Exodus 32:18

Posted on March 23, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 32:18 Qui respondit: Non est clamor adhortantium ad pugnam, neque vociferatio compellentium ad fugam: sed vocem cantantium ego audio.

He replied: “It is not the shout of those urging to battle, nor the cry of those being driven to flight; but the voice of singers is what I hear.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Qui who NOM.SG.M PRON REL
2 respondit replied 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND 3RD CONJ
3 Non not ADV INDECL
4 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND IRREG
5 clamor shout NOM.SG.M NOUN 3RD DECL
6 adhortantium of those urging on GEN.PL.M PTCP.PRES.ACT 1ST CONJ
7 ad to / toward PREP+ACC INDECL
8 pugnam battle ACC.SG.F NOUN 1ST DECL
9 neque nor CONJ INDECL
10 vociferatio cry / shouting NOM.SG.F NOUN 3RD DECL
11 compellentium of those driving / compelling GEN.PL.M PTCP.PRES.ACT 3RD CONJ
12 ad to / toward PREP+ACC INDECL
13 fugam flight ACC.SG.F NOUN 1ST DECL
14 sed but CONJ INDECL
15 vocem voice ACC.SG.F NOUN 3RD DECL
16 cantantium of those singing GEN.PL.M PTCP.PRES.ACT 1ST CONJ
17 ego I NOM.SG PRON PERS
18 audio hear 1SG.PRES.ACT.IND 4TH CONJ

Syntax

Relative Clause:
Qui respondit — “Who replied.”
• Refers back to Moyses, subject of previous verse.

First Negative Clause:
Non est clamor adhortantium ad pugnam — “It is not the shout of those urging to battle.”
• clamor = subject.
• adhortantium = dependent genitive participle (“of those urging on”).
• ad pugnam = purpose/direction phrase (“to battle”).

Second Negative Clause:
neque vociferatio compellentium ad fugam — “nor the cry of those being driven to flight.”
• vociferatio = second nominative subject.
• compellentium = genitive (present participle).
• ad fugam = direction toward flight.

Contrastive Clause:
sed vocem cantantium ego audio — “but the voice of singers is what I hear.”
• vocem = object of audio.
• cantantium = descriptive genitive (“of those singing”).
• ego inserted for emphasis.

Morphology

  1. Qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of respondit; Translation: who; Notes: Refers to Moses answering Joshua.
  2. respondit — Lemma: respondeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: replied; Notes: Perfect narrative form marking completed action.
  3. Non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: negates est; Translation: not; Notes: Used directly with verbs of identification.
  4. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third singular present active indicative; Function: copula; Translation: is; Notes: Links predicate nominative clamor to description.
  5. clamor — Lemma: clamor; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: shout; Notes: Noise expected in battle context.
  6. adhortantium — Lemma: adhortor; Part of Speech: participle (deponent); Form: genitive plural masculine present active; Function: modifies clamor; Translation: of those urging on; Notes: Deponent but uses active participial forms.
  7. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses direction toward; Translation: to; Notes: Common in martial contexts.
  8. pugnam — Lemma: pugna; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of ad; Translation: battle; Notes: Indicates purpose of the urging.
  9. neque — Lemma: neque; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: links coordinated negations; Translation: nor; Notes: Strong continuation of the previous negative.
  10. vociferatio — Lemma: vociferatio; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: second subject; Translation: cry; Notes: Often describes a loud outburst or collective shouting.
  11. compellentium — Lemma: compello; Part of Speech: participle; Form: genitive plural masculine present active; Function: modifies vociferatio; Translation: of those driving/forcing; Notes: Implies rout or panic, not battle readiness.
  12. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: motion toward; Translation: to; Notes: Introduces direction of fear-driven movement.
  13. fugam — Lemma: fuga; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of ad; Translation: flight; Notes: Opposite of battle context: refers to fleeing.
  14. sed — Lemma: sed; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces contrast; Translation: but; Notes: Marks the unexpected opposite.
  15. vocem — Lemma: vox; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of audio; Translation: voice; Notes: Refers to joyful or musical sounds.
  16. cantantium — Lemma: canto; Part of Speech: participle; Form: genitive plural masculine present active; Function: modifies vocem; Translation: of those singing; Notes: Identifies the noise as celebratory rather than military.
  17. ego — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: nominative singular; Function: emphatic subject; Translation: I; Notes: Used for emphasis before audio.
  18. audio — Lemma: audio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: first person singular present active indicative; Function: main verb of speech; Translation: hear; Notes: Concludes Moses’ corrective statement.

 

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.
This entry was posted in Exodus. Bookmark the permalink.

Comments are closed.