsman NOUN.ACC.SG.M
3 suum his PRON.POSS.ACC.SG.M
4 qui who PRON.REL.NOM.SG.M
5 reversus having returned PTCP.PERF.DEP.NOM.SG.M
6 abiit went away 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
7 in into PREP+ACC
8 terram land NOUN.ACC.SG.F
9 suam his own PRON.POSS.ACC.SG.F

Syntax

Main Clause:
Dimisitque cognatum suum — Moses sends away his kinsman (Jethro).

Relative Clause:
qui reversus abiit — “who, having returned, went away”; participle + perfect verb.

Prepositional Phrase:
in terram suam — destination: “into his own land.”

Morphology

  1. Dimisitque — Lemma: dimitto; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd singular + enclitic -que; Function: main verb with connector; Translation: and he sent away; Notes: enclitic connects with previous narrative action.
  2. cognatum — Lemma: cognatus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of dimisit; Translation: kinsman; Notes: refers to Jethro.
  3. suum — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: modifies cognatum; Translation: his; Notes: reflexive, referring to Moses.
  4. qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of reversus/abiit; Translation: who; Notes: introduces relative clause.
  5. reversus — Lemma: revertor; Part of Speech: deponent participle; Form: perfect participle nominative singular masculine; Function: circumstantial participle; Translation: having returned; Notes: deponent verb with active meaning.
  6. abiit — Lemma: abeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: main verb of clause; Translation: went away; Notes: indicates departure.
  7. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses motion toward; Translation: into; Notes: directional use.
  8. terram — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of in; Translation: land; Notes: destination.
  9. suam — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive pronoun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: modifies terram; Translation: his own; Notes: refers back to Jethro.

 

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.
This entry was posted in Exodus. Bookmark the permalink.

Comments are closed.