Exodus 2:16

Posted on February 21, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 2:16 Erant autem sacerdoti Madian septem filiæ, quæ venerunt ad hauriendam aquam: et impletis canalibus adaquare cupiebant greges patris sui.

Now the priest of Madian had seven daughters, who came to draw water; and after the channels were filled, they wished to water the flocks of their father.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Erant there were 3PL.IMP.ACT.IND
2 autem however / now ADV
3 sacerdoti to the priest DAT.SG.M
4 Madian Midian GEN.SG.F PROPER
5 septem seven INDECL.NUM
6 filiæ daughters NOM.PL.F
7 quæ who NOM.PL.F REL
8 venerunt came 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
9 ad to PREP+ACC
10 hauriendam to draw GERUNDIVE.ACC.SG.F
11 aquam water ACC.SG.F
12 et and CONJ
13 impletis after filling ABL.PL.N PERF.PASS.PART
14 canalibus channels ABL.PL.M
15 adaquare to water PRES.ACT.INF
16 cupiebant they wished 3PL.IMP.ACT.IND
17 greges flocks ACC.PL.M
18 patris of their father GEN.SG.M
19 sui their (own) GEN.SG.M REFLEX

Syntax

Main Clause:
Erant autem sacerdoti Madian septem filiæ
• Dative of possession: sacerdoti Madian = “the priest of Midian had…”
• Subject: septem filiæ.

Relative Clause:
quæ venerunt ad hauriendam aquam
• Purpose construction: ad + gerundive = “to draw water.”
• quæ refers back to the seven daughters.

Ablative Absolute:
impletis canalibus — “after the channels were filled.”
• Expresses circumstance prior to their next action.

Complementary Infinitive Construction:
adaquare cupiebant greges patris sui
• Main verb: cupiebant.
• Complementary infinitive: adaquare.
• Object: greges.
• Possessor: patris sui — reflexive, referring to the priest.

Morphology

  1. Erant — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd plural imperfect active indicative; Function: existential verb; Translation: “there were”; Notes: Introduces the household of the Midianite priest.
  2. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: adverb/conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: connective particle; Translation: “however / now”; Notes: Shifts narrative focus to Midian.
  3. sacerdoti — Lemma: sacerdos; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: dative of possession; Translation: “to the priest”; Notes: Establishes owner of the daughters.
  4. Madian — Lemma: Madian; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: modifies sacerdoti; Translation: “of Midian”; Notes: Identifies region/ethnic affiliation.
  5. septem — Lemma: septem; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies filiæ; Translation: “seven”; Notes: Cardinal numbers typically indeclinable.
  6. filiæ — Lemma: filia; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural feminine; Function: subject; Translation: “daughters”; Notes: Introduces characters central to upcoming narrative.
  7. quæ — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative plural feminine; Function: subject of venerunt; Translation: “who”; Notes: Links daughters to subsequent action.
  8. venerunt — Lemma: venio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd plural perfect active indicative; Function: main verb of clause; Translation: “they came”; Notes: Perfect marks a completed arrival.
  9. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: purpose; Translation: “to”; Notes: Introduces goal phrase.
  10. hauriendam — Lemma: haurio; Part of Speech: gerundive; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: expresses purpose with ad; Translation: “to draw”; Notes: Gerundive agrees with aquam.
  11. aquam — Lemma: aqua; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of hauriendam; Translation: “water”; Notes: Typical well-setting activity.
  12. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: links clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Simple connector.
  13. impletis — Lemma: impleo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: ablative plural neuter perfect passive participle; Function: ablative absolute; Translation: “having been filled”; Notes: Marks completed preparatory action.
  14. canalibus — Lemma: canalis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: object in ablative absolute; Translation: “channels”; Notes: Troughs for watering animals.
  15. adaquare — Lemma: adaquo; Part of Speech: verb (infinitive); Form: present active infinitive; Function: complementary to cupiebant; Translation: “to water”; Notes: Indicates intended action.
  16. cupiebant — Lemma: cupio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd plural imperfect active indicative; Function: main verb of desire; Translation: “they wished”; Notes: Imperfect shows ongoing intent.
  17. greges — Lemma: grex; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object of adaquare; Translation: “flocks”; Notes: Belong to their father.
  18. patris — Lemma: pater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessive genitive; Translation: “of the father”; Notes: Specifies owner of the flocks.
  19. sui — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: reflexive adjective/pronoun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: agrees with patris; Translation: “their own”; Notes: Reflexive — refers back to the daughters.

 

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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