Exodus 3:20

Posted on February 22, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 3:20 Extendam enim manum meam, et percutiam Ægyptum in cunctis mirabilibus meis, quæ facturus sum in medio eorum: post hæc dimittet vos.

For I will stretch out my hand, and I will strike Egypt with all my wonders that I will do in the midst of them; after these things he will release you.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Extendam I will stretch out 1SG.FUT.ACT.IND
2 enim for ADV
3 manum hand ACC.SG.F
4 meam my ACC.SG.F.ADJ
5 et and CONJ
6 percutiam I will strike 1SG.FUT.ACT.IND
7 Ægyptum Egypt ACC.SG.F
8 in in PREP+ABL
9 cunctis all ABL.PL.N
10 mirabilibus wonders ABL.PL.N
11 meis my ABL.PL.N.ADJ
12 quæ which NOM.PL.N.REL
13 facturus about to do FUT.ACT.PTCP.NOM.SG.M
14 sum I am 1SG.PRES.ACT.IND
15 in in PREP+ABL
16 medio midst ABL.SG.N
17 eorum of them GEN.PL.PRON
18 post after PREP+ACC
19 hæc these things ACC.PL.N
20 dimittet he will release 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND
21 vos you ACC.PL.PRON

Syntax

Main Divine Action:
Extendam enim manum meam — “For I will stretch out my hand.”
• Extendam = future indicative of divine intervention.
• manum meam = idiom for divine power.

Second Action:
et percutiam Ægyptum — “and I will strike Egypt.”
• percutiam continues the future action.
• Ægyptum = direct object.

Means / Manner Phrase:
in cunctis mirabilibus meis — “with all my wonders.”
• in + ablative = means/instrument.
• mirabilibus = miracles / acts of power.

Relative Clause:
quæ facturus sum — “which I am about to do.”
• facturus = future active participle expressing imminence.
• sum completes periphrastic future.

Locative Phrase:
in medio eorum — “in the midst of them.”
• Describes where miracles will occur.

Result / Sequence:
post hæc dimittet vos — “after these things he will release you.”
• dimittet = Pharaoh’s eventual action.
• vos = direct object.

Morphology

  1. Extendam — Lemma: extendo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 1st singular future active indicative; Function: main divine action; Translation: “I will stretch out”; Notes: Introduces divine intervention.
  2. enim — Lemma: enim; Part of Speech: adverb/conjunction; Form: postpositive; Function: offers explanation; Translation: “for”; Notes: Never stands first in clause.
  3. manum — Lemma: manus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of extendam; Translation: “hand”; Notes: Symbolic of power.
  4. meam — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: modifies manum; Translation: “my”; Notes: Possessive emphasis.
  5. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: joins actions; Translation: “and”; Notes: Simple connective.
  6. percutiam — Lemma: percutio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 1st singular future active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: “I will strike”; Notes: Parallel to extendam.
  7. Ægyptum — Lemma: Ægyptus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object; Translation: “Egypt”; Notes: Retains ligature Æ as required.
  8. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses means; Translation: “in/with”; Notes: Classical and biblical usage.
  9. cunctis — Lemma: cunctus; Part of Speech: adjective/pronoun; Form: ablative plural neuter; Function: modifies mirabilibus; Translation: “all”; Notes: Stronger than omnis.
  10. mirabilibus — Lemma: miraculum/mirabile; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural neuter; Function: object of in; Translation: “wonders”; Notes: Refers to the plagues.
  11. meis — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative plural neuter; Function: modifies mirabilibus; Translation: “my”; Notes: Possessive.
  12. quæ — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative plural neuter; Function: introduces relative clause; Translation: “which”; Notes: Refers to miracles.
  13. facturus — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: participle; Form: future active participle nominative singular masculine; Function: part of periphrastic future; Translation: “about to do”; Notes: Indicates impending action.
  14. sum — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 1st singular present active indicative; Function: auxiliary; Translation: “I am”; Notes: Completes periphrastic form.
  15. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: indicates location; Translation: “in”; Notes: Spatial reference.
  16. medio — Lemma: medium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: object of in; Translation: “midst”; Notes: Can be locative expression.
  17. eorum — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive plural; Function: modifies medio; Translation: “of them”; Notes: Refers to Egyptians.
  18. post — Lemma: post; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: marks succession; Translation: “after”; Notes: Temporal.
  19. hæc — Lemma: hic; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: object of post; Translation: “these things”; Notes: Refers to miracles.
  20. dimittet — Lemma: dimitto; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd singular future active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: “he will release”; Notes: Refers to Pharaoh.
  21. vos — Lemma: vos; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative plural; Function: direct object; Translation: “you”; Notes: Refers to Israel.

 

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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