Exodus 18:6

Posted on March 9, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 18:6 Et mandavit Moysi, dicens: Ego Iethro cognatus tuus venio ad te, et uxor tua, et duo filii cum ea.

And he sent word to Moyses, saying: “I, Jethro your kinsman, am coming to you, and your wife, and her two sons with her.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Et and CONJ
2 mandavit sent word / commanded 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
3 Moysi to Moses NOUN.DAT.SG.M
4 dicens saying PTCP.PRES.ACT.NOM.SG.M
5 Ego I PRON.PERS.NOM.SG
6 Iethro Jethro NOUN.NOM.SG.M
7 cognatus kinsman NOUN.NOM.SG.M
8 tuus your PRON.POSS.NOM.SG.M
9 venio I am coming 1SG.PRES.ACT.IND
10 ad to PREP+ACC
11 te you PRON.PERS.ACC.SG
12 et and CONJ
13 uxor wife NOUN.NOM.SG.F
14 tua your PRON.POSS.NOM.SG.F
15 et and CONJ
16 duo two ADJ.NOM.PL.M
17 filii sons NOUN.NOM.PL.M
18 cum with PREP+ABL
19 ea her PRON.PERS.ABL.SG.F

Syntax

Main Clause:
Et mandavit Moysi — perfect indicative reporting the sending of a message.

Participle of Saying:
dicens — introduces the direct speech.

Direct Speech Structure:
Ego Iethro cognatus tuus venio ad te — subject (Ego), apposition (Iethro cognatus tuus), verb (venio), destination phrase (ad te).

Additional Subjects:
uxor tua — added nominative.

duo filii cum ea — coordinated nominative phrase with prepositional complement.

Morphology

  1. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: connects to prior narrative; Translation: and; Notes: standard coordinator.
  2. mandavit — Lemma: mando; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: main verb; Translation: sent word / commanded; Notes: perfect used as narrative past.
  3. Moysi — Lemma: Moyses; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: indirect object; Translation: to Moses; Notes: recipient of the message.
  4. dicens — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: participle; Form: present active participle nominative singular masculine; Function: introduces direct discourse; Translation: saying; Notes: modifies the implied messenger.
  5. Ego — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: nominative singular; Function: explicit subject; Translation: I; Notes: used for emphasis.
  6. Iethro — Lemma: Iethro; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: apposition to Ego; Translation: Jethro; Notes: identifies speaker.
  7. cognatus — Lemma: cognatus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: apposition; Translation: kinsman; Notes: defines relationship to Moses.
  8. tuus — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: possessive pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: modifies cognatus; Translation: your; Notes: agrees with cognatus.
  9. venio — Lemma: venio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative 1st singular; Function: main verb of speech; Translation: I am coming; Notes: present tense with immediate sense.
  10. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces destination; Translation: to; Notes: directional.
  11. te — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: accusative singular; Function: object of ad; Translation: you; Notes: refers to Moses.
  12. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: links additional subjects; Translation: and; Notes: joins uxor.
  13. uxor — Lemma: uxor; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: added subject in the arrival; Translation: wife; Notes: refers to Sephora.
  14. tua — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: possessive pronoun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: modifies uxor; Translation: your; Notes: agrees with uxor.
  15. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: joins duo filii; Translation: and; Notes: coordination continues.
  16. duo — Lemma: duo; Part of Speech: numeral adjective; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: modifies filii; Translation: two; Notes: cardinal numeral.
  17. filii — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: coordinated subject; Translation: sons; Notes: refers to Gersam and Eliezer.
  18. cum — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses accompaniment; Translation: with; Notes: standard comitative.
  19. ea — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of cum; Translation: her; Notes: refers to uxor.

 

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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