Exodus 19:14

Posted on March 10, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 19:14 Descenditque Moyses de monte ad populum, et sanctificavit eum. Cumque lavissent vestimenta sua,

And Moyses came down from the mountain to the people, and he sanctified them. And when they had washed their garments,

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Descenditque and he came down 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND + ENCLITIC
2 Moyses Moses NOUN.NOM.SG.M
3 de from PREP+ABL
4 monte mountain NOUN.ABL.SG.M
5 ad to PREP+ACC
6 populum the people NOUN.ACC.SG.M
7 et and CONJ
8 sanctificavit he sanctified 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
9 eum them PRON.ACC.SG.M (collective)
10 Cumque and when CONJ + ENCLITIC
11 lavissent they had washed 3PL.PLUP.ACT.IND
12 vestimenta garments NOUN.ACC.PL.N
13 sua their PRON.POSS.ACC.PL.N

Syntax

Main Clause:
Descenditque Moyses de monte ad populum — movement from the mountain to the assembled nation.

Coordinated Action:
et sanctificavit eum — Moses consecrates Israel as commanded.

Ablative of Place From Which:
de monte — physical descent from Sinai.

Temporal Clause (Ablative Absolute-like with cum):
Cumque lavissent vestimenta sua — completed action prior to the next command.

Morphology

  1. Descenditque — Lemma: descendo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd singular + enclitic -que; Function: main narrative verb; Translation: and he came down; Notes: enclitic links to preceding sequence.
  2. Moyses — Lemma: Moyses; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: Moses; Notes: leader and mediator.
  3. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses movement from; Translation: from; Notes: standard ablative of separation.
  4. monte — Lemma: mons; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of de; Translation: mountain; Notes: Mount Sinai.
  5. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: motion toward; Translation: to; Notes: directional.
  6. populum — Lemma: populus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of ad; Translation: the people; Notes: assembled Israel.
  7. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: joins verbs; Translation: and; Notes: simple coordination.
  8. sanctificavit — Lemma: sanctifico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: second main verb; Translation: he sanctified; Notes: ritual preparation.
  9. eum — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object; Translation: them; Notes: singular used collectively for the nation.
  10. Cumque — Lemma: cum + que; Part of Speech: conjunction + enclitic; Form: invariable; Function: introduces temporal clause; Translation: and when; Notes: marks completed action before next instruction.
  11. lavissent — Lemma: lavo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: pluperfect active indicative 3rd plural; Function: verb of temporal clause; Translation: they had washed; Notes: ritual washing completed.
  12. vestimenta — Lemma: vestimentum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: direct object of lavissent; Translation: garments; Notes: ceremonial cleansing.
  13. sua — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive pronoun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: modifies vestimenta; Translation: their; Notes: reflexive to the subject of lavissent.

 

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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