Exodus 35:4

Posted on March 26, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 35:4 Et ait Moyses ad omnem catervam filiorum Israel: Iste est sermo quem præcepit Dominus, dicens:

And Moyses said to the whole assembly of the sons of Israel: “This is the word which the LORD has commanded, saying:

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Et and CONJ
2 ait he said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND 3RD CONJ
3 Moyses Moses NOM.SG.M INDECL
4 ad to PREP+ACC
5 omnem all ACC.SG.F ADJ 3RD DECL
6 catervam assembly / company ACC.SG.F 1ST DECL
7 filiorum of the sons GEN.PL.M 2ND DECL
8 Israel of Israel GEN.SG.INDECL
9 Iste this NOM.SG.M DEM.PRON
10 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
11 sermo word / message NOM.SG.M 3RD DECL
12 quem which ACC.SG.M REL.PRON
13 præcepit has commanded 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND 3RD CONJ
14 Dominus the LORD NOM.SG.M 2ND DECL
15 dicens saying NOM.SG.M PTCP.PRES.ACT 3RD CONJ

Syntax

Main Clause:
Et ait Moyses ad omnem catervam filiorum Israel — “And Moses said to the whole assembly of the sons of Israel.”
• Moyses = subject.
• ad … catervam = indirect object (recipient of speech).
• filiorum Israel = genitive modifying catervam.

Iste est sermo quem præcepit Dominus
• Iste = demonstrative pronoun pointing to the forthcoming instruction.
• sermo = subject.
• quem … præcepit Dominus = relative clause explaining what word it is.

Participial Clause:
dicens — “saying,” introduces the following divine words.

Morphology

  1. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: connects narrative clauses; Translation: and; Notes: frequent biblical clause connector.
  2. ait — Lemma: aiō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb of speech; Translation: he said; Notes: perfect with historical sense.
  3. Moyses — Lemma: Moyses; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine (indeclinable); Function: subject; Translation: Moses; Notes: indeclinability typical for Hebrew names.
  4. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces the audience; Translation: to; Notes: expresses direction of speech.
  5. omnem — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: modifies catervam; Translation: whole / entire; Notes: intensifies collective sense.
  6. catervam — Lemma: caterva; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of ad; Translation: assembly; Notes: denotes large gathered group.
  7. filiorum — Lemma: fīlius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: possessive genitive; Translation: of the sons; Notes: stock biblical phrase.
  8. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular indeclinable; Function: genitive modifying filiorum; Translation: of Israel; Notes: indeclinability preserved.
  9. Iste — Lemma: iste; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: this; Notes: points to divine command about to follow.
  10. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular present active indicative; Function: copula; Translation: is; Notes: links demonstrative and predicate noun.
  11. sermo — Lemma: sermō; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: predicate noun; Translation: word; Notes: denotes a given or formal message.
  12. quem — Lemma: quī, quae, quod; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of præcepit; Translation: which; Notes: refers back to sermo.
  13. præcepit — Lemma: praecipiō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular perfect active indicative; Function: verb of relative clause; Translation: has commanded; Notes: denotes authoritative divine instruction.
  14. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of præcepit; Translation: the LORD; Notes: refers to YHWH → translated as “LORD.”
  15. dicens — Lemma: dīcō; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular masculine present active participle; Function: introduces speech; Translation: saying; Notes: formulaic transition to direct quotation.

 

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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