Exodus 3:4

Posted on February 22, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 3:4 Cernens autem Dominus quod pergeret ad videndum, vocavit eum de medio rubi, et ait: Moyses, Moyses. Qui respondit: Adsum.

But the LORD, seeing that he was going forward to see, called him from the midst of the bush and said: “Moyses, Moyses.” And he answered: “Here I am.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Cernens seeing PRES.ACT.PTCP.NOM.SG.M
2 autem however ADV
3 Dominus LORD NOM.SG.M
4 quod that CONJ
5 pergeret was going forward 3SG.IMP.ACT.SUBJ
6 ad to PREP+ACC
7 videndum to see GERUND.ACC
8 vocavit called 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
9 eum him ACC.SG.M PRON
10 de from PREP+ABL
11 medio midst ABL.SG.N
12 rubi of the bush GEN.SG.M
13 et and CONJ
14 ait said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
15 Moyses Moses VOC.SG.M PROPER
16 Moyses Moses VOC.SG.M PROPER
17 Qui who NOM.SG.M REL
18 respondit answered 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
19 Adsum I am here 1SG.PRES.ACT.IND

Syntax

Participial Temporal Frame:
Cernens autem Dominus quod pergeret ad videndum — “But the LORD, seeing that he was going forward to see…”
• Cernens = circumstantial participle modifying Dominus.
• Dominus = subject (YHWH).
• quod pergeret ad videndum = object clause describing what the LORD perceived.
• pergeret = subjunctive in indirect statement, “was proceeding.”
• ad videndum = purpose gerund.

Main Action:
vocavit eum de medio rubi — “he called him from the midst of the bush.”
• vocavit = main verb.
• eum = direct object (“him,” Moses).
• de medio rubi = source of the divine voice.

Direct Speech:
et ait: Moyses, Moyses.
• Vocative repetition expresses urgency and intimacy.

Relative Clause + Response:
Qui respondit: Adsum.
• Qui = “who,” referring to Moses.
• Adsum = traditional response of readiness (“Here I am”).

Morphology

  1. Cernens — Lemma: cerno; Part of Speech: participle; Form: present active participle nominative singular masculine; Function: circumstantial participle modifying Dominus; Translation: “seeing”; Notes: Depicts divine awareness preceding speech.
  2. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: adverb/conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: mild adversative; Translation: “however/now”; Notes: Marks narrative shift.
  3. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “LORD”; Notes: Refers to YHWH, per your translation rule.
  4. quod — Lemma: quod; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces object clause; Translation: “that”; Notes: Not relative but subordinating.
  5. pergeret — Lemma: pergo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd singular imperfect active subjunctive; Function: verb of indirect statement; Translation: “was going forward”; Notes: Imperfect + subjunctive expresses ongoing action perceived.
  6. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: takes accusative; Function: introduces purpose phrase; Translation: “to”; Notes: Very common with gerunds.
  7. videndum — Lemma: video; Part of Speech: gerund; Form: accusative singular; Function: purpose construction after ad; Translation: “to see”; Notes: Expresses Moses’ intent of observation.
  8. vocavit — Lemma: voco; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb of divine speech; Translation: “called”; Notes: Signals an authoritative summons.
  9. eum — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object; Translation: “him”; Notes: Refers to Moses.
  10. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses origin; Translation: “from”; Notes: Standard spatial source marker.
  11. medio — Lemma: medium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: object of de; Translation: “midst”; Notes: Emphasizes inner point of origin of the voice.
  12. rubi — Lemma: rubus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: modifies medio; Translation: “of the bush”; Notes: Identifies the miraculous shrub.
  13. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: coordinates actions; Translation: “and”; Notes: Introduces direct speech.
  14. ait — Lemma: aio; Part of Speech: defective verb; Form: 3rd singular perfect active indicative; Function: verb of speaking; Translation: “said”; Notes: Used commonly in narrative speech introductions.
  15. Moyses — Lemma: Moyses; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: vocative singular masculine; Function: vocative of address; Translation: “Moses”; Notes: Repeated for emphasis and urgency.
  16. Moyses — Lemma: Moyses; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: vocative singular masculine; Function: repetition for emphasis; Translation: “Moses”; Notes: Doubling expresses divine insistence.
  17. Qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: introduces relative clause; Translation: “who”; Notes: Refers to Moses responding.
  18. respondit — Lemma: respondeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb of relative clause; Translation: “answered”; Notes: Formal narrative reply verb.
  19. Adsum — Lemma: adsum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 1st singular present active indicative; Function: response formula; Translation: “Here I am”; Notes: Traditional biblical response of readiness and availability.

 

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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