Exodus 4:1

Posted on February 23, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 4:1 Respondens Moyses, ait: Non credent mihi, neque audient vocem meam, sed dicent: Non apparuit tibi Dominus.

And Moyses answering said: “They will not believe me nor will they listen to my voice, but they will say: ‘The LORD has not appeared to you.’”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Respondens answering PRES.ACT.PTCP.NOM.SG.M
2 Moyses Moses NOM.SG.M
3 ait said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
4 Non not NEG.PART
5 credent they will believe 3PL.FUT.ACT.IND
6 mihi me DAT.SG.1PRON
7 neque nor CONJ
8 audient they will hear 3PL.FUT.ACT.IND
9 vocem voice ACC.SG.F
10 meam my ACC.SG.F.ADJ
11 sed but CONJ
12 dicent they will say 3PL.FUT.ACT.IND
13 Non not NEG.PART
14 apparuit appeared 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
15 tibi to you DAT.SG.2PRON
16 Dominus LORD NOM.SG.M

Syntax

Opening Construction:
Respondens Moyses — circumstantial participial phrase meaning “Moses, answering.”
• Respondens = nominative masculine participle linked to Moyses.
• Sets the narrative frame before the main verb.

Main Clause:
ait — main verb governing direct speech.

Reported Fear:
Non credent mihi — “They will not believe me.”
• mihi = dative of indirect object.

Second Predication:
neque audient vocem meam — “nor will they listen to my voice.”

Contrasting Clause:
sed dicent — “but they will say.”

Content Clause:
Non apparuit tibi Dominus — “The LORD has not appeared to you.”
• Dominus = subject; translated “LORD” because it refers to YHWH.

Morphology

  1. Respondens — Lemma: respondeo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: present active participle nominative singular masculine; Function: circumstantial modifier of Moyses; Translation: “answering”; Notes: Classical and biblical Latin often use present participles to introduce narrative speech.
  2. Moyses — Lemma: Moyses; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular; Function: subject of ait; Translation: “Moses”; Notes: Hebrew loanword, treated as indeclinable in some earlier Latin sources but fully declined here.
  3. ait — Lemma: aio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb of speaking; Translation: “said”; Notes: Common narrative verb for reported speech.
  4. Non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: negative particle; Function: negates credent; Translation: “not”; Notes: Standard clausal negation.
  5. credent — Lemma: credo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd plural future active indicative; Function: main verb of the subordinate clause; Translation: “they will believe”; Notes: Future expresses anticipated refusal by the Israelites.
  6. mihi — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular; Function: indirect object; Translation: “me”; Notes: Dative complements credere meaning “to believe (someone).”
  7. neque — Lemma: neque; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: negative coordinating; Function: joins two negated actions; Translation: “nor”; Notes: Strengthens the parallelism of Moses’ complaint.
  8. audient — Lemma: audio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd plural future active indicative; Function: second verb in negative parallel; Translation: “they will hear”; Notes: Future indicates anticipated disbelief continuing.
  9. vocem — Lemma: vox; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object; Translation: “voice”; Notes: Common object with verbs of hearing.
  10. meam — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: modifies vocem; Translation: “my”; Notes: Possessive emphasizing personal testimony.
  11. sed — Lemma: sed; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: introduces contrast; Translation: “but”; Notes: Signals the heart of Moses’ fear.
  12. dicent — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd plural future active indicative; Function: verb of the contrasting clause; Translation: “they will say”; Notes: Future predictive of the Israelites’ reaction.
  13. Non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: negative particle; Function: negates apparuit; Translation: “not”; Notes: Negates divine appearance.
  14. apparuit — Lemma: appareo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd singular perfect active indicative; Function: verb of reported speech; Translation: “appeared”; Notes: Perfect indicates completed divine action.
  15. tibi — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to you”; Notes: Dative marking the beneficiary of divine revelation.
  16. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun/title; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of apparuit; Translation: “LORD”; Notes: Refers to YHWH, thus rendered “LORD.”

 

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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