Exodus 33:15

Posted on March 24, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 33:15 Et ait Moyses: Si non tu ipse præcedas, ne educas nos de loco isto.

And Moyses said: “If you yourself do not go before us, do not lead us out from this place.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Et and CONJ
2 ait said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND IRREG
3 Moyses Moses NOM.SG.M 3RD DECL
4 Si if CONJ
5 non not ADV
6 tu you NOM.SG.2ND.PERS PRON
7 ipse yourself NOM.SG.M EMPH.PRON
8 præcedas go before 2SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ 3RD CONJ
9 ne do not NEG.CONJ
10 educas lead out 2SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ 3RD CONJ
11 nos us ACC.PL.1ST.PERS PRON
12 de from PREP+ABL
13 loco place ABL.SG.M 2ND DECL
14 isto this ABL.SG.M DEM.PRON

Syntax

Main Clause:
Et ait Moyses — subject Moyses, perfect verb ait, introduces speech.

Conditional Protasis:
Si non tu ipse præcedas — emphatic: “If you yourself do not go before [us]”; ipse intensifies tu.

Negative Subjunctive Apodosis with ne:
ne educas nos de loco isto — “do not lead us out from this place”; ne + subjunctive expresses a strong negative wish/request.

Morphology

  1. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: connects narrative clauses; Translation: and; Notes: standard narrative linkage.
  2. ait — Lemma: aio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb introducing speech; Translation: said; Notes: defective verb used in quotations.
  3. Moyses — Lemma: Moyses; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: Moses; Notes: speaker.
  4. Si — Lemma: si; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces conditional clause; Translation: if; Notes: protasis marker.
  5. non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: negation; Translation: not; Notes: negates the verb præcedas.
  6. tu — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative singular; Function: subject of præcedas; Translation: you; Notes: refers to the LORD.
  7. ipse — Lemma: ipse; Part of Speech: intensive pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: intensifies tu; Translation: yourself; Notes: emphasizes exclusive divine presence.
  8. præcedas — Lemma: præcedo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 2nd person singular present active subjunctive; Function: verb of the conditional protasis; Translation: go before; Notes: subjunctive required by si in a non-factual context.
  9. ne — Lemma: ne; Part of Speech: negative conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces negative command/request; Translation: do not; Notes: used with subjunctive.
  10. educas — Lemma: educo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 2nd person singular present active subjunctive; Function: verb of apodosis; Translation: lead out; Notes: subjunctive following ne expresses prohibition/request.
  11. nos — Lemma: nos; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative plural; Function: direct object of educas; Translation: us; Notes: refers to Israel including Moses.
  12. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: indicates motion away; Translation: from; Notes: standard spatial preposition.
  13. loco — Lemma: locus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of de; Translation: place; Notes: refers to the current encampment.
  14. isto — Lemma: iste; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: modifies loco; Translation: this; Notes: often implies emotional distance or emphasis.

 

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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