Exodus 32:24

Posted on March 23, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

24 Quibus ego dixi: Quis vestrum habet aurum? Tulerunt, et dederunt mihi: et proieci illud in ignem, egressusque est hic vitulus.

To whom I said: ‘Which of you has gold?’ They took it and gave it to me; and I cast it into the fire, and this calf came out.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Quibus to whom DAT.PL.M/F PRON REL
2 ego I NOM.SG PRON PERS
3 dixi I said 1SG.PERF.ACT.IND 3RD CONJ
4 Quis who NOM.SG.M PRON INTERROG
5 vestrum of you GEN.PL PRON PERS
6 habet has 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND 2ND CONJ
7 aurum gold ACC.SG.N NOUN 2ND DECL
8 Tulerunt they took 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND 3RD CONJ
9 et and CONJ INDECL
10 dederunt they gave 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND 3RD CONJ
11 mihi to me DAT.SG PRON PERS
12 et and CONJ INDECL
13 proieci I cast 1SG.PERF.ACT.IND 3RD CONJ
14 illud it ACC.SG.N PRON DEM
15 in into PREP+ACC INDECL
16 ignem fire ACC.SG.M NOUN 3RD DECL
17 egressusque and went out NOM.SG.M PTCP.PERF.DEP 3RD CONJ
18 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND IRREG
19 hic this NOM.SG.M PRON DEM
20 vitulus calf NOM.SG.M NOUN 2ND DECL

Syntax

Relative Clause:
Quibus ego dixi — “To whom I said”
• Quibus = dative plural (“to whom”).
• ego dixi = complete clause with explicit subject for emphasis.

Direct Question:
Quis vestrum habet aurum? — “Which of you has gold?”
• Quis = nominative interrogative.
• vestrum = partitive genitive.
• habet aurum = predicate.

Narrative Sequence:
Tulerunt, et dederunt mihi — “They took it, and gave it to me.”
• Two perfect tense verbs marking sequential past events.

Main Action:
et proieci illud in ignem — “and I cast it into the fire.”
• proieci = first-person perfect.
• illud = direct object.
• in ignem = goal of motion, accusative.

Resulting Event:
egressusque est hic vitulus — “and this calf came out.”
• Perfect deponent participle + est = passive-looking but active meaning.
• hic vitulus = subject.

Morphology

  1. Quibus — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: dative plural masculine/feminine; Function: indirect object; Translation: to whom; Notes: Standard dative of reference in reporting speech.
  2. ego — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: nominative singular; Function: explicit subject; Translation: I; Notes: Emphasizes Aaron’s claimed innocence.
  3. dixi — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: first singular perfect active indicative; Function: main reporting verb; Translation: I said; Notes: Perfect used for completed speech act.
  4. Quis — Lemma: quis, quid; Part of Speech: interrogative pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of habet; Translation: who; Notes: Introduces direct question.
  5. vestrum — Lemma: vos; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: genitive plural; Function: partitive genitive; Translation: of you; Notes: Indicates subset of group.
  6. habet — Lemma: habeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third singular present active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: has; Notes: Present with simple meaning.
  7. aurum — Lemma: aurum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of habet; Translation: gold; Notes: Refers to jewelry taken from the people.
  8. Tulerunt — Lemma: tollo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third plural perfect active indicative; Function: narrative verb; Translation: they took; Notes: Perfect marks completed action prior to giving.
  9. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: links actions; Translation: and; Notes: Basic coordination.
  10. dederunt — Lemma: do; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third plural perfect active indicative; Function: narrative verb; Translation: they gave; Notes: Follows tulerunt in sequence.
  11. mihi — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular; Function: indirect object; Translation: to me; Notes: Shows recipient of the gold.
  12. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: links clauses; Translation: and; Notes: Continues chain of events.
  13. proieci — Lemma: proicio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: first singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: I cast; Notes: Aaron’s self-justifying narrative.
  14. illud — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of proieci; Translation: it; Notes: Refers to the collected gold.
  15. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: indicates motion toward; Translation: into; Notes: Standard government for direction.
  16. ignem — Lemma: ignis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of in; Translation: fire; Notes: Implies melting process.
  17. egressusque — Lemma: egredior; Part of Speech: participle (deponent); Form: nominative singular masculine perfect participle + enclitic -que; Function: predicate with est; Translation: and came out; Notes: Deponent: passive form, active meaning. Perfect participle used with est like a verb.
  18. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third singular present active indicative; Function: auxiliary with participle; Translation: is; Notes: Helps form perfect-like periphrasis for deponent participle.
  19. hic — Lemma: hic; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: modifies vitulus; Translation: this; Notes: Emphatic: “this very calf.”
  20. vitulus — Lemma: vitulus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of egressus est; Translation: calf; Notes: Aaron’s evasive phrasing makes it appear to have emerged spontaneously.

 

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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