Exodus 32:4

Posted on March 23, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 32:4 Quas cum ille accepisset, formavit opere fusorio, et fecit ex eis vitulum conflatilem. dixeruntque: Hi sunt dii tui Israel, qui te eduxerunt de terra Ægypti.

And when he had received them, he shaped them with a foundry’s work, and made from them a molten calf. And they said: “These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Quas which ACC.PL.F PRON REL
2 cum when CONJ INDECL
3 ille he NOM.SG.M PRON DEM
4 accepisset had received 3SG.PLUP.ACT.SUBJ 3RD CONJ
5 formavit he shaped 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND 1ST CONJ
6 opere with work ABL.SG.N NOUN 3RD DECL
7 fusorio of casting ABL.SG.N ADJ POS
8 et and CONJ INDECL
9 fecit made 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND 3RD CONJ
10 ex from PREP+ABL
11 eis them ABL.PL.M/F/N PRON PERS
12 vitulum a calf ACC.SG.M NOUN 2ND DECL
13 conflatilem molten / cast ACC.SG.M ADJ POS
14 dixeruntque and they said 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND +QUE 3RD CONJ
15 Hi these NOM.PL.M PRON DEM
16 sunt are 3PL.PRES.ACT.IND IRREG
17 dii gods NOM.PL.M NOUN 2ND DECL
18 tui your NOM.PL.M PRON POSS
19 Israel Israel VOC.SG.M/INDECL NOUN
20 qui who NOM.PL.M PRON REL
21 te you ACC.SG.2ND.PERS PRON
22 eduxerunt brought out 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND 3RD CONJ
23 de from PREP+ABL
24 terra land ABL.SG.F NOUN 1ST DECL
25 Ægypti of Egypt GEN.SG.F NOUN INDECL

Syntax

Relative Clause:
Quas cum ille accepisset — “when he had received them”; quas serves as the object of accepisset.

Main Verb 1:
formavit opere fusorio — Aaron fashions the gold using casting work.

Main Verb 2:
fecit ex eis vitulum conflatilem — he makes a cast calf from the collected earrings.

Speech Clause:
dixeruntque introduces the people’s declaration.

Predication:
Hi sunt dii tui Israel — “These are your gods, Israel.”

Relative Clause of Identification:
qui te eduxerunt de terra Ægypti — identifying clause describing the supposed “gods.”

Morphology

  1. Quas — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: direct object of accepisset; Translation: which; Notes: refers to the earrings.
  2. cum — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces temporal clause; Translation: when; Notes: marks subordinate time relationship.
  3. ille — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of accepisset; Translation: he; Notes: refers to Aaron.
  4. accepisset — Lemma: accipio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: pluperfect active subjunctive third singular; Function: temporal clause verb; Translation: had received; Notes: subjunctive in cum-temporal clause.
  5. formavit — Lemma: formo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative third singular; Function: main action; Translation: he shaped; Notes: first step in crafting the idol.
  6. opere — Lemma: opus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: ablative of means; Translation: with work; Notes: denotes technical method.
  7. fusorio — Lemma: fusorius; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: modifies opere; Translation: of casting; Notes: describes metallurgical process.
  8. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: links verbs; Translation: and; Notes: coordinates actions.
  9. fecit — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative third singular; Function: second main action; Translation: made; Notes: describes final creation of the idol.
  10. ex — Lemma: e/ex; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: indicates material source; Translation: from; Notes: composition marker.
  11. eis — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: ablative plural; Function: object of ex; Translation: them; Notes: refers to the earrings.
  12. vitulum — Lemma: vitulus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of fecit; Translation: calf; Notes: symbol of idolatry.
  13. conflatilem — Lemma: conflatilis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: modifies vitulum; Translation: molten, cast; Notes: from root conflō, “to melt/pour.”
  14. dixeruntque — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative third plural + enclitic -que; Function: introduces speech; Translation: and they said; Notes: collective proclamation.
  15. Hi — Lemma: hic; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject; Translation: these; Notes: refers to the idol(s).
  16. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative third plural; Function: copula; Translation: are; Notes: equative statement.
  17. dii — Lemma: deus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: predicate nominative; Translation: gods; Notes: plural form typical in Vulgate.
  18. tui — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: pronoun, possessive; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: modifies dii; Translation: your; Notes: addressed to Israel.
  19. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: noun; Form: vocative (indeclinable); Function: direct address; Translation: Israel; Notes: vocative of address.
  20. qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject of eduxerunt; Translation: who; Notes: refers to alleged “gods.”
  21. te — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular; Function: object of eduxerunt; Translation: you; Notes: Israel as collective “you.”
  22. eduxerunt — Lemma: educo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative third plural; Function: verbal nucleus of relative clause; Translation: brought out; Notes: echoes Exodus imagery.
  23. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: origin phrase; Translation: from; Notes: marks place of departure.
  24. terra — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of de; Translation: land; Notes: location phrase.
  25. Ægypti — Lemma: Ægyptus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: dependent genitive; Translation: of Egypt; Notes: place of bondage.

 

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.