Exodus 34:1

Posted on March 25, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 34:1 Ac deinceps: Præcide, ait, tibi duas tabulas lapideas instar priorum, et scribam super eas verba, quæ habuerunt tabulæ, quas fregisti.

And next: “Cut for yourself,” He said, “two stone tablets like the former ones, and I will write upon them the words that the tablets had which you broke.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Ac and CONJ
2 deinceps next ADV
3 Præcide cut 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP 3RD CONJ
4 ait he said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND IRREG
5 tibi for yourself DAT.SG.2ND.PERS PRON
6 duas two ACC.PL.F ADJ NUMERAL
7 tabulas tablets ACC.PL.F 1ST DECL
8 lapideas stone ACC.PL.F ADJ
9 instar like / in the likeness of PREP+GEN
10 priorum the former ones GEN.PL.N ADJ
11 et and CONJ
12 scribam I will write 1SG.FUT.ACT.IND 3RD CONJ
13 super upon PREP+ACC
14 eas them ACC.PL.F DEM.PRON
15 verba words ACC.PL.N 2ND DECL
16 quæ which NOM.PL.N REL.PRON
17 habuerunt had 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND 2ND CONJ
18 tabulæ the tablets NOM.PL.F 1ST DECL
19 quas which ACC.PL.F REL.PRON
20 fregisti you broke 2SG.PERF.ACT.IND 3RD CONJ

Syntax

Narrative Transition:
Ac deinceps — “And next,” marking continuation of divine instruction.

Main Command:
Præcide tibi duas tabulas lapideas — “Cut for yourself two stone tablets.”
Præcide = imperative
tibi = ethical dative
duas tabulas lapideas = direct object + attributive adjective

Comparative Phrase:
instar priorum — “like the former ones,” governed by instar + genitive.

Main Divine Action:
scribam super eas verba — “I will write upon them the words,” future indicative used for divine promise.

Relative Clauses:
quæ habuerunt tabulæ — “which the tablets had.”
quas fregisti — “which you broke.”

Morphology

  1. Ac — Lemma: ac; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: narrative connector; Translation: and; Notes: slightly stronger than et.
  2. deinceps — Lemma: deinceps; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: marks sequence; Translation: next; Notes: used in transitions.
  3. Præcide — Lemma: præcido; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 2nd person singular present active imperative; Function: direct divine command; Translation: cut; Notes: strong imperative.
  4. ait — Lemma: aio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular perfect active indicative; Function: introduces speech; Translation: he said; Notes: defective verb.
  5. tibi — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular; Function: ethical dative; Translation: for yourself; Notes: emphasizes personal involvement of Moses.
  6. duas — Lemma: duo; Part of Speech: numeral adjective; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: modifies tabulas; Translation: two; Notes: agrees in case, number, gender.
  7. tabulas — Lemma: tabula; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: direct object; Translation: tablets; Notes: new tablets to replace the broken ones.
  8. lapideas — Lemma: lapideus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: modifies tabulas; Translation: stone; Notes: material description.
  9. instar — Lemma: instar; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs genitive; Function: introduces comparison; Translation: like; Notes: classical prepositional use.
  10. priorum — Lemma: prior; Part of Speech: adjective (comparative); Form: genitive plural neuter; Function: object of instar; Translation: the former ones; Notes: refers to the original tablets.
  11. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: links clauses; Translation: and; Notes: simple coordination.
  12. scribam — Lemma: scribo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 1st person singular future active indicative; Function: divine promise; Translation: I will write; Notes: echoes original inscription of the Law.
  13. super — Lemma: super; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: spatial relation; Translation: upon; Notes: literal placement of text.
  14. eas — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: object of super; Translation: them; Notes: refers to the new tablets.
  15. verba — Lemma: verbum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: direct object of scribam; Translation: words; Notes: words of the covenant.
  16. quæ — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative plural neuter; Function: subject of habuerunt; Translation: which; Notes: begins relative clause.
  17. habuerunt — Lemma: habeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person plural perfect active indicative; Function: verb of relative clause; Translation: had; Notes: refers to previous tablets.
  18. tabulæ — Lemma: tabula; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural feminine; Function: subject of habuerunt; Translation: the tablets; Notes: the broken ones.
  19. quas — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: object of fregisti; Translation: which; Notes: introduces second relative clause.
  20. fregisti — Lemma: frango; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 2nd person singular perfect active indicative; Function: verb of clause; Translation: you broke; Notes: refers to Moses’ earlier action.

 

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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