Exodus 24:18

Posted on March 15, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 24:18 Ingressusque Moyses medium nebulæ, ascendit in montem: et fuit ibi quadraginta diebus, et quadraginta noctibus.

And Moyses, having entered the midst of the cloud, went up on the mountain; and he was there forty days and forty nights.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Ingressusque and having entered PTCP.PERF.ACT.NOM.SG.M + CONJ
2 Moyses Moses NOM.SG.M 3RD DECL
3 medium the midst ACC.SG.N 2ND DECL
4 nebulæ of the cloud GEN.SG.F 1ST DECL
5 ascendit he went up 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
6 in onto PREP+ACC
7 montem mountain ACC.SG.M 3RD DECL
8 et and CONJ
9 fuit he was 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
10 ibi there ADV
11 quadraginta forty INDECL.NUM
12 diebus days ABL.PL.M 5TH DECL
13 et and CONJ
14 quadraginta forty INDECL.NUM
15 noctibus nights ABL.PL.F 3RD DECL

Syntax

Participial Clause:
Ingressusque Moyses medium nebulæ —
“And Moses, having entered the midst of the cloud”
• Ingressusque = perfect active participle, circumstantial.
• medium nebulæ = object of the participle (“the midst of the cloud”).

Main Verb of First Clause:
ascendit in montem —
“he went up onto the mountain.”
• ascendit = perfect narrative verb.
• in montem = accusative expressing motion toward.

Second Main Clause:
et fuit ibi quadraginta diebus et quadraginta noctibus —
“and he was there forty days and forty nights.”
• fuit = perfect indicating completed duration.
• quadraginta diebus … noctibus = ablative of time.

Morphology

  1. Ingressusque — Lemma: ingredior; Part of Speech: participle + enclitic;
    Form: perfect active participle, nominative singular masculine; Function: circumstantial participle describing prior action;
    Translation: and having entered; Notes: -que links the action to the previous verse.
  2. Moyses — Lemma: Moyses; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine;
    Function: subject; Translation: Moses; Notes: Greek-type declension.
  3. medium — Lemma: medium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter, second declension;
    Function: object of ingressus; Translation: the midst; Notes: governs the genitive nebulæ.
  4. nebulæ — Lemma: nebula; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine;
    Function: genitive of the whole; Translation: of the cloud; Notes: divine cloud of Theophany.
  5. ascendit — Lemma: ascendo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative, 3rd singular;
    Function: main verb; Translation: he went up; Notes: simple narrative perfect.
  6. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative;
    Function: expresses motion; Translation: onto; Notes: movement toward Sinai.
  7. montem — Lemma: mons; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine, third declension;
    Function: object of in; Translation: mountain; Notes: Sinai.
  8. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable;
    Function: links clauses; Translation: and; Notes: simple connector.
  9. fuit — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative, 3rd singular;
    Function: main verb of second clause; Translation: he was; Notes: perfect used for past state with duration.
  10. ibi — Lemma: ibi; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable;
    Function: locative; Translation: there; Notes: indicates place.
  11. quadraginta — Lemma: quadraginta; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: invariable;
    Function: modifies diebus; Translation: forty; Notes: cardinal number.
  12. diebus — Lemma: dies; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural masculine, fifth declension;
    Function: ablative of time; Translation: days; Notes: duration.
  13. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable;
    Function: connects parallel temporal elements; Translation: and; Notes: symmetry with next phrase.
  14. quadraginta — Lemma: quadraginta; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: invariable;
    Function: modifies noctibus; Translation: forty; Notes: repeated for emphasis.
  15. noctibus — Lemma: nox; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural feminine, third declension;
    Function: ablative of time; Translation: nights; Notes: parallel to diebus.

 

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.
This entry was posted in Exodus. Bookmark the permalink.

Comments are closed.