Exodus 2:23

Posted on February 21, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 2:23 Post multum vero tempore mortuus est rex Ægypti: et ingemiscentes filii Israel, propter opera vociferati sunt: ascenditque clamor eorum ad Deum ab operibus.

But after much time the king of Egypt died; and the sons of Israel, groaning because of the works, cried out, and their cry went up to God from the labors.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Post after PREP+ACC
2 multum much ACC.SG.N
3 vero indeed ADV
4 tempore time ABL.SG.N
5 mortuus died NOM.SG.M PERF.PTCP
6 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
7 rex king NOM.SG.M
8 Ægypti of Egypt GEN.SG.F
9 et and CONJ
10 ingemiscentes groaning NOM.PL.M PRES.ACT.PTCP
11 filii sons NOM.PL.M
12 Israel Israel GEN.SG.M (indecl.)
13 propter because of PREP+ACC
14 opera works ACC.PL.N
15 vociferati cried out NOM.PL.M PERF.PTCP
16 sunt they are 3PL.PRES.ACT.IND
17 ascenditque and went up 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND + -QUE
18 clamor cry NOM.SG.M
19 eorum their GEN.PL.M PRON
20 ad to PREP+ACC
21 Deum God ACC.SG.M
22 ab from PREP+ABL
23 operibus works ABL.PL.N

Syntax

Temporal Opening:
Post multum vero tempore mortuus est rex Ægypti — “After much time, the king of Egypt died.”
• Post + multum + tempore = idiomatic temporal phrase.
• mortuus est = perfect passive deponent (“he died”).

Groaning and Crying:
et ingemiscentes filii Israel — nominative absolute-like participial phrase.
propter opera vociferati sunt — “groaning… cried out because of the works.”
• ingemiscentes and vociferati sunt intensify hardship.

Result:
ascenditque clamor eorum ad Deum — “and their cry went up to God.”
• ad Deum marks direction of prayer.
• ab operibus = source: “from the labors” that oppressed them.

Morphology

  1. Post — Lemma: post; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces temporal phrase; Translation: “after”; Notes: Sets chronological shift.
  2. multum — Lemma: multus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: internal object of post; Translation: “much”; Notes: Adverbial accusative expressing extent.
  3. vero — Lemma: vero; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: connective; Translation: “indeed”; Notes: Adds nuance of narrative continuation.
  4. tempore — Lemma: tempus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: complements post multum; Translation: “time”; Notes: Ablative of specification.
  5. mortuus — Lemma: morior; Part of Speech: participle (deponent); Form: nominative singular masculine perfect; Function: with est, forms perfect tense; Translation: “died”; Notes: Deponent participle used as main predicate.
  6. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd singular present active indicative; Function: auxiliary; Translation: “is”; Notes: Completes periphrastic perfect.
  7. rex — Lemma: rex; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “king”; Notes: Refers to oppressive Pharaoh.
  8. Ægypti — Lemma: Ægyptus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: modifies rex; Translation: “of Egypt”; Notes: Locates rulership.
  9. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: connects clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Begins second narrative movement.
  10. ingemiscentes — Lemma: ingemisco; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative plural masculine present active; Function: circumstantial participle; Translation: “groaning”; Notes: Expresses ongoing suffering.
  11. filii — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject of vociferati sunt; Translation: “sons”; Notes: Collective term for Israel.
  12. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular masculine (indeclinable); Function: dependent genitive; Translation: “of Israel”; Notes: Standard biblical genitive of people.
  13. propter — Lemma: propter; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces cause; Translation: “because of”; Notes: Indicates reason for their cry.
  14. opera — Lemma: opus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: object of propter; Translation: “works”; Notes: Forced labor imposed by Egyptians.
  15. vociferati — Lemma: vociferor; Part of Speech: participle (deponent); Form: nominative plural masculine perfect; Function: predicate with sunt; Translation: “cried out”; Notes: Strong lament term.
  16. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd plural present active indicative; Function: auxiliary verb; Translation: “they are”; Notes: Forms perfect of deponent.
  17. ascenditque — Lemma: ascendo + -que; Part of Speech: verb + enclitic; Form: 3rd singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: “and went up”; Notes: Describes prayer rising to God.
  18. clamor — Lemma: clamor; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “cry”; Notes: Represents Israel’s lament.
  19. eorum — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive plural; Function: possessive; Translation: “their”; Notes: Refers back to Israel.
  20. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: indicates direction; Translation: “to”; Notes: Used for prayer directed to God.
  21. Deum — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of ad; Translation: “God”; Notes: Object of Israel’s appeal.
  22. ab — Lemma: ab; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses source; Translation: “from”; Notes: Used with nouns of origin.
  23. operibus — Lemma: opus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural neuter; Function: object of ab; Translation: “works”; Notes: Refers to oppressive labor.

 

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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