Exodus 3:8

Posted on February 22, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 3:8 et sciens dolorem eius, descendi ut liberem eum de manibus Ægyptiorum, et educam de terra illa in terram bonam, et spatiosam, in terram quæ fluit lacte et melle, ad loca Chananæi, et Hethæi, et Amorrhæi, et Pherezæi, et Hevæi, et Iebusæi.

and knowing his affliction, I have come down to free him from the hands of the Egyptians, and I will bring him out from that land into a good and spacious land, into a land which flows with milk and honey, to the places of the Chananite, and the Hethite, and the Amorrhite, and the Pherezite, and the Hevite, and the Jebusite.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 et and CONJ
2 sciens knowing PRES.ACT.PTCP.NOM.SG.M
3 dolorem affliction ACC.SG.M
4 eius of him GEN.SG PRON
5 descendi I have come down 1SG.PERF.ACT.IND
6 ut that / in order that SUB.CONJ
7 liberem I may free 1SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
8 eum him ACC.SG.M PRON
9 de from PREP+ABL
10 manibus hands ABL.PL.F
11 Ægyptiorum of the Egyptians GEN.PL.M
12 et and CONJ
13 educam I will bring out 1SG.FUT.ACT.IND
14 de from PREP+ABL
15 terra land ABL.SG.F
16 illa that ABL.SG.F DEM
17 in into PREP+ACC
18 terram land ACC.SG.F
19 bonam good ACC.SG.F ADJ
20 et and CONJ
21 spatiosam spacious ACC.SG.F ADJ
22 in into PREP+ACC
23 terram land ACC.SG.F
24 quæ which NOM.SG.F REL
25 fluit flows 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
26 lacte with milk ABL.SG.N
27 et and CONJ
28 melle with honey ABL.SG.N
29 ad to PREP+ACC
30 loca places ACC.PL.N
31 Chananæi of the Canaanite GEN.SG.M PROPER
32 et and CONJ
33 Hethæi of the Hittite GEN.SG.M PROPER
34 et and CONJ
35 Amorrhæi of the Amorrite GEN.SG.M PROPER
36 et and CONJ
37 Pherezæi of the Perizzite GEN.SG.M PROPER
38 et and CONJ
39 Hevæi of the Hivite GEN.SG.M PROPER
40 et and CONJ
41 Iebusæi of the Jebusite GEN.SG.M PROPER

Syntax

Participial Frame and Main Verb:
et sciens dolorem eius, descendi — “and knowing his affliction, I have come down”
• sciens = circumstantial participle, describing divine awareness.
• dolorem eius = object of the participle, the people’s suffering.
• descendi = perfect, main finite verb (“I have come down”).

Purpose Clause:
ut liberem eum de manibus Ægyptiorum — “in order that I may free him from the hands of the Egyptians”
• ut + subjunctive (liberem) = purpose.
• eum = object (the people represented as a collective “him”).
• de manibus Ægyptiorum = ablative of separation with de.

Second Coordinated Purpose / Result:
et educam de terra illa in terram bonam et spatiosam — “and I will bring him out from that land into a good and spacious land”
• educam = future, coordinated with liberem but indicating subsequent action.
• de terra illa = source.
• in terram bonam et spatiosam = goal, with two descriptive adjectives.

Relative Description of the Land:
in terram quæ fluit lacte et melle — “into a land which flows with milk and honey”
• quæ = relative pronoun referring back to terram.
• fluit lacte et melle = vivid idiom of abundance (ablatives with verb of “flowing”).

Destination Phrase with Ethnic Genitives:
ad loca Chananæi, et Hethæi, et Amorrhæi, et Pherezæi, et Hevæi, et Iebusæi — “to the places of the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Amorrite, and the Perizzite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite”
• ad loca = directional phrase (“to the places”).
• Series of genitives in apposition defining whose territories these are.

Morphology

  1. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: links this clause to the preceding revelation; Translation: “and”; Notes: Simple coordinator introducing an additional divine action.
  2. sciens — Lemma: scio; Part of Speech: participle; Form: present active participle nominative singular masculine; Function: circumstantial participle agreeing with the implied divine speaker; Translation: “knowing”; Notes: Expresses ongoing divine awareness as the basis for intervention.
  3. dolorem — Lemma: dolor; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of sciens; Translation: “affliction”; Notes: Refers to the suffering experienced by the people.
  4. eius — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive singular; Function: possessive genitive modifying dolorem; Translation: “of him”; Notes: Grammatically singular but contextually refers to the people collectively.
  5. descendi — Lemma: descendo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 1st person singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb of the divine statement; Translation: “I have come down”; Notes: Perfect highlights completed descent with present relevance.
  6. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: subordinating conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces a purpose clause; Translation: “that / in order that”; Notes: Standard marker for positive purpose with the subjunctive.
  7. liberem — Lemma: libero; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 1st person singular present active subjunctive; Function: verb of the purpose clause; Translation: “I may free”; Notes: Subjunctive required after ut to express intended action.
  8. eum — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of liberem (and implicitly educam); Translation: “him”; Notes: Refers to the people as a single collective entity.
  9. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses separation or source; Translation: “from”; Notes: Common with verbs of freeing or removing.
  10. manibus — Lemma: manus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural feminine; Function: object of de; Translation: “hands”; Notes: Ablative of separation, marking those from whom Israel is freed.
  11. Ægyptiorum — Lemma: Ægyptius; Part of Speech: noun/adjective used substantively; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: modifies manibus; Translation: “of the Egyptians”; Notes: Genitive specifies whose hands exercise oppressive control.
  12. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: coordinates a second divine action; Translation: “and”; Notes: Links deliverance with subsequent relocation.
  13. educam — Lemma: educo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 1st person singular future active indicative; Function: main verb of the second coordinated clause; Translation: “I will bring out”; Notes: Future tense looks ahead to the actual exodus from the land.
  14. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: indicates origin; Translation: “from”; Notes: Again marks separation, now from a geographical territory.
  15. terra — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of de; Translation: “land”; Notes: Refers to Egypt as the place of bondage.
  16. illa — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: demonstrative adjective; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: modifies terra; Translation: “that”; Notes: Deictic, contrasting the current land with the promised one.
  17. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses motion toward; Translation: “into”; Notes: With accusative indicates direction rather than location.
  18. terram — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of in; Translation: “land”; Notes: The goal of the people’s relocation.
  19. bonam — Lemma: bonus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: modifies terram; Translation: “good”; Notes: Qualifies the land by moral or material goodness.
  20. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: joins coordinated adjectives; Translation: “and”; Notes: Links two descriptive qualities of the land.
  21. spatiosam — Lemma: spatiosus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: modifies terram; Translation: “spacious”; Notes: Highlights abundance of space as part of the blessing.
  22. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses motion toward; Translation: “into”; Notes: Repeated to mark a second description of the same destination.
  23. terram — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of in; Translation: “land”; Notes: Restated to introduce the relative clause that follows.
  24. quæ — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject of fluit, referring back to terram; Translation: “which”; Notes: Initiates a descriptive relative clause.
  25. fluit — Lemma: fluo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular present active indicative; Function: main verb of the relative clause; Translation: “flows”; Notes: Present tense paints the land’s abundance as a characteristic state.
  26. lacte — Lemma: lac; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: ablative of means or content with fluit; Translation: “with milk”; Notes: Part of the stock expression for fertility and prosperity.
  27. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: coordinates the second ablative; Translation: “and”; Notes: Joins the two elements of the idiom.
  28. melle — Lemma: mel; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: ablative of means or content with fluit; Translation: “with honey”; Notes: Completes the “milk and honey” expression of agricultural richness.
  29. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: indicates direction; Translation: “to”; Notes: Marks the final destination after deliverance.
  30. loca — Lemma: locus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: object of ad; Translation: “places”; Notes: Refers to territories or dwelling regions of the listed peoples.
  31. Chananæi — Lemma: Chananæus; Part of Speech: proper noun (gentilic); Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: genitive dependent on loca; Translation: “of the Canaanite”; Notes: Identifies one of the resident nations whose land will be occupied.
  32. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: links the successive genitives; Translation: “and”; Notes: Coordinates the list of nations.
  33. Hethæi — Lemma: Hethæus; Part of Speech: proper noun (gentilic); Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: genitive with loca; Translation: “of the Hittite”; Notes: Second nation in the territorial list.
  34. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: continues the coordinated list; Translation: “and”; Notes: Simple additive connector.
  35. Amorrhæi — Lemma: Amorrhæus; Part of Speech: proper noun (gentilic); Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: genitive with loca; Translation: “of the Amorrite”; Notes: Another ethnic group inhabiting the promised region.
  36. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: further coordination; Translation: “and”; Notes: Keeps the list syntactically parallel.
  37. Pherezæi — Lemma: Pherezæus; Part of Speech: proper noun (gentilic); Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: genitive with loca; Translation: “of the Perizzite”; Notes: Part of the traditional catalog of Canaanite peoples.
  38. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: continues the series; Translation: “and”; Notes: Maintains rhythmic listing style.
  39. Hevæi — Lemma: Hevæus; Part of Speech: proper noun (gentilic); Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: genitive with loca; Translation: “of the Hivite”; Notes: Another resident nation in the land.
  40. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces the final item; Translation: “and”; Notes: Signals the last element of the coordinated list.
  41. Iebusæi — Lemma: Iebusæus; Part of Speech: proper noun (gentilic); Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: genitive with loca; Translation: “of the Jebusite”; Notes: Final nation listed, associated especially with Jerusalem’s region.

 

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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