Exodus 2:13

Posted on February 21, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 2:13 Et egressus die altero conspexit duos Hebræos rixantes: dixitque ei qui faciebat iniuriam: Quare percutis proximum tuum?

And going out on the next day, he saw two Hebrews fighting, and he said to the one who was doing the injury: “Why do you strike your neighbor?”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Et and CONJ
2 egressus having gone out PERF.ACT.PART.NOM.SG.M (DEPONENT)
3 die day ABL.SG.M
4 altero the next ABL.SG.M ADJ
5 conspexit he saw 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
6 duos two ACC.PL.M NUM
7 Hebræos Hebrews ACC.PL.M
8 rixantes fighting PRES.ACT.PART.ACC.PL.M
9 dixitque and he said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND + -QUE
10 ei to him DAT.SG.M PRON
11 qui who NOM.SG.M REL
12 faciebat was doing 3SG.IMP.ACT.IND
13 iniuriam injury ACC.SG.F
14 Quare why ADV.INTERROGATIVE
15 percutis do you strike 2SG.PRES.ACT.IND
16 proximum neighbor ACC.SG.M
17 tuum your ACC.SG.M POSS

Syntax

Narrative Temporal Frame:
egressus die altero — “having gone out on the next day.”
• Ablative of time: die altero.
• egressus = perfect deponent participle.

Main Observation Clause:
conspexit duos Hebræos rixantes — “he saw two Hebrews fighting.”
• Object: duos Hebræos.
• Supplementary participle: rixantes describes ongoing conflict.

Speech Clause:
dixitque ei — “and he said to him.”

Relative Clause:
qui faciebat iniuriam — “who was doing the injury.”
• Imperfect tense shows continuous wrongdoing.

Direct Question:
Quare percutis proximum tuum? — “Why do you strike your neighbor?”
• Present tense percutis expresses current action.

Morphology

  1. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: links narrative events; Translation: “and”; Notes: Standard connective in biblical Latin.
  2. egressus — Lemma: egredior; Part of Speech: participle (deponent); Form: nominative singular masculine perfect active participle; Function: forms perfect with est (understood); Translation: “having gone out”; Notes: Deponent → active meaning though passive form.
  3. die — Lemma: dies; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: ablative of time; Translation: “day”; Notes: Specifies temporal setting.
  4. altero — Lemma: alter; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: modifies die; Translation: “the next”; Notes: Literal sense “the other (of two).”
  5. conspexit — Lemma: conspicio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd singular perfect active indicative; Function: main narrative verb; Translation: “he saw”; Notes: Perfect tense marks completed perception.
  6. duos — Lemma: duo; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: modifies Hebræos; Translation: “two”; Notes: Marks a pair of fighters.
  7. Hebræos — Lemma: Hebraeus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object of conspexit; Translation: “Hebrews”; Notes: Moses’ fellow Israelites.
  8. rixantes — Lemma: rixor; Part of Speech: participle; Form: accusative plural masculine present active participle; Function: describes Hebræos; Translation: “fighting”; Notes: Implies quarrelling or brawling.
  9. dixitque — Lemma: dico + -que; Part of Speech: verb + enclitic; Form: 3rd singular perfect active indicative; Function: introduces speech; Translation: “and he said”; Notes: -que binds it tightly to the previous narrative clause.
  10. ei — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to him”; Notes: Refers to the aggressor.
  11. qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of “faciebat”; Translation: “who”; Notes: Introduces identifying clause.
  12. faciebat — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd singular imperfect active indicative; Function: describes continuous harmful action; Translation: “was doing”; Notes: Imperfect shows ongoing wrongdoing.
  13. iniuriam — Lemma: iniuria; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object; Translation: “injury”; Notes: Indicates wrongdoing or assault.
  14. Quare — Lemma: quare; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces direct question; Translation: “why”; Notes: Often expresses moral rebuke.
  15. percutis — Lemma: percutio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 2nd singular present active indicative; Function: main verb of question; Translation: “do you strike”; Notes: Present tense indicates current action.
  16. proximum — Lemma: proximus; Part of Speech: adjective functioning as noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of percutis; Translation: “neighbor”; Notes: Denotes fellow Hebrew.
  17. tuum — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: modifies proximum; Translation: “your”; Notes: Emphasizes kinship obligation being violated.

 

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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