Exodus 19:3

Posted on March 10, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 19:3 Moyses autem ascendit ad Deum, vocavitque eum Dominus de monte, et ait: Hæc dices domui Iacob, et annunciabis filiis Israel:

But Moyses went up to God, and the LORD called him from the mountain, and said: “These things you shall say to the house of Jacob, and you shall announce to the sons of Israel:

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Moyses Moses NOUN.NOM.SG.M
2 autem however CONJ
3 ascendit went up 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
4 ad to PREP+ACC
5 Deum God NOUN.ACC.SG.M
6 vocavitque and called 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND + ENCLITIC
7 eum him PRON.PERS.ACC.SG.M
8 Dominus LORD NOUN.NOM.SG.M
9 de from PREP+ABL
10 monte mountain NOUN.ABL.SG.M
11 et and CONJ
12 ait said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
13 Hæc these things PRON.DEM.ACC.PL.N
14 dices you shall say 2SG.FUT.ACT.IND
15 domui to the house NOUN.DAT.SG.F
16 Iacob Jacob NOUN.GEN.SG.M (INDECL)
17 et and CONJ
18 annunciabis you shall announce 2SG.FUT.ACT.IND
19 filiis to the sons NOUN.DAT.PL.M
20 Israel Israel NOUN.GEN.SG.M (INDECL)

Syntax

Main Narrative Clause:
Moyses autem ascendit ad Deum — subject + perfect verb + ad + accusative indicating direction.

Reported Divine Speech Setup:
vocavitque eum Dominus de monte — LORD is subject, Moses is object, source expressed by de monte.

Direct Command Construction:
Hæc dices domui Iacob — future indicative used imperatively.
et annunciabis filiis Israel — parallel second-person future.

Morphology

  1. Moyses — Lemma: Moyses; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: Moses; Notes: proper name.
  2. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: adversative connector; Translation: however; Notes: stylistic narrative pivot.
  3. ascendit — Lemma: ascendo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: main verb; Translation: went up; Notes: perfect for completed action.
  4. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: direction; Translation: to; Notes: expresses movement toward God.
  5. Deum — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of ad; Translation: God; Notes: object of ascent.
  6. vocavitque — Lemma: voco; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd singular + enclitic -que; Function: introduces divine speech; Translation: and called; Notes: enclitic links actions.
  7. eum — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object; Translation: him; Notes: refers to Moses.
  8. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of vocavit; Translation: LORD; Notes: refers to YHWH.
  9. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses source; Translation: from; Notes: indicates location of calling.
  10. monte — Lemma: mons; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of de; Translation: mountain; Notes: Sinai implied.
  11. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: joins clauses; Translation: and; Notes: coordinating connector.
  12. ait — Lemma: aio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: introduces speech; Translation: said; Notes: formulaic for divine speech.
  13. Hæc — Lemma: hic; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: object of dices; Translation: these things; Notes: anticipatory.
  14. dices — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative 2nd singular; Function: divine command; Translation: you shall say; Notes: future used imperatively.
  15. domui — Lemma: domus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative singular feminine; Function: indirect object; Translation: to the house; Notes: metaphor for Israel.
  16. Iacob — Lemma: Iacob; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessive; Translation: of Jacob; Notes: patriarchal designation.
  17. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: links two divine commands; Translation: and; Notes: parallels dices.
  18. annunciabis — Lemma: annuncio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative 2nd singular; Function: secondary divine command; Translation: you shall announce; Notes: parallels dices.
  19. filiis — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative plural masculine; Function: indirect object; Translation: to the sons; Notes: refers to Israelites.
  20. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: dependent genitive; Translation: of Israel; Notes: ethnic title.

 

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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