Exodus 32:12

Posted on March 23, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

12 Ne quæso dicant Ægyptii: Callide eduxit eos, ut interficeret in montibus, et deleret e terra: quiescat ira tua, et esto placabilis super nequitia populi tui.

Let not, I beg, the Egyptians say: ‘He brought them out deceitfully, to kill them in the mountains and to destroy them from the land.’ Let Your wrath rest, and be appeased concerning the wickedness of Your people.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Ne lest ADV/CONJ INDECL
2 quæso I beg 1SG.PRES.ACT.IND IRREG
3 dicant may say 3PL.PRES.SUBJ.ACT 3RD CONJ
4 Ægyptii the Egyptians NOM.PL.M NOUN 2ND DECL
5 Callide deceitfully ADV INDECL
6 eduxit he brought out 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND 3RD CONJ
7 eos them ACC.PL.M PRON PERS
8 ut to / in order to CONJ SUBORD INDECL
9 interficeret might kill 3SG.IMP.SUBJ.ACT 3RD CONJ
10 in in PREP+ABL INDECL
11 montibus the mountains ABL.PL.M NOUN 3RD DECL
12 et and CONJ INDECL
13 deleret might destroy 3SG.IMP.SUBJ.ACT 2ND CONJ
14 e from PREP+ABL INDECL
15 terra the land ABL.SG.F NOUN 1ST DECL
16 quiescat let rest 3SG.PRES.SUBJ.ACT 1ST CONJ
17 ira wrath NOM.SG.F NOUN 1ST DECL
18 tua your NOM.SG.F POSS.ADJK
19 et and CONJ INDECL
20 esto be 2SG.FUT.ACT.IMP IRREG
21 placabilis appeased NOM.SG.M/F ADJ POS
22 super concerning PREP+ACC INDECL
23 nequitia wickedness ABL.SG.F NOUN 1ST DECL
24 populi of the people GEN.SG.M NOUN 2ND DECL
25 tui your GEN.SG.M POSS.ADJK

Syntax

Prohibitive Appeal:
Ne quæso dicant Ægyptii — “Let not, I beg, the Egyptians say…”
quæso strengthens the emotional plea.

Quoted Accusation (Direct Speech):
Callide eduxit eos — alleged divine deceit.
Two coordinated ut-clauses express the supposed malignant purposes:

• ut interficeret in montibus — “to kill them in the mountains.”
• et deleret e terra — “and to destroy them from the land.”

Imperative of Appeal:
quiescat ira tua — jussive subjunctive: “let your wrath rest.”

Future Imperative:
esto placabilis — “be appeased,” very strong command/request form.

Prepositional Expression:
super nequitia populi tui — “concerning the wickedness of your people.”

Morphology

  1. Ne — Lemma: ne; Part of Speech: negative adverb/conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces negative wish; Translation: lest; Notes: used with subjunctive dicant.
  2. quæso — Lemma: quæso; Part of Speech: verb; Form: first singular present active indicative; Function: parenthetical plea; Translation: I beg; Notes: emphasizes Moses’ supplication.
  3. dicant — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third plural present subjunctive active; Function: verb of negative purpose/wish; Translation: may say; Notes: subjunctive required by ne.
  4. Ægyptii — Lemma: Ægyptius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject of dicant; Translation: the Egyptians; Notes: external observers whose interpretation Moses fears.
  5. Callide — Lemma: callidus; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: adverbial modifier; Translation: deceitfully; Notes: expresses the alleged divine motive.
  6. eduxit — Lemma: educo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third singular perfect active indicative; Function: verb of accusation; Translation: he brought out; Notes: falsely portrays God as malicious.
  7. eos — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object of eduxit; Translation: them; Notes: Israel as referent.
  8. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces purpose clause; Translation: to; Notes: governs subjunctive verbs interficeret, deleret.
  9. interficeret — Lemma: interficio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third singular imperfect subjunctive active; Function: expresses alleged malicious purpose; Translation: might kill; Notes: imperfect emphasizes potential repeated/intended action.
  10. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: locative; Translation: in; Notes: indicates location “in the mountains.”
  11. montibus — Lemma: mons; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: object of in; Translation: mountains; Notes: wilderness setting.
  12. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: joins parallel purpose clauses; Translation: and; Notes: tightly binds accusations.
  13. deleret — Lemma: deleo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third singular imperfect subjunctive active; Function: second part of maligned purpose; Translation: might destroy; Notes: used for complete annihilation.
  14. e — Lemma: e; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses removal; Translation: from; Notes: variant of ex.
  15. terra — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: complement of e; Translation: the land; Notes: implied “from the face of the earth.”
  16. quiescat — Lemma: quiesco; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third singular present subjunctive active; Function: jussive; Translation: let rest; Notes: plea for the cessation of wrath.
  17. ira — Lemma: ira; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject of quiescat; Translation: wrath; Notes: divine anger personified.
  18. tua — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: modifies ira; Translation: your; Notes: addressed directly to YHWH.
  19. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: links two petitions; Translation: and; Notes: connects parallel imperatives.
  20. esto — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second singular future imperative active; Function: strong exhortation; Translation: be; Notes: future imperative often used for solemn commands or pleas.
  21. placabilis — Lemma: placabilis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative singular; Function: predicate adjective; Translation: appeased; Notes: expresses desired divine disposition.
  22. super — Lemma: super; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses reference or concern; Translation: concerning; Notes: typical in prayers.
  23. nequitia — Lemma: nequitia; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of super; Translation: wickedness; Notes: denotes moral corruption.
  24. populi — Lemma: populus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possession; Translation: of the people; Notes: refers to Israel.
  25. tui — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: modifies populi; Translation: your; Notes: appeal to covenant relationship.

 

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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