Exodus 24:4

Posted on March 15, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 24:4 Scripsit autem Moyses universos sermones Domini: et mane consurgens ædificavit altare ad radices montis, et duodecim titulos per duodecim tribus Israel.

And Moyses wrote all the words of the LORD; and rising early in the morning, he built an altar at the foot of the mountain, and twelve pillars for the twelve tribes of Israel.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Scripsit he wrote 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 autem however / and CONJ
3 Moyses Moses NOM.SG.M 2ND DECL
4 universos all ACC.PL.M ADJ
5 sermones words ACC.PL.M 3RD DECL
6 Domini of the LORD GEN.SG.M 2ND DECL
7 et and CONJ
8 mane in the morning ABL.SG.N INDECL
9 consurgens rising NOM.SG.M PTCP.PRES.ACT
10 ædificavit he built 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
11 altare altar ACC.SG.N 3RD DECL
12 ad at PREP+ACC
13 radices the foot ACC.PL.F 3RD DECL
14 montis of the mountain GEN.SG.M 3RD DECL
15 et and CONJ
16 duodecim twelve INDECL.NUM
17 titulos pillars ACC.PL.M 4TH DECL
18 per for PREP+ACC
19 duodecim twelve INDECL.NUM
20 tribus tribes ACC.PL.F 3RD DECL
21 Israel Israel ACC.SG.M INDECL

Syntax

Main Narrative Clause:
Scripsit autem Moyses universos sermones Domini — “And Moses wrote all the words of the LORD.”
• Scripsit = main verb.
• Moyses = subject.
• universos sermones Domini = object phrase.

Temporal Circumstance:
et mane consurgens — “and rising early in the morning.”
• Present participle expressing attendant circumstance.

Action Following:
ædificavit altare ad radices montis — “he built an altar at the foot of the mountain.”
• ad radices = accusative of place (toward/at the base).
• montis = genitive of the governed noun.

Additional Construction:
et duodecim titulos per duodecim tribus Israel —
“and twelve pillars for the twelve tribes of Israel.”
• per = distributive idiom “for each of.”
• tribus Israel = people represented by the pillars.

Morphology

  1. Scripsit — Lemma: scribo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative, 3rd singular; Function: main narrative verb; Translation: he wrote; Notes: records covenant stipulations.
  2. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: connective; Translation: however / and; Notes: postpositive usage.
  3. Moyses — Lemma: Moyses; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: Moses; Notes: leader and mediator.
  4. universos — Lemma: universus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: modifies sermones; Translation: all; Notes: totality of divine speech.
  5. sermones — Lemma: sermo; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine, third declension; Function: direct object; Translation: words; Notes: covenantal declarations.
  6. Domini — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessive genitive; Translation: of the LORD; Notes: refers to YHWH.
  7. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: joins clauses; Translation: and; Notes: simple coordination.
  8. mane — Lemma: mane; Part of Speech: adverbial noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: temporal circumstance; Translation: in the morning; Notes: indicates early action.
  9. consurgens — Lemma: consurgo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: present active participle, nominative singular masculine; Function: circumstantial participle; Translation: rising; Notes: simultaneous with main action.
  10. ædificavit — Lemma: ædifico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative, 3rd singular; Function: narrative verb; Translation: he built; Notes: ceremonial construction.
  11. altare — Lemma: altare; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter, third declension; Function: direct object; Translation: altar; Notes: sacrificial structure.
  12. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses location/direction; Translation: at; Notes: here = “at the foot of.”
  13. radices — Lemma: radix; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine, third declension; Function: destination/object of ad; Translation: the foot; Notes: literal “roots” of the mountain.
  14. montis — Lemma: mons; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine, third declension; Function: genitive complement; Translation: of the mountain; Notes: refers to Sinai.
  15. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: connects additional action; Translation: and; Notes: additive.
  16. duodecim — Lemma: duodecim; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: indeclinable; Function: quantifies titulos; Translation: twelve; Notes: number of tribes.
  17. titulos — Lemma: titulus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine, fourth declension; Function: direct object; Translation: pillars; Notes: structural markers representing tribes.
  18. per — Lemma: per; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: distributive; Translation: for; Notes: “one for each.”
  19. duodecim — Lemma: duodecim; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies tribus; Translation: twelve; Notes: repetition matches Latin.
  20. tribus — Lemma: tribus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine, third declension; Function: object of per; Translation: tribes; Notes: Israel’s twelve tribes.
  21. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine (indeclinable); Function: modifying tribus; Translation: Israel; Notes: per your confirmation, spelling left exactly as provided.

 

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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