Exodus 34:7

Posted on March 25, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 34:7 qui custodis misericordiam in millia: qui aufers iniquitatem, et scelera, atque peccata, nullusque apud te per se innocens est. Qui reddis iniquitatem patrum filiis, ac nepotibus in tertiam et quartam progeniem.

who keeps mercy for thousands, who takes away iniquity and wicked deeds and sins, and no one is innocent before you in himself. Who repays the iniquity of fathers to sons and to grandsons, to the third and fourth generation.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 qui who NOM.SG.M REL.PRON
2 custodis you keep 2SG.PRES.ACT.IND 4TH CONJ
3 misericordiam mercy ACC.SG.F 1ST DECL
4 in for PREP+ACC
5 millia thousands ACC.PL.N 3RD DECL
6 qui who NOM.SG.M REL.PRON
7 aufers you take away 2SG.PRES.ACT.IND IRREG
8 iniquitatem iniquity ACC.SG.F 3RD DECL
9 et and CONJ
10 scelera wicked deeds ACC.PL.N 3RD DECL
11 atque and also CONJ
12 peccata sins ACC.PL.N 2ND DECL
13 nullusque and no one NOM.SG.M INDEF.PRON
14 apud before PREP+ACC
15 te you ACC.SG.2ND.PERS PERS.PRON
16 per by PREP+ACC
17 se himself ACC.SG REFL.PRON
18 innocens innocent NOM.SG.M ADJ
19 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND IRREG
20 Qui who NOM.SG.M REL.PRON
21 reddis you repay 2SG.PRES.ACT.IND 3RD CONJ
22 iniquitatem iniquity ACC.SG.F 3RD DECL
23 patrum of fathers GEN.PL.M 3RD DECL
24 filiis to sons DAT.PL.M 2ND DECL
25 ac and also CONJ
26 nepotibus to grandsons DAT.PL.M 2ND DECL
27 in to PREP+ACC
28 tertiam third ACC.SG.F ADJ
29 et and CONJ
30 quartam fourth ACC.SG.F ADJ
31 progeniem generation ACC.SG.F 3RD DECL

Syntax

Relative Description of the LORD (1):
qui custodis misericordiam in millia — “who keeps mercy for thousands.”
The relative pronoun qui has the LORD as its understood antecedent; the clause attributes ongoing covenant loyalty directed “into thousands,” i.e., to thousands (of generations or persons).

Relative Description of the LORD (2):
qui aufers iniquitatem, et scelera, atque peccata — “who takes away iniquity and wicked deeds and sins.”
Three coordinated objects (iniquitatem, scelera, peccata) show the breadth of what is removed.

Universal Negation of Human Innocence:
nullusque apud te per se innocens est — “and no one is innocent before you in himself.”
nullusque is the subject; the prepositional phrase apud te marks God’s tribunal; per se stresses “by one’s own resources,” denying self-grounded innocence.

Relative Description of the LORD (3):
Qui reddis iniquitatem patrum filiis, ac nepotibus in tertiam et quartam progeniem — “Who repays the iniquity of fathers to sons and to grandsons, to the third and fourth generation.”
The prepositional phrase in tertiam et quartam progeniem expresses the extent of retributive consequence.

Morphology

  1. qui — Lemma: qui, quae, quod; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of custodis, referring to the LORD; Translation: who; Notes: introduces the first relative clause describing a divine attribute.
  2. custodis — Lemma: custodio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 2nd person singular present active indicative; Function: main predicate of the relative clause; Translation: you keep; Notes: 2nd person is carried over from the preceding direct address to God, expressing ongoing action.
  3. misericordiam — Lemma: misericordia; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object of custodis; Translation: mercy; Notes: denotes covenantal compassion and loyal love preserved by the LORD.
  4. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs the accusative; Function: introduces a phrase of extent or destination; Translation: for / into; Notes: here functions idiomatically to mean “for” or “to” (thousands).
  5. millia — Lemma: mille (pl. milia); Part of Speech: noun (substantive numeral); Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: object of in, indicating the scope of mercy; Translation: thousands; Notes: used hyperbolically for vast multitudes, often understood as “thousands of generations.”
  6. qui — Lemma: qui, quae, quod; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of aufers, again referring to the LORD; Translation: who; Notes: begins a second relative clause listing another divine action.
  7. aufers — Lemma: aufero; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 2nd person singular present active indicative; Function: main verb of the clause; Translation: you take away; Notes: a compound of ab + fero, stressing removal or bearing away of guilt.
  8. iniquitatem — Lemma: iniquitas; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: first direct object of aufers; Translation: iniquity; Notes: denotes moral crookedness or injustice.
  9. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: coordinating conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: links coordinated objects; Translation: and; Notes: joins scelera to iniquitatem.
  10. scelera — Lemma: scelus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: second direct object of aufers; Translation: wicked deeds; Notes: emphasizes serious crimes or heinous acts.
  11. atque — Lemma: atque; Part of Speech: coordinating conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: adds a further item with a slightly heightened connective force; Translation: and also; Notes: more emphatic than plain et, rounding off the series.
  12. peccata — Lemma: peccatum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: third direct object of aufers; Translation: sins; Notes: general term for failures or offenses, completing the triad of guilt terms.
  13. nullusque — Lemma: nullus (+ enclitic -que); Part of Speech: indefinite adjective used substantively; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of est; Translation: and no one; Notes: –que connects this statement to the preceding description while asserting an absolute negation.
  14. apud — Lemma: apud; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs the accusative; Function: introduces a phrase of relational presence or jurisdiction; Translation: before; Notes: often used in judicial or evaluative contexts (“before” a judge).
  15. te — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: accusative singular, second person; Function: object of apud; Translation: you; Notes: refers to the LORD addressed directly.
  16. per — Lemma: per; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs the accusative; Function: forms an idiomatic phrase with se; Translation: by; Notes: used here to express agency or means (“by himself”).
  17. se — Lemma: sui; Part of Speech: reflexive pronoun; Form: accusative singular; Function: object of per; Translation: himself; Notes: reflexive back to the indefinite subject “no one,” forming the phrase “by himself, in himself.”
  18. innocens — Lemma: innocens; Part of Speech: adjective used predicatively; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: predicate adjective with est; Translation: innocent; Notes: states the moral status (or rather lack of it) of any human before God.
  19. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular present active indicative; Function: copular verb linking nullus and innocens; Translation: is; Notes: expresses a general, gnomic truth.
  20. Qui — Lemma: qui, quae, quod; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of reddis, again referring to the LORD; Translation: who; Notes: begins a third relative clause, now focusing on retributive justice.
  21. reddis — Lemma: reddo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 2nd person singular present active indicative; Function: main verb of the clause; Translation: you repay; Notes: conveys the idea of giving back or requiting, here in the sense of just recompense.
  22. iniquitatem — Lemma: iniquitas; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object of reddis; Translation: iniquity; Notes: the guilt or crookedness that is requited.
  23. patrum — Lemma: pater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: possessive genitive modifying iniquitatem; Translation: of fathers; Notes: indicates whose iniquity is in view.
  24. filiis — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative plural masculine; Function: indirect object of reddis; Translation: to sons; Notes: shows the direction of consequences toward the next generation.
  25. ac — Lemma: ac; Part of Speech: coordinating conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: adds a further indirect object; Translation: and also; Notes: slightly stronger connective than et, intensifying the extension.
  26. nepotibus — Lemma: nepos; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative plural masculine; Function: second indirect object of reddis; Translation: to grandsons; Notes: moves the impact into the second generation beyond the fathers.
  27. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs the accusative; Function: introduces a prepositional phrase of extent; Translation: to / into; Notes: here signals how far the consequences reach.
  28. tertiam — Lemma: tertius; Part of Speech: ordinal adjective; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: modifies progeniem; Translation: third; Notes: first member of the ordinal pair defining the limit.
  29. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: links the two ordinals; Translation: and; Notes: simple coordination of tertiam and quartam.
  30. quartam — Lemma: quartus; Part of Speech: ordinal adjective; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: modifies progeniem; Translation: fourth; Notes: completes the range of generations affected.
  31. progeniem — Lemma: progenies; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of the preposition in; Translation: generation; Notes: collectively denotes descendants, here limited to the third and fourth generation in terms of retributive impact.

 

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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