Exodus 2:10

Posted on February 21, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 2:10 Quem illa adoptavit in locum filii, vocavitque nomen eius Moyses, dicens: Quia de aqua tuli eum.

Whom she adopted in place of a son, and she called his name Moyses, saying: “Because I took him from the water.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Quem whom ACC.SG.M REL
2 illa she NOM.SG.F DEM
3 adoptavit adopted 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
4 in in PREP+ACC
5 locum place ACC.SG.M
6 filii of a son GEN.SG.M
7 vocavitque and she called 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND + -QUE
8 nomen name ACC.SG.N
9 eius his GEN.SG
10 Moyses Moses NOM.SG.M
11 dicens saying PRES.ACT.PART.NOM.SG.F
12 Quia because CONJ
13 de from PREP+ABL
14 aqua water ABL.SG.F
15 tuli I took 1SG.PERF.ACT.IND
16 eum him ACC.SG.M

Syntax

Relative Clause:
Quem illa adoptavit in locum filii — “whom she adopted in place of a son.”
• quem = object of adoptavit.
• in locum filii = idiomatic substitution phrase (“as a son”).

Main Clause:
vocavitque nomen eius Moyses — “and she called his name Moses.”
• -que joins adoption and naming tightly.
• Predicate nominative: Moyses.

Participial Clause:
dicens — introduces her explanation.

Causal Clause:
Quia de aqua tuli eum — “because I took him from the water.”
• tuli = 1st person perfect; Pharaoh’s daughter speaking.

Morphology

  1. Quem — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of “adoptavit”; Translation: “whom”; Notes: Refers specifically to the infant Moses.
  2. illa — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject of verbs; Translation: “she”; Notes: Emphatic demonstrative highlighting Pharaoh’s daughter.
  3. adoptavit — Lemma: adoptare; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb of relative clause; Translation: “adopted”; Notes: Indicates legal relational elevation of Moses.
  4. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: forms idiom “in locum”; Translation: “in / into”; Notes: Marks substitution of family role.
  5. locum — Lemma: locus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of in; Translation: “place”; Notes: Part of fixed phrase “in place of.”
  6. filii — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: genitive of relation; Translation: “of a son”; Notes: Defines the substituted role.
  7. vocavitque — Lemma: voco + -que; Part of Speech: verb + enclitic; Form: 3rd singular perfect active indicative; Function: introduces naming action; Translation: “and she called”; Notes: -que tightly links narrative events.
  8. nomen — Lemma: nomen; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object; Translation: “name”; Notes: Typical object in naming formula.
  9. eius — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive singular; Function: possessive; Translation: “his”; Notes: Refers to Moses.
  10. Moyses — Lemma: Moyses; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: predicate nominative; Translation: “Moses”; Notes: Reflects Hebrew Mosheh, associated with “drawing out.”
  11. dicens — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular feminine present active participle; Function: introduces quoted explanation; Translation: “saying”; Notes: Modifies illa; marks her spoken reason.
  12. Quia — Lemma: quia; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces causal clause; Translation: “because”; Notes: Provides etymological rationale for the name.
  13. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: marks origin/separation; Translation: “from”; Notes: Emphasizes extraction from danger.
  14. aqua — Lemma: aqua; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of de; Translation: “water”; Notes: Refers to the Nile, source of both threat and rescue.
  15. tuli — Lemma: fero; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 1st singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb of causal clause; Translation: “I took / drew out”; Notes: Pharaoh’s daughter speaks personally; verb relates to name “Moses.”
  16. eum — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of tuli; Translation: “him”; Notes: Refers to the rescued child Moses.

 

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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