Exodus 34:8

Posted on March 25, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 34:8 Festinusque Moyses, curvatus est pronus in terram, et adorans

And Moyses, hastening, bowed down prone upon the earth and worshipping,

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Festinusque and hastening NOM.SG.M ADJ + ENCLITIC
2 Moyses Moses NOM.SG.M INDECL
3 curvatus bowed NOM.SG.M PERF.PASS.PTCP 1ST CONJ
4 est is / was 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND IRREG
5 pronus prone NOM.SG.M ADJ
6 in upon PREP+ACC
7 terram earth ACC.SG.F 1ST DECL
8 et and CONJ
9 adorans worshipping NOM.SG.M PRES.ACT.PTCP 1ST CONJ

Syntax

Main Structure:
Festinusque Moyses curvatus est — “And Moses, hastening, bowed down.”
• Festinusque modifies Moyses, describing his rapid movement.
• curvatus est = perfect passive form meaning “he bowed down.”

Adverbial Phrase:
pronus in terram — “prone upon the earth.”
Expresses posture and direction of his bowing.

Participial Extension:
et adorans — “and worshipping,”
A circumstantial participle describing the manner of his approach.

Morphology

  1. Festinusque — Lemma: festinus; Part of Speech: adjective with enclitic -que; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: modifies Moyses; Translation: and hastening; Notes: enclitic links to preceding narrative, indicating urgency in Moses’ action.
  2. Moyses — Lemma: Moyses; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of curvatus est; Translation: Moses; Notes: indeclinable in Latin usage.
  3. curvatus — Lemma: curvo; Part of Speech: verb (participle); Form: nominative singular masculine perfect passive participle; Function: part of the periphrastic passive construction; Translation: bowed; Notes: expresses completed action in relation to Moses’ movement.
  4. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular present active indicative; Function: auxiliary forming perfect passive; Translation: is / was; Notes: supplies tense for the participle.
  5. pronus — Lemma: pronus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: predicate adjective describing posture; Translation: prone; Notes: conveys submission in worship context.
  6. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses direction; Translation: upon; Notes: used with movement or posture toward a surface.
  7. terram — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of in; Translation: earth; Notes: literal ground, symbolizing reverence when touched by prostration.
  8. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: coordinating conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: links adorans to the preceding description; Translation: and; Notes: simple connective.
  9. adorans — Lemma: ad oro; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular masculine present active participle; Function: circumstantial participle modifying Moyses; Translation: worshipping; Notes: expresses continuing action performed simultaneously with bowing.

 

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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