Exodus 18:5

Posted on March 9, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 18:5 Venit ergo Iethro cognatus Moysi, et filii eius, et uxor eius ad Moysen in desertum, ubi erat castrametatus iuxta montem Dei.

Jethro therefore came, the kinsman of Moyses, and his sons and his wife, to Moyses in the desert, where he was encamped beside the mountain of God.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Venit came 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 ergo therefore ADV
3 Iethro Jethro NOUN.NOM.SG.M
4 cognatus kinsman NOUN.NOM.SG.M
5 Moysi of Moses NOUN.GEN.SG.M
6 et and CONJ
7 filii sons NOUN.NOM.PL.M
8 eius his PRON.POSS.GEN.SG.M
9 et and CONJ
10 uxor wife NOUN.NOM.SG.F
11 eius his PRON.POSS.GEN.SG.M
12 ad to PREP+ACC
13 Moysen Moses NOUN.ACC.SG.M
14 in in PREP+ACC
15 desertum the desert NOUN.ACC.SG.N
16 ubi where ADV.REL
17 erat was 3SG.IMP.ACT.IND
18 castrametatus encamped PTCP.PERF.PASS.NOM.SG.M
19 iuxta beside PREP+ACC
20 montem mountain NOUN.ACC.SG.M
21 Dei of God NOUN.GEN.SG.M

Syntax

Main Clause: Venit ergo Iethro — perfect indicative narrating the arrival of Jethro.
Apposition: cognatus Moysi — identifies Jethro as Moses’ kinsman.
Coordinated Subjects: filii eius, et uxor eius — additional nominatives included with Jethro.
Destination Phrase: ad Moysen — expresses movement toward Moses.
Locative Clause: in desertum — destination location.
Relative Clause: ubi erat castrametatus — describes Moses’ encampment.
Prepositional Phrase: iuxta montem Dei — location of the encampment.

Morphology

  1. Venit — Lemma: venio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: main verb; Translation: came; Notes: perfect for completed action.
  2. ergo — Lemma: ergo; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: inferential marker; Translation: therefore; Notes: common narrative connector.
  3. Iethro — Lemma: Iethro; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: Jethro; Notes: proper name.
  4. cognatus — Lemma: cognatus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: apposition to Iethro; Translation: kinsman; Notes: family relation to Moses.
  5. Moysi — Lemma: Moyses; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: modifies cognatus; Translation: of Moses; Notes: possessive genitive.
  6. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: links coordinated nouns; Translation: and; Notes: simple connector.
  7. filii — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: coordinated subject; Translation: sons; Notes: refers to Jethro’s sons.
  8. eius — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: possessive pronoun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: modifies filii; Translation: his; Notes: refers to Jethro.
  9. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: joins another subject; Translation: and; Notes: common linkage.
  10. uxor — Lemma: uxor; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: coordinated subject; Translation: wife; Notes: refers to Jethro’s daughter, Sephora.
  11. eius — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: possessive pronoun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: modifies uxor; Translation: his; Notes: refers to Jethro.
  12. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses direction; Translation: to; Notes: movement toward person.
  13. Moysen — Lemma: Moyses; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of ad; Translation: Moses; Notes: destination of arrival.
  14. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses movement into; Translation: into/in; Notes: takes accusative for motion.
  15. desertum — Lemma: desertum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of in; Translation: desert; Notes: refers to Sinai region.
  16. ubi — Lemma: ubi; Part of Speech: relative adverb; Form: invariable; Function: introduces relative clause; Translation: where; Notes: locative relation.
  17. erat — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: verb of relative clause; Translation: was; Notes: descriptive past.
  18. castrametatus — Lemma: castrametor; Part of Speech: participle; Form: perfect passive participle nominative singular masculine; Function: predicate; Translation: encamped; Notes: describes Moses’ location.
  19. iuxta — Lemma: iuxta; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses proximity; Translation: beside; Notes: spatial relation.
  20. montem — Lemma: mons; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of iuxta; Translation: mountain; Notes: mountain of God, Sinai.
  21. Dei — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: modifies montem; Translation: of God; Notes: sacred designation.

 

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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