Exodus 33:11

Posted on March 24, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 33:11 Loquebatur autem Dominus ad Moysen facie ad faciem, sicut solet loqui homo ad amicum suum. Cumque ille reverteretur in castra, minister eius Iosue filius Nun, puer, non recedebat de Tabernaculo.

But the LORD was speaking to Moyses face to face, just as a man is accustomed to speak to his friend. And when he returned to the camp, his minister Josue, the son of Nun, a youth, would not depart from the Tabernacle.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Loquebatur was speaking 3SG.IMP.DEP.IND 3RD CONJ
2 autem but ADV
3 Dominus LORD NOM.SG.M 2ND DECL
4 ad to PREP+ACC
5 Moysen Moses ACC.SG.M 3RD DECL
6 facie face ABL.SG.F 5TH DECL
7 ad to PREP+ACC
8 faciem face ACC.SG.F 5TH DECL
9 sicut just as CONJ
10 solet is accustomed 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND 2ND CONJ
11 loqui to speak INF.DEP 3RD CONJ
12 homo man NOM.SG.M 3RD DECL
13 ad to PREP+ACC
14 amicum friend ACC.SG.M 2ND DECL
15 suum his ACC.SG.M POSS.PRON
16 Cumque and when CONJ
17 ille he NOM.SG.M DEM.PRON
18 reverteretur returned 3SG.IMP.SUBJ.DEP 3RD CONJ
19 in into PREP+ACC
20 castra camp ACC.PL.N 2ND DECL
21 minister minister NOM.SG.M 3RD DECL
22 eius his GEN.SG.M PRON
23 Iosue Joshua NOM.SG.M INDECL
24 filius son NOM.SG.M 2ND DECL
25 Nun Nun GEN.SG.M INDECL
26 puer youth NOM.SG.M 2ND DECL
27 non not ADV
28 recedebat was departing 3SG.IMP.ACT.IND 3RD CONJ
29 de from PREP+ABL
30 Tabernaculo Tabernacle ABL.SG.N 2ND DECL

Syntax

Main Clause:
Loquebatur autem Dominus ad Moysen facie ad faciem — subject Dominus, deponent verb Loquebatur, indirect object ad Moysen, idiomatic ablative facie ad faciem.

Comparative Clause:
sicut solet loqui homo ad amicum suum — describes likeness of divine-human communication.

Temporal Clause Introduced by Cumque:
Cumque ille reverteretur in castra — “and when he returned to the camp”.

Main Clause 2:
minister eius Iosue filius Nun, puer, non recedebat de Tabernaculo — Joshua’s continuous presence.

Morphology

  1. Loquebatur — Lemma: loquor; Part of Speech: verb (deponent); Form: 3rd person singular imperfect deponent indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: was speaking; Notes: deponent with active meaning.
  2. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: mild adversative; Translation: but; Notes: narrative linkage.
  3. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: LORD; Notes: refers to YHWH.
  4. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces indirect object; Translation: to; Notes: standard with verbs of speaking.
  5. Moysen — Lemma: Moyses; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: indirect object; Translation: Moses; Notes: recipient of divine speech.
  6. facie — Lemma: facies; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: first part of idiom; Translation: face; Notes: idiom “face to face”.
  7. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: connects idiom; Translation: to; Notes: formulaic expression.
  8. faciem — Lemma: facies; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: completes idiom; Translation: face; Notes: “face to face” is an anthropomorphic idiom.
  9. sicut — Lemma: sicut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces comparison; Translation: just as; Notes: similarity marker.
  10. solet — Lemma: soleo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular present active indicative; Function: sets habitual action; Translation: is accustomed; Notes: governs infinitive.
  11. loqui — Lemma: loquor; Part of Speech: verb (deponent); Form: infinitive; Function: complement of solet; Translation: to speak; Notes: active meaning despite form.
  12. homo — Lemma: homo; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of loqui; Translation: man; Notes: generic human.
  13. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: direction; Translation: to; Notes: indicates interlocutor.
  14. amicum — Lemma: amicus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of ad; Translation: friend; Notes: relational context.
  15. suum — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: modifies amicum; Translation: his; Notes: reflexive.
  16. Cumque — Lemma: cum + que; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces temporal clause; Translation: and when; Notes: common narrative formula.
  17. ille — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: he; Notes: refers to Moses.
  18. reverteretur — Lemma: revertor; Part of Speech: verb (deponent); Form: 3rd person singular imperfect subjunctive; Function: verb in temporal clause; Translation: returned; Notes: deponent with active sense.
  19. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: indicates motion; Translation: into; Notes: directional.
  20. castra — Lemma: castra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: object of in; Translation: camp; Notes: plural form with singular meaning.
  21. minister — Lemma: minister; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of recedebat; Translation: minister; Notes: describes Joshua’s role.
  22. eius — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessive; Translation: his; Notes: refers to Moses.
  23. Iosue — Lemma: Iosue; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular; Function: apposition; Translation: Joshua; Notes: indeclinable.
  24. filius — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: apposition; Translation: son; Notes: genealogical identifier.
  25. Nun — Lemma: Nun; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular; Function: modifies filius; Translation: of Nun; Notes: indeclinable.
  26. puer — Lemma: puer; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: descriptive noun; Translation: youth; Notes: emphasizes Joshua’s early service.
  27. non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: negation; Translation: not; Notes: standard negator.
  28. recedebat — Lemma: recedo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular imperfect active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: was departing; Notes: repeated habitual non-departure.
  29. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses separation; Translation: from; Notes: often spatial.
  30. Tabernaculo — Lemma: tabernaculum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: object of de; Translation: the Tabernacle; Notes: tent of meeting.

 

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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