Exodus 32:14

Posted on March 23, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 32:14 Placatusque est Dominus ne faceret malum quod locutus fuerat adversus populum suum.

And the LORD was appeased so that He would not do the evil which He had spoken against His people.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Placatusque and appeased NOM.SG.M PTCP.PERF.PASS + CONJ
2 est was 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND IRREG
3 Dominus the LORD NOM.SG.M NOUN 2ND DECL
4 ne lest / so that not CONJ INDECL
5 faceret might do 3SG.IMP.SUBJ.ACT 3RD CONJ
6 malum evil ACC.SG.N NOUN 2ND DECL
7 quod which ACC.SG.N PRON REL
8 locutus having spoken NOM.SG.M PTCP.PERF.DEP
9 fuerat had been 3SG.PLUP.ACT.IND IRREG
10 adversus against PREP+ACC INDECL
11 populum people ACC.SG.M NOUN 2ND DECL
12 suum his ACC.SG.M POSS ADJ

Syntax

Main Clause:
Placatusque est Dominus — “And the LORD was appeased.”
• Placatus est forms a perfect passive sense (“was appeased,” “relented”).
• -que links back to the previous narrative flow.

Negative Purpose Clause:
ne faceret malum — “so that He would not do the evil.”
• ne + imperfect subjunctive (faceret) expresses a prevented action.
• malum serves as the direct object of faceret.

Relative Clause:
quod locutus fuerat adversus populum suum — “which He had spoken against His people.”
• quod refers to malum.
• Periphrastic pluperfect locutus fuerat expresses completed prior speech.
• adversus populum suum expresses opposition, “against His people.”

Morphology

  1. Placatusque — Lemma: placo; Part of Speech: participle (passive) + enclitic conjunction; Form: nominative singular masculine perfect passive participle; Function: predicate with est; Translation: and appeased; Notes: expresses divine relenting; -que connects to preceding narrative.
  2. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third singular present indicative active; Function: auxiliary to participle; Translation: was; Notes: creates perfect passive sense with placatus.
  3. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of placatus est; Translation: the LORD; Notes: refers to YHWH and therefore translated as “LORD.”
  4. ne — Lemma: ne; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces negative purpose clause; Translation: lest / so that not; Notes: typically governs subjunctive.
  5. faceret — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third singular imperfect subjunctive active; Function: verb of negative purpose; Translation: might do; Notes: imperfect conveys a potential or prevented future action.
  6. malum — Lemma: malum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of faceret; Translation: evil; Notes: refers to the threatened judgment upon Israel.
  7. quod — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of locutus fuerat; Translation: which; Notes: refers back to malum.
  8. locutus — Lemma: loquor; Part of Speech: participle (deponent); Form: nominative singular masculine perfect; Function: part of periphrastic pluperfect; Translation: having spoken; Notes: deponent verb expressing completed speech.
  9. fuerat — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third singular pluperfect active indicative; Function: auxiliary forming pluperfect with locutus; Translation: had been; Notes: marks the speech as prior to the threatened judgment.
  10. adversus — Lemma: adversus; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses opposition; Translation: against; Notes: stronger than simple contra, conveys hostility or judicial action.
  11. populum — Lemma: populus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of adversus; Translation: people; Notes: the nation of Israel.
  12. suum — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: reflexive possessive adjective; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: modifies populum; Translation: his; Notes: reflexive to Dominus, emphasizing 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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