Exodus 2:7

Posted on February 21, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 2:7 Cui soror pueri: Vis, inquit, ut vadam, et vocem tibi mulierem Hebræam, quæ nutrire possit infantulum?

To whom the boy’s sister said: “Do you wish that I go and call for you a Hebrew woman who may be able to nurse the little child?”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Cui to whom DAT.SG REL
2 soror sister NOM.SG.F
3 pueri of the boy GEN.SG.M
4 Vis do you wish 2SG.PRES.ACT.IND
5 inquit she said 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
6 ut that CONJ
7 vadam I go 1SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
8 et and CONJ
9 vocem I call 1SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
10 tibi for you DAT.SG
11 mulierem a woman ACC.SG.F
12 Hebræam Hebrew ACC.SG.F
13 quæ who NOM.SG.F REL
14 nutrire to nurse PRES.ACT.INF
15 possit may be able 3SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
16 infantulum the little child ACC.SG.M

Syntax

Dative of Reference:
Cui soror pueri — “To whom the boy’s sister…” refers back to Pharaoh’s daughter.

Direct Speech:
Introduced by inquit.

Volitive Subjunctives in Indirect Question:
Vis … ut vadam et vocem — “Do you wish that I go and call…?”
• vadam and vocem = subjunctive verbs of the governed clause.

Relative Clause of Capability:
quæ nutrire possit infantulum — “who may be able to nurse the little child.”
• possit = potential subjunctive.

Function: Miriam offers to procure a Hebrew nurse—strategically enabling Moses’ own mother to nurse him.

Morphology

  1. Cui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: dative singular; Function: indirect object of “inquit”; Translation: “to whom”; Notes: Refers to Pharaoh’s daughter.
  2. soror — Lemma: soror; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject of “inquit”; Translation: “sister”; Notes: Miriam.
  3. pueri — Lemma: puer; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: modifies “soror”; Translation: “of the boy”; Notes: Moses.
  4. Vis — Lemma: volo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 2nd person singular present active indicative; Function: introduces indirect question; Translation: “do you wish”; Notes: Governs ut + subjunctive.
  5. inquit — Lemma: inquam; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular present active indicative; Function: introduces direct speech; Translation: “she said”; Notes: Parenthetic quotation formula.
  6. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces noun clause; Translation: “that”; Notes: Common with verbs of wishing.
  7. vadam — Lemma: vado; Part of Speech: verb; Form: first person singular present active subjunctive; Function: volitive in subordinate clause; Translation: “I go”; Notes: Motion verb.
  8. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: links coordinated subjunctives; Translation: “and”; Notes: —
  9. vocem — Lemma: voco; Part of Speech: verb; Form: first person singular present active subjunctive; Function: second subjunctive verb governed by ut; Translation: “I call”; Notes: Volitive nuance.
  10. tibi — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular; Function: indirect object; Translation: “for you”; Notes: Addressing Pharaoh’s daughter.
  11. mulierem — Lemma: mulier; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object of “vocem”; Translation: “a woman”; Notes: Refers to a nurse.
  12. Hebræam — Lemma: Hebraeus; Part of Speech: adjective functioning substantively; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: modifies “mulierem”; Translation: “Hebrew”; Notes: Ethnic specification.
  13. quæ — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: introduces relative clause; Translation: “who”; Notes: Refers to the prospective nurse.
  14. nutrire — Lemma: nutrio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active infinitive; Function: complement of “possit”; Translation: “to nurse”; Notes: Caring for an infant.
  15. possit — Lemma: possum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular present active subjunctive; Function: potential/purpose inside relative clause; Translation: “may be able”; Notes: Expresses capability.
  16. infantulum — Lemma: infantulus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of “nutrire”; Translation: “the little child”; Notes: Refers to 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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