Exodus 23:27

Posted on March 14, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 23:27 Terrorem meum mittam in præcursum tuum, et occidam omnem populum, ad quem ingredieris: cunctorumque inimicorum tuorum coram te terga vertam:

I will send My terror before you, and I will kill every people to whom you will go, and I will turn the backs of all your enemies before you;

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Terrorem terror ACC.SG.M NOUN 3RD DECL
2 meum my ACC.SG.M ADJ POSS
3 mittam I will send 1SG.FUT.ACT.IND
4 in into / in PREP+ACC
5 præcursum going-before / advance ACC.SG.M NOUN 4TH DECL
6 tuum your ACC.SG.M ADJ POSS
7 et and CONJ
8 occidam I will kill 1SG.FUT.ACT.IND
9 omnem every ACC.SG.M ADJ
10 populum people ACC.SG.M NOUN 2ND DECL
11 ad to / toward PREP+ACC
12 quem whom ACC.SG.M PRON REL
13 ingredieris you will go in 2SG.FUT.DEP.IND
14 cunctorumque and of all GEN.PL.M ADJ + ENCLITIC -QUE
15 inimicorum of enemies GEN.PL.M NOUN 2ND DECL
16 tuorum your GEN.PL.M ADJ POSS
17 coram before PREP+ABL
18 te you ABL.SG PRON PERS
19 terga backs ACC.PL.N NOUN 3RD DECL
20 vertam I will turn 1SG.FUT.ACT.IND

Syntax

Main Clause 1:
Terrorem meum mittam in præcursum tuum — “I will send my terror before you.”
• Terrorem meum = direct object.
• in præcursum tuum = prepositional phrase indicating advance action.

Main Clause 2:
et occidam omnem populum ad quem ingredieris — “and I will kill every people to whom you will go.”
• omnem populum = direct object.
• ad quem = relative clause marker.
• ingredieris = future deponent.

Main Clause 3:
cunctorumque inimicorum tuorum coram te terga vertam — “and I will turn the backs of all your enemies before you.”
• cunctorum inimicorum tuorum = dependent genitive.
• terga = direct object.
• coram te = ablative of presence.

Morphology

  1. Terrorem — Lemma: terror; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of mittam; Translation: terror; Notes: denotes divine dread sent ahead.
  2. meum — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: modifies terrorem; Translation: my; Notes: belongs to the LORD.
  3. mittam — Lemma: mitto; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative, first person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: I will send; Notes: divine initiative.
  4. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing accusative; Function: introduces goal; Translation: into; Notes: expresses direction.
  5. præcursum — Lemma: præcursus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine, fourth declension; Function: object of in; Translation: advance / going-before; Notes: figurative for divine vanguard.
  6. tuum — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: modifies præcursum; Translation: your; Notes: refers to Israel.
  7. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: links clauses; Translation: and; Notes: simple coordination.
  8. occidam — Lemma: occido; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative, first person singular; Function: main verb of second clause; Translation: I will kill; Notes: denotes divine judgment.
  9. omnem — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: modifies populum; Translation: every; Notes: totality.
  10. populum — Lemma: populus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object; Translation: people; Notes: foreign nations hostile to Israel.
  11. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces relative clause; Translation: to; Notes: movement.
  12. quem — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of ad; Translation: whom; Notes: relates back to populum.
  13. ingredieris — Lemma: ingredior; Part of Speech: verb (deponent); Form: future indicative, second person singular; Function: verb of relative clause; Translation: you will go in; Notes: deponent in meaning “enter.”
  14. cunctorumque — Lemma: cunctus + que; Part of Speech: adjective + enclitic conjunction; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: modifies inimicorum; Translation: and of all; Notes: enclitic connects with preceding clause.
  15. inimicorum — Lemma: inimicus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: dependent genitive; Translation: of enemies; Notes: denotes adversaries of Israel.
  16. tuorum — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: modifies inimicorum; Translation: your; Notes: belonging to Israel.
  17. coram — Lemma: coram; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses presence; Translation: before; Notes: denotes position.
  18. te — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: ablative singular; Function: object of coram; Translation: you; Notes: refers to Israel.
  19. terga — Lemma: tergum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: direct object of vertam; Translation: backs; Notes: symbolic of flight and defeat.
  20. vertam — Lemma: verto; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative, first person singular; Function: main verb of final clause; Translation: I will turn; Notes: expresses divine reversal of enemy strength.

 

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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