Exodus 20:2

Posted on March 11, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 20:2 Ego sum Dominus Deus tuus, qui eduxi te de Terra Ægypti, de domo servitutis.

“I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Ego I NOM.SG.PERS
2 sum am 1SG.PRES.ACT.IND
3 Dominus LORD NOM.SG.M 2ND DECL
4 Deus God NOM.SG.M 2ND DECL
5 tuus your NOM.SG.M POSS
6 qui who NOM.SG.M PRON.REL
7 eduxi I led out 1SG.PERF.ACT.IND
8 te you ACC.SG.PERS
9 de from PREP+ABL
10 Terra land ABL.SG.F 1ST DECL
11 Ægypti of Egypt GEN.SG.F INDECL
12 de from PREP+ABL
13 domo house ABL.SG.F 1ST DECL
14 servitutis of slavery GEN.SG.F 3RD DECL

Syntax

Main Clause: Ego (Subject) + sum (Verb) + Dominus Deus tuus (Predicate Nominative).

Relative Clause: qui (Subject) + eduxi (Verb) + te (Object).

Prepositional Phrases: de Terra Ægypti and de domo servitutis express the source of deliverance.

Morphology

  1. Ego — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: nominative singular; Function: subject; Translation: “I”; Notes: Explicit subject for emphasis.
  2. sum — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present indicative active first person singular; Function: linking verb; Translation: “am”; Notes: Introduces divine self-identification.
  3. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine, 2nd declension; Function: predicate nominative; Translation: “LORD”; Notes: Refers to YHWH, so translated “LORD.”
  4. Deus — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine, irregular 2nd declension; Function: apposition to Dominus; Translation: “God”; Notes: Reinforces divine identity.
  5. tuus — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: modifies Deus; Translation: “your”; Notes: Indicates covenant relationship.
  6. qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of the relative clause; Translation: “who”; Notes: Refers back to Dominus Deus tuus.
  7. eduxi — Lemma: educo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative active first person singular; Function: main verb of relative clause; Translation: “I brought out”; Notes: First person reinforces divine action.
  8. te — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: accusative singular; Function: direct object of eduxi; Translation: “you”; Notes: Refers to Yisraʾel collectively.
  9. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces ablative of source; Translation: “from”; Notes: Used twice in parallel expressions.
  10. Terra — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine, 1st declension; Function: object of de; Translation: “land”; Notes: Ablative indicating origin.
  11. Ægypti — Lemma: Ægyptus; Part of Speech: indeclinable proper noun; Form: genitive singular; Function: modifies Terra; Translation: “of Egypt”; Notes: Traditional Latin spelling.
  12. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces ablative of source; Translation: “from”; Notes: Repetition enhances parallelism.
  13. domo — Lemma: domus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine, irregular 4th/2nd declension pattern; Function: object of de; Translation: “house”; Notes: Ablative of origin.
  14. servitutis — Lemma: servitus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine, 3rd declension; Function: modifies domo; Translation: “of slavery”; Notes: Genitive specifying the kind of house.

 

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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