Exodus 34:27

Posted on March 25, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

27 Dixitque Dominus ad Moysen: Scribe tibi verba hæc, quibus et tecum et cum Israel pepigi fœdus.

And the LORD said to Moyses: “Write for yourself these words, by which I have made a covenant with you and with Israel.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Dixitque and said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND 3RD CONJ + ENCLITIC -QUE
2 Dominus the LORD NOM.SG.M 2ND DECL
3 ad to PREP+ACC
4 Moysen Moses ACC.SG.M 3RD DECL
5 Scribe write 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP.MOOD 3RD CONJ
6 tibi for yourself DAT.SG.2ND.PERS.PRON
7 verba words ACC.PL.N 2ND DECL
8 hæc these ACC.PL.N DEM.PRON
9 quibus by which ABL.PL.N REL.PRON
10 et and CONJ
11 tecum with you ABL.SG.2ND.PERS.PRON + CUM
12 et and CONJ
13 cum with PREP+ABL
14 Israel Israel ABL.SG.INDECL
15 pepigi I have made 1SG.PERF.ACT.IND 3RD CONJ
16 fœdus covenant ACC.SG.N 4TH DECL

Syntax

Main Clause:
Dixitque Dominus ad Moysen — “And the LORD said to Moses.”
• Dominus = subject.
• Dixitque = perfect narrative verb with enclitic -que.
• ad Moysen = indirect object.

Direct Command:
Scribe tibi verba hæc — “Write for yourself these words.”
• Scribe = imperative.
• verba hæc = direct object.

Relative Clause:
quibus et tecum et cum Israel pepigi fœdus — “by which I have made a covenant with you and with Israel.”
• quibus = ablative of means (“by which”).
• tecum … cum Israel = ablative phrases defining covenant parties.
• pepigi = perfect first-person verb, YHWH as speaker.
• fœdus = object of pepigi.

Morphology

  1. Dixitque — Lemma: dīcō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular perfect active indicative + enclitic -que; Function: main narrative verb; Translation: and said; Notes: perfect tense marking completed divine speech act.
  2. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: the LORD; Notes: refers to YHWH, thus translated LORD.
  3. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces indirect object; Translation: to; Notes: directional preposition.
  4. Moysen — Lemma: Moyses; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of ad; Translation: Moses; Notes: Greek/Latin form of name.
  5. Scribe — Lemma: scrībō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 2nd person singular present active imperative; Function: direct command; Translation: write; Notes: imperative used for divine instruction.
  6. tibi — Lemma: tū; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: dative singular; Function: indirect object; Translation: for yourself; Notes: reflexive action beneficial to Moses.
  7. verba — Lemma: verbum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: direct object of Scribe; Translation: words; Notes: refers to covenant stipulations.
  8. hæc — Lemma: hic; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: modifies verba; Translation: these; Notes: emphasizes specific revelation.
  9. quibus — Lemma: quī; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: ablative plural neuter; Function: ablative of means; Translation: by which; Notes: connects covenant to written words.
  10. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: joins coordinated phrases; Translation: and; Notes: simple connective.
  11. tecum — Lemma: tū; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: ablative singular + enclitic cum; Function: specifies covenant participant; Translation: with you; Notes: indicates Moses as covenant mediator.
  12. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: links parallel items; Translation: and; Notes: joins Moses to Israel in covenant list.
  13. cum — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces covenant partner; Translation: with; Notes: standard expression of covenant association.
  14. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: ablative singular (indeclinable); Function: object of cum; Translation: Israel; Notes: the covenant people.
  15. pepigi — Lemma: pango; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 1st person singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb of relative clause; Translation: I have made; Notes: legal formula for establishing a covenant.
  16. fœdus — Lemma: fōedus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object of pepigi; Translation: covenant; Notes: central theological term of Exodus.

 

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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