Exodus 33:14

Posted on March 24, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 33:14 Dixitque Dominus: Facies mea præcedet te, et requiem dabo tibi.

And the LORD said: “My face will go before you, and I will give you rest.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Dixitque and said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND 3RD CONJ + ENCLITIC
2 Dominus LORD NOM.SG.M 2ND DECL
3 Facies face NOM.SG.F 5TH DECL
4 mea my NOM.SG.F POSS.PRON
5 præcedet will go before 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND 3RD CONJ
6 te you ACC.SG.2ND.PERS PRON
7 et and CONJ
8 requiem rest ACC.SG.F 5TH DECL
9 dabo I will give 1SG.FUT.ACT.IND 3RD CONJ
10 tibi to you DAT.SG.2ND.PERS PRON

Syntax

Main Clause:
Dixitque Dominus — subject Dominus, perfect verb with enclitic -que linking to prior narrative.

First Divine Statement:
Facies mea præcedet te — “My face will go before you”; idiom for divine presence leading.

Coordinated Future Clause:
et requiem dabo tibi — “and I will give you rest”; promise of security and favor.

Morphology

  1. Dixitque — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular perfect active indicative with enclitic -que; Function: main verb introducing divine speech; Translation: and said; Notes: -que links tightly with preceding narrative clause.
  2. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: LORD; Notes: refers to YHWH.
  3. Facies — Lemma: facies; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject of præcedet; Translation: face; Notes: Hebrew idiom → presence.
  4. mea — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: possessive pronoun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: modifies facies; Translation: my; Notes: agrees in gender and number.
  5. præcedet — Lemma: præcedo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular future active indicative; Function: main future verb; Translation: will go before; Notes: expresses future divine guidance.
  6. te — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular; Function: direct object of præcedet; Translation: you; Notes: Moses as recipient.
  7. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: links divine promises; Translation: and; Notes: simple coordination.
  8. requiem — Lemma: requies; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object of dabo; Translation: rest; Notes: denotes security under divine favor.
  9. dabo — Lemma: do; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 1st person singular future active indicative; Function: second divine promise; Translation: I will give; Notes: expresses committed divine action.
  10. tibi — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular; Function: indirect object; Translation: to you; Notes: recipient of the promised rest.

 

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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