Exodus 19:20

Posted on March 10, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 19:20 Descenditque Dominus super montem Sinai in ipso montis vertice, et vocavit Moysen in cacumen eius. Quo cum ascendisset,

And the LORD descended upon Mount Sinai on the very top of the mountain, and He called Moyses to its summit. And when he had ascended,

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Descenditque and descended 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND + ENCLITIC
2 Dominus LORD NOUN.NOM.SG.M
3 super upon PREP+ACC
4 montem mountain NOUN.ACC.SG.M
5 Sinai of Sinai NOUN.GEN.SG.M
6 in on PREP+ABL
7 ipso very ADJ.ABL.SG.M
8 montis of the mountain NOUN.GEN.SG.M
9 vertice top NOUN.ABL.SG.M
10 et and CONJ
11 vocavit called 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
12 Moysen Moses NOUN.ACC.SG.M
13 in into PREP+ACC
14 cacumen summit NOUN.ACC.SG.N
15 eius of it PRON.GEN.SG.M/N
16 Quo to which PRON.ABL.SG.N
17 cum when CONJ
18 ascendisset had ascended 3SG.PLUP.ACT.SUBJ

Syntax

Main Clause: Descenditque Dominus super montem Sinai in ipso montis vertice — the LORD is the subject, descending upon the mountain and specifically upon its very top.
Coordinated Clause: et vocavit Moysen in cacumen eius — divine summons of Moses into the summit of the mountain.
Temporal Clause: Quo cum ascendisset — “when he had ascended there,” marking Moses’ obedient response as prior to the next action.

Morphology

  1. Descenditque — Lemma: descendo; Part of Speech: verb (with enclitic); Form: perfect active indicative 3rd person singular with enclitic -que; Function: main narrative verb describing divine descent; Translation: and descended; Notes: -que links this descent closely to the preceding narrative sequence.
  2. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun (title); Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of descenditque; Translation: LORD; Notes: here denotes YHWH and is rendered “LORD” in English.
  3. super — Lemma: super; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing accusative; Function: introduces the object of divine descent; Translation: upon; Notes: expresses motion down onto the mountain.
  4. montem — Lemma: mons; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of super; Translation: mountain; Notes: the physical mountain on which the theophany occurs.
  5. Sinai — Lemma: Sinai; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: dependent genitive modifying montem; Translation: of Sinai; Notes: identifies the specific mountain as Sinai.
  6. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing ablative; Function: marks precise location on the mountain; Translation: on; Notes: used here with ablative for static position.
  7. ipso — Lemma: ipse; Part of Speech: intensive pronoun/adjective; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: intensifier modifying vertice; Translation: very; Notes: adds emphatic precision: “on the very top.”
  8. montis — Lemma: mons; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: dependent genitive with vertice; Translation: of the mountain; Notes: specifies which summit is in view.
  9. vertice — Lemma: vertex; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of in in a locative sense; Translation: top; Notes: denotes the peak or summit of the mountain.
  10. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: coordinates the second main clause with the first; Translation: and; Notes: very frequent narrative connector in biblical Latin.
  11. vocavit — Lemma: voco; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd person singular; Function: main verb of the second clause; Translation: called; Notes: expresses the LORD’s authoritative summoning of Moses.
  12. Moysen — Lemma: Moyses; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of vocavit; Translation: Moses; Notes: standard Vulgate oblique form of the name.
  13. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing accusative; Function: marks motion toward a goal; Translation: into; Notes: here indicates movement to the summit.
  14. cacumen — Lemma: cacumen; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of in; Translation: summit; Notes: another term for the topmost point of the mountain.
  15. eius — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun (possessive/genitival); Form: genitive singular masculine/neuter; Function: possessive genitive referring back to montem; Translation: of it; Notes: indicates that the summit belongs to that same mountain.
  16. Quo — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: relative adverbial (“to which”) referring to cacumen; Translation: to which; Notes: links the temporal clause to the previously mentioned summit.
  17. cum — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces a temporal cum-clause; Translation: when; Notes: regularly governs the subjunctive in narrative Latin.
  18. ascendisset — Lemma: ascendo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: pluperfect active subjunctive 3rd person singular; Function: verb of the temporal subordinate clause; Translation: had ascended; Notes: pluperfect subjunctive marks action completed prior to the following main event.

 

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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