Exodus 33:5

Posted on January 2, 2025 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

5 Dixitque Dominus ad Moysen: Loquere filiis Israel: Populus duræ cervicis es, semel ascendam in medio tui, et delebo te. Iam nunc depone ornatum tuum, ut sciam quid faciam tibi.

And the LORD said to Moyses: “Speak to the sons of Israel: ‘You are a stiff-necked people; once I shall ascend into your midst, and I will destroy you. Now therefore lay aside your adornment, that I may know what I shall do to you.’”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Dixitque and said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND 3RD CONJ
2 Dominus LORD NOM.SG.M 2ND DECL
3 ad to PREP+ACC
4 Moysen Moses ACC.SG.M 3RD DECL
5 Loquere speak 2SG.IMP.DEP 3RD CONJ
6 filiis to the sons DAT.PL.M 2ND DECL
7 Israel Israel GEN.SG.M INDECL
8 Populus people NOM.SG.M 2ND DECL
9 duræ of hard GEN.SG.F ADJ POS
10 cervicis neck GEN.SG.F 3RD DECL
11 es you are 2SG.PRES.ACT.IND
12 semel once ADV
13 ascendam I shall ascend 1SG.FUT.ACT.IND 3RD CONJ
14 in into PREP+ACC
15 medio midst ABL.SG.N 2ND DECL
16 tui of you GEN.SG PERS.PRON
17 et and CONJ
18 delebo I will destroy 1SG.FUT.ACT.IND 1ST CONJ
19 te you ACC.SG PERS.PRON
20 Iam now ADV
21 nunc now ADV
22 depone lay aside 2SG.IMP.ACT 3RD CONJ
23 ornatum adornment ACC.SG.M 4TH DECL
24 tuum your ACC.SG.M POSS.PRON
25 ut that CONJ
26 sciam I may know 1SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ 4TH CONJ
27 quid what ACC.SG.N INTERROG.PRON
28 fariam I may do 1SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ 3RD CONJ
29 tibi to you DAT.SG PERS.PRON

Syntax

Main Narrative Frame: Dixitque Dominus ad Moysen — LORD (subject) + said (verb) + to Moses (indirect object).
Direct Speech Command: Loquere filiis Israel — imperative addressed to Moses.
New Declarative Clause: Populus duræ cervicis es — predicate describing Israel.
Threat Clause: semel ascendam in medio tui — divine presence bringing judgment.
Consequence: et delebo te — coordinated future result.
Imperative: depone ornatum tuum — commanded sign of humility.
Final Clause of Purpose: ut sciam quid faciam tibi — expresses purpose (so that I may know what I will do to you).

Morphology

  1. Dixitque — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular perfect active indicative with enclitic -que; Function: main narrative verb; Translation: and said; Notes: perfect marks completed divine speech act.
  2. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: LORD; Notes: refers to YHWH.
  3. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces indirect object; Translation: to; Notes: marks direction toward Moses.
  4. Moysen — Lemma: Moyses; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of ad; Translation: Moses; Notes: vocative rare in Vulgate.
  5. Loquere — Lemma: loquor; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 2nd person singular imperative deponent; Function: command; Translation: speak; Notes: deponent with active meaning.
  6. filiis — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative plural masculine; Function: indirect object; Translation: to the sons; Notes: idiom for “children of Israel”.
  7. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular; Function: modifies filiis; Translation: of Israel; Notes: indeclinable in form but used with case.
  8. Populus — Lemma: populus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of es; Translation: people; Notes: predicate construction.
  9. duræ — Lemma: durus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: modifies cervicis; Translation: of hard; Notes: idiom “stiff-necked”.
  10. cervicis — Lemma: cervix; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: genitive of quality; Translation: neck; Notes: preserves Hebrew idiom.
  11. es — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 2nd person singular present active indicative; Function: copula; Translation: you are; Notes: links subject and predicate.
  12. semel — Lemma: semel; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: intensifies coming action; Translation: once; Notes: used here in dramatic sense “at once / suddenly”.
  13. ascendam — Lemma: ascendo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 1st person singular future active indicative; Function: divine action; Translation: I shall ascend; Notes: ascent signifies presence.
  14. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: marks entry into space; Translation: into; Notes: dynamic preposition.
  15. medio — Lemma: medium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: idiomatic with in + acc/gen; Translation: midst; Notes: “in medio tui”.
  16. tui — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive singular; Function: reference to Israel collectively; Translation: of you; Notes: genitive of the group.
  17. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: links future actions; Translation: and; Notes: simple coordination.
  18. delebo — Lemma: deleo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 1st person singular future active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: I will destroy; Notes: expresses threatened judgment.
  19. te — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular; Function: direct object; Translation: you; Notes: singular referring to collective Israel.
  20. Iam — Lemma: iam; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: temporal emphasis; Translation: now; Notes: urgency marker.
  21. nunc — Lemma: nunc; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: intensifies Iam; Translation: now; Notes: double adverb = heightened solemnity.
  22. depone — Lemma: depono; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 2nd person singular imperative active; Function: command; Translation: lay aside; Notes: ritual lowering of adornment.
  23. ornatum — Lemma: ornatus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object; Translation: adornment; Notes: ceremonial or festive dress.
  24. tuum — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: possessive pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: modifies ornatum; Translation: your; Notes: reflexive to Israel.
  25. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: introduces subjunctive clause; Function: purpose; Translation: that; Notes: classic final clause.
  26. sciam — Lemma: scio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 1st person singular present active subjunctive; Function: verb of purpose clause; Translation: I may know; Notes: expresses divine determination.
  27. quid — Lemma: quis/quid; Part of Speech: interrogative pronoun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: internal interrogative; Translation: what; Notes: introduces object clause.
  28. fariam — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 1st person singular present active subjunctive; Function: dependent on quid; Translation: I may do; Notes: archaic spelling of faciam in Vulgate tradition.
  29. tibi — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular; Function: indirect object; Translation: to you; Notes: refers to Israel collectively.

 

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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