Exodus 19:11

Posted on March 10, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 19:11 Et sint parati in diem tertium: in die enim tertia descendet Dominus coram omni plebe super montem Sinai.

And let them be ready on the third day: for on the third day the LORD will descend before all the people upon mount Sinai.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Et and CONJ
2 sint let them be 3PL.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
3 parati ready PTCP.PERF.PASS.NOM.PL.M
4 in on PREP+ACC
5 diem day NOUN.ACC.SG.M
6 tertium third ADJ.ACC.SG.M
7 in for PREP+ABL
8 die day NOUN.ABL.SG.M
9 enim for CONJ
10 tertia third ADJ.ABL.SG.F
11 descendet will descend 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND
12 Dominus LORD NOUN.NOM.SG.M
13 coram before PREP+ABL
14 omni all ADJ.ABL.SG.F
15 plebe the people NOUN.ABL.SG.F
16 super upon PREP+ACC
17 montem mountain NOUN.ACC.SG.M
18 Sinai Sinai NOUN.GEN.SG.INDECL

Syntax

Jussive Subjunctive:
sint parati — divine instruction for preparation.

Temporal Phrase:
in diem tertium — “on the third day,” accusative of time.

Causal Clause:
in die enim tertia descendet Dominus — reason for preparation; future descent of YHWH.

Prepositional Phrases:
coram omni plebe — “before all the people.”
super montem Sinai — location of divine descent.

Morphology

  1. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: links commands; Translation: and; Notes: connects to prior instruction.
  2. sint — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active subjunctive 3rd plural; Function: jussive command; Translation: let them be; Notes: ritual requirement.
  3. parati — Lemma: paro; Part of Speech: participle; Form: perfect passive participle nominative plural masculine; Function: complement of sint; Translation: ready; Notes: state of ritual readiness.
  4. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: indicates time; Translation: on; Notes: accusative for specific day.
  5. diem — Lemma: dies; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of in; Translation: day; Notes: time marker.
  6. tertium — Lemma: tertius; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: modifies diem; Translation: third; Notes: ordinal number.
  7. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: temporal phrase; Translation: in; Notes: ablative of time.
  8. die — Lemma: dies; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: ablative of time; Translation: day; Notes: temporal marker.
  9. enim — Lemma: enim; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces reason; Translation: for; Notes: explanatory.
  10. tertia — Lemma: tertius; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: modifies die; Translation: third; Notes: ordinal in ablative construction.
  11. descendet — Lemma: descendo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative 3rd singular; Function: main verb; Translation: will descend; Notes: describes theophany.
  12. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: LORD; Notes: YHWH as divine actor.
  13. coram — Lemma: coram; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: indicates presence before; Translation: before; Notes: ceremonial audience.
  14. omni — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: modifies plebe; Translation: all; Notes: totality of Israel assembled.
  15. plebe — Lemma: plebs; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of coram; Translation: people; Notes: national assembly.
  16. super — Lemma: super; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: spatial relation; Translation: upon; Notes: vertical emphasis.
  17. montem — Lemma: mons; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of super; Translation: mountain; Notes: refers to Sinai.
  18. Sinai — Lemma: Sinai; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular indeclinable; Function: genitive of place name; Translation: Sinai; Notes: biblical place name.

 

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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