Exodus 33:19

Posted on March 24, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 33:19 Respondit: Ego ostendam omne bonum tibi, et vocabo in nomine Domini coram te: et miserebor cui voluero, et clemens ero in quem mihi placuerit.

He answered: “I will show all good to you, and I will call upon the name of the LORD before you; and I will have mercy on whom I shall wish, and I will be gracious to whom it shall have pleased Me.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Respondit answered 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND 3RD CONJ
2 Ego I NOM.SG.1ST.PERS PRON
3 ostendam I will show 1SG.FUT.ACT.IND 1ST CONJ
4 omne all ACC.SG.N ADJ POS
5 bonum good ACC.SG.N 2ND DECL
6 tibi to you DAT.SG.1ST.PERS PRON
7 et and CONJ
8 vocabo I will call 1SG.FUT.ACT.IND 1ST CONJ
9 in in PREP+ABL
10 nomine name ABL.SG.N 3RD DECL
11 Domini of the LORD GEN.SG.M 2ND DECL
12 coram before PREP+ABL
13 te you ABL.SG.2ND.PERS PRON
14 et and CONJ
15 miserebor I will have mercy 1SG.FUT.DEP.IND DEP
16 cui on whom DAT.SG.M/F REL.PRON
17 voluero I shall wish 1SG.FUTP.ACT.IND IRREG
18 et and CONJ
19 clemens gracious NOM.SG.M/F ADJ POS
20 ero I will be 1SG.FUT.ACT.IND IRREG
21 in to PREP+ACC
22 quem whom ACC.SG.M REL.PRON
23 mihi to me DAT.SG.1ST.PERS PRON
24 placuerit it shall have pleased 3SG.FUTP.ACT.IND 2ND CONJ

Syntax

Main Clause:
Respondit — introduces divine reply.

Divine Declaration 1:
Ego ostendam omne bonum tibi — “I will show all good to you.”
Direct future promise.

Divine Declaration 2:
et vocabo in nomine Domini coram te — “and I will call upon the name of the LORD before you.”

Divine Declaration 3 (Mercy Formula):
et miserebor cui voluero — “and I will have mercy on whom I shall wish.”

Parallel Mercy Formula:
et clemens ero in quem mihi placuerit — “and I will be gracious to whom it shall have pleased me.”
Follows Hebrew structure (Ex 33:19), expressing divine sovereignty.

Morphology

  1. Respondit — Lemma: respondeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular perfect active indicative; Function: narrative verb; Translation: answered; Notes: introduces divine speech.
  2. Ego — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative singular; Function: emphatic subject; Translation: I; Notes: expresses divine emphasis.
  3. ostendam — Lemma: ostendo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 1st person singular future active indicative; Function: main verb of promise; Translation: I will show; Notes: volitional future.
  4. omne — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: modifies bonum; Translation: all; Notes: intensive totality.
  5. bonum — Lemma: bonum; Part of Speech: noun/adjective used substantively; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object; Translation: good; Notes: divine goodness manifested.
  6. tibi — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular; Function: indirect object; Translation: to you; Notes: refers to Moses.
  7. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: links clauses; Translation: and; Notes: sequential connection.
  8. vocabo — Lemma: voco; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 1st person singular future active indicative; Function: divine action; Translation: I will call; Notes: anticipates proclamation of the Name.
  9. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses context; Translation: in; Notes: idiom “call in the name.”
  10. nomine — Lemma: nomen; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: object of in; Translation: name; Notes: divine title being proclaimed.
  11. Domini — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessive; Translation: of the LORD; Notes: refers to YHWH.
  12. coram — Lemma: coram; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: spatial; Translation: before; Notes: indicates divine manifestation.
  13. te — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: ablative singular; Function: object of coram; Translation: you; Notes: Moses as witness.
  14. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces mercy formula; Translation: and; Notes: structural parallelism.
  15. miserebor — Lemma: misereor; Part of Speech: deponent verb; Form: 1st person singular future deponent indicative; Function: expresses divine mercy; Translation: I will have mercy; Notes: deponent form with active meaning.
  16. cui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: dative singular; Function: indirect object; Translation: on whom; Notes: object of miserebor.
  17. voluero — Lemma: volo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 1st person singular future perfect active indicative; Function: temporal/conditional nuance; Translation: I shall have wished; Notes: stresses divine sovereignty.
  18. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: marks second mercy clause; Translation: and; Notes: rhetorical parallel.
  19. clemens — Lemma: clemens; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative singular masculine/feminine; Function: predicate adjective; Translation: gracious; Notes: expresses divine attribute.
  20. ero — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 1st person singular future active indicative; Function: verb of being; Translation: I will be; Notes: asserts future graciousness.
  21. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: indicates direction of action; Translation: to; Notes: idiomatic with clemens ero.
  22. quem — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of placuerit; Translation: whom; Notes: parallel to cui.
  23. mihi — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular; Function: dative of reference; Translation: to me; Notes: expresses divine will.
  24. placuerit — Lemma: placeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular future perfect active indicative; Function: completes relative clause; Translation: it shall have pleased; Notes: expresses completed divine approval.

 

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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