Exodus 34:28

Posted on March 25, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 34:28 Fuit ergo ibi cum Domino quadraginta dies et quadraginta noctes: panem non comedit, et aquam non bibit, et scripsit in tabulis verba fœderis decem.

And he was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights; he did not eat bread and he did not drink water, and he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, ten words.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Fuit was 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND 3RD CONJ
2 ergo therefore ADV
3 ibi there ADV
4 cum with PREP+ABL
5 Domino the LORD ABL.SG.M 2ND DECL
6 quadraginta forty INDECL.NUM
7 dies days ACC.PL.M 5TH DECL
8 et and CONJ
9 quadraginta forty INDECL.NUM
10 noctes nights ACC.PL.F 3RD DECL
11 panem bread ACC.SG.M 3RD DECL
12 non not ADV
13 comedit he ate 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND 3RD CONJ
14 et and CONJ
15 aquam water ACC.SG.F 1ST DECL
16 non not ADV
17 bibit he drank 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND 3RD CONJ
18 et and CONJ
19 scripsit he wrote 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND 3RD CONJ
20 in on / in PREP+ABL
21 tabulis tablets ABL.PL.F 1ST DECL
22 verba words ACC.PL.N 2ND DECL
23 fœderis of the covenant GEN.SG.N 3RD DECL
24 decem ten INDECL.NUM

Syntax

Clause 1: Fuit ergo ibi cum Domino quadraginta dies et quadraginta noctes
• Fuit = main verb (“he was”).
• ibi = locative adverb (“there”).
• cum Domino = prepositional phrase (“with the LORD”).
• quadraginta dies et quadraginta noctes = accusative of duration of time (“forty days and forty nights”).

Clause 2: panem non comedit, et aquam non bibit
• Two coordinated clauses with ellipsis of subject (“he”).
• panem, aquam = direct objects.
• non comedit, non bibit = perfect verbs negated by non, describing total abstention.

Clause 3: et scripsit in tabulis verba fœderis decem
• scripsit = main verb (“he wrote”).
• in tabulis = locative phrase (“on the tablets”).
• verba fœderis decem = object phrase (“the words of the covenant, ten [words]”), with decem specifying the number of covenant words.

Morphology

  1. Fuit — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb (copular); Form: 3rd person singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb of the opening narrative clause; Translation: was; Notes: perfect tense presents Moses’ stay as a completed event.
  2. ergo — Lemma: ergō; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: inferential connector; Translation: therefore; Notes: links back to the preceding covenant context.
  3. ibi — Lemma: ibī; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: locative adverb; Translation: there; Notes: specifies the place on the mountain.
  4. cum — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces companion phrase; Translation: with; Notes: marks association with the LORD.
  5. Domino — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of cum; Translation: the LORD; Notes: here refers to YHWH, so rendered LORD in small caps sense.
  6. quadraginta — Lemma: quadrāgintā; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies dies; Translation: forty; Notes: part of the fixed “forty days” wilderness motif.
  7. dies — Lemma: diēs; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: accusative of duration of time; Translation: days; Notes: paired with nights to express total period.
  8. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: links parallel elements; Translation: and; Notes: joins “days” and “nights.”
  9. quadraginta — Lemma: quadrāgintā; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies noctes; Translation: forty; Notes: repeats number for rhetorical emphasis.
  10. noctes — Lemma: nox; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: accusative of duration; Translation: nights; Notes: balances “days” to indicate uninterrupted period.
  11. panem — Lemma: pānis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of comedit; Translation: bread; Notes: ordinary sustenance denied during Moses’ stay.
  12. non — Lemma: nōn; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: negates comedit; Translation: not; Notes: marks absolute fasting from food.
  13. comedit — Lemma: comedō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb of the first negative clause; Translation: he ate; Notes: perfect with negative expresses total absence of the action.
  14. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: coordinates the second negative clause; Translation: and; Notes: links food and drink abstention.
  15. aquam — Lemma: aqua; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object of bibit; Translation: water; Notes: basic drink, also denied.
  16. non — Lemma: nōn; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: negates bibit; Translation: not; Notes: stresses miracle-like fasting.
  17. bibit — Lemma: bibō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb of the second negative clause; Translation: he drank; Notes: perfect used with negative to state “he did not drink at all.”
  18. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces the final narrative clause; Translation: and; Notes: adds the positive action of writing after the negatives.
  19. scripsit — Lemma: scrībō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb describing inscription of the law; Translation: he wrote; Notes: perfect indicates completed inscription on the tablets.
  20. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces locative phrase; Translation: on / in; Notes: here used with ablative to mean “on” the tablets.
  21. tabulis — Lemma: tabula; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural feminine; Function: object of in; Translation: tablets; Notes: refers to the stone tablets of the covenant.
  22. verba — Lemma: verbum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: direct object of scripsit; Translation: words; Notes: the specific covenant stipulations engraved.
  23. fœderis — Lemma: fœdus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter; Function: dependent genitive modifying verba; Translation: of the covenant; Notes: identifies these words as covenantal, not merely moral maxims.
  24. decem — Lemma: decem; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: indeclinable; Function: numeral modifier of verba; Translation: ten; Notes: specifies the “ten words,” traditionally known as the Ten Commandments.

 

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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