Exodus 34:2

Posted on March 25, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 34:2 Esto paratus mane, ut ascendas statim in montem Sinai, stabisque mecum super verticem montis.

Be ready in the morning, that you may go up at once onto mount Sinai, and you shall stand with Me upon the summit of the mountain.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Esto be 2SG.FUT.ACT.IMP.MOOD IRREG
2 paratus ready NOM.SG.M ADJ
3 mane in the morning ABL.SG.N NOUN
4 ut that CONJ
5 ascendas you may go up 2SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ 3RD CONJ
6 statim at once ADV
7 in onto PREP+ACC
8 montem mountain ACC.SG.M 3RD DECL
9 Sinai Sinai GEN.SG.INDECL
10 stabisque and you shall stand 2SG.FUT.ACT.IND 1ST CONJ + ENCLITIC
11 mecum with me ABL.SG.1ST.PERS PRON + CUM
12 super upon PREP+ACC
13 verticem summit ACC.SG.M 3RD DECL
14 montis of the mountain GEN.SG.M 3RD DECL

Syntax

Main Command:
Esto paratus mane — “Be ready in the morning.”
Esto = imperative form of sum;
paratus = predicate adjective.

Purpose Clause:
ut ascendas statim in montem Sinai — “that you may go up at once onto Mount Sinai.”
ascendas = subjunctive expressing intended action.

Second Main Instruction:
stabisque mecum super verticem montis — “and you shall stand with me upon the summit of the mountain.”
Future indicative expresses a commanded future state.

Morphology

  1. Esto — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 2nd person singular future imperative active; Function: direct divine command; Translation: be; Notes: future imperative common in legal or divine instructions.
  2. paratus — Lemma: paratus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: predicate adjective with esto; Translation: ready; Notes: describes required state of Moses.
  3. mane — Lemma: mane; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: ablative of time; Translation: in the morning; Notes: specifies time for readiness.
  4. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces purpose clause; Translation: that; Notes: classic purpose usage.
  5. ascendas — Lemma: ascendo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 2nd person singular present active subjunctive; Function: verb of purpose clause; Translation: you may go up; Notes: expresses intended action.
  6. statim — Lemma: statim; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: modifies ascendas; Translation: at once; Notes: expresses urgency.
  7. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses motion toward; Translation: onto; Notes: directional usage.
  8. montem — Lemma: mons; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of in; Translation: mountain; Notes: specific to Sinai.
  9. Sinai — Lemma: Sinai; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular indeclinable; Function: genitive of specification with montem; Translation: of Sinai; Notes: Hebrew loanword.
  10. stabisque — Lemma: sto; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 2nd person singular future active indicative + enclitic -que; Function: future instruction linked to prior clause; Translation: and you shall stand; Notes: enclitic emphasizes connection to earlier command.
  11. mecum — Lemma: ego + cum; Part of Speech: pronoun with enclitic preposition; Form: ablative singular; Function: ablative of accompaniment; Translation: with me; Notes: divine companionship.
  12. super — Lemma: super; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: spatial relation; Translation: upon; Notes: literal placement.
  13. verticem — Lemma: vertex; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of super; Translation: summit; Notes: highest point of Sinai.
  14. montis — Lemma: mons; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: genitive modifying verticem; Translation: of the mountain; Notes: identifies which summit.

 

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.
This entry was posted in Exodus. Bookmark the permalink.

Comments are closed.