Exodus 4:10

Posted on February 23, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 4:10 Ait Moyses: Obsecro Domine, non sum eloquens ab heri, et nudiustertius: et ex quo locutus es ad servum tuum, impeditioris et tardioris linguæ sum.

Moyses said: “I beg, Lord, I am not eloquent from yesterday, nor the day before, and from the time you have spoken to your servant, I am of a more impeded and slower tongue.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Ait said 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
2 Moyses Moses NOM.SG.M
3 Obsecro I beg 1SG.PRES.ACT.IND
4 Domine Lord VOC.SG.M
5 non not ADV
6 sum I am 1SG.PRES.ACT.IND
7 eloquens eloquent NOM.SG.M.PTCP.PRES
8 ab from PREP+ABL
9 heri yesterday ADV/NOUN.ABL
10 et and CONJ
11 nudiustertius the day before yesterday ADV/ADJ.MASC.NOM.SG
12 et and CONJ
13 ex from PREP+ABL
14 quo from which ABL.SG.M/N.REL
15 locutus spoken NOM.SG.M.PERF.PTCP
16 es you have 2SG.PRES.ACT.IND
17 ad to PREP+ACC
18 servum servant ACC.SG.M
19 tuum your ACC.SG.M.ADJ
20 impeditioris more impeded GEN.SG.F.COMP.ADJ
21 et and CONJ
22 tardioris slower GEN.SG.F.COMP.ADJ
23 linguæ of tongue GEN.SG.F
24 sum I am 1SG.PRES.ACT.IND

Syntax

Speech Introduction:
Ait Moyses — Moses begins his reply.
• Ait = verb of speaking.
• Moyses = subject.

Plea to the LORD:
Obsecro Domine — polite petition addressed vocatively to God.

Statement of Inability:
non sum eloquens ab heri et nudiustertius — “I am not eloquent from yesterday or the day before.”
• Idiom expressing “I have never been eloquent.”

Relative Clause of Time:
ex quo locutus es ad servum tuum — “from the time you spoke to your servant.”
• ex quo = temporal marker.
• Perfect participle locutus forms a periphrastic verb with es.

Predicate Adjectival Construction:
impeditioris et tardioris linguæ sum — “I am of a more impeded and slower tongue.”
• linguæ = genitive of specification.
• Comparative adjectives impeditioris and tardioris describe deficiency.

Morphology

  1. Ait — Lemma: aio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd singular present active indicative; Function: introduces speech; Translation: “said”; Notes: Used frequently in narrative dialogue.
  2. Moyses — Lemma: Moyses; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “Moses”; Notes: Standard Vulgate spelling.
  3. Obsecro — Lemma: obsecro; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 1st singular present active indicative; Function: respectful plea; Translation: “I beg”; Notes: Often introduces humble objections.
  4. Domine — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: vocative singular masculine; Function: direct address; Translation: “Lord”; Notes: Vocative directed to God.
  5. non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: negates verb; Translation: “not”; Notes: Standard negator.
  6. sum — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 1st singular present active indicative; Function: linking verb; Translation: “I am”; Notes: Appears twice with different predicates.
  7. eloquens — Lemma: eloquens; Part of Speech: participial adjective; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: predicate adjective; Translation: “eloquent”; Notes: Present participle functioning adjectivally.
  8. ab — Lemma: ab; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses starting point; Translation: “from”; Notes: Used idiomatically with time expressions.
  9. heri — Lemma: heri; Part of Speech: adverb/noun; Form: indeclinable or ablative; Function: time reference; Translation: “yesterday”; Notes: Forms idiom with nudiustertius.
  10. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links items; Translation: “and”; Notes: Simple connector.
  11. nudiustertius — Lemma: nudiustertius; Part of Speech: adverb/adjective; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: second temporal marker; Translation: “the day before yesterday”; Notes: Rare classical temporal term.
  12. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Joins temporal clause.
  13. ex — Lemma: ex; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses origin/time; Translation: “from”; Notes: Links to temporal relative.
  14. quo — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: ablative singular; Function: marker of temporal clause; Translation: “from which”; Notes: Ablative of origin.
  15. locutus — Lemma: loquor; Part of Speech: deponent verb participle; Form: nominative singular masculine perfect participle; Function: complements es; Translation: “spoken”; Notes: Deponent in meaning but perfect participle in form.
  16. es — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 2nd singular present active indicative; Function: auxiliary in periphrastic construction; Translation: “you have”; Notes: Used with deponent participle.
  17. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses direction toward person; Translation: “to”; Notes: Introduces indirect object.
  18. servum — Lemma: servus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of ad; Translation: “servant”; Notes: Moses referring to himself.
  19. tuum — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: modifies servum; Translation: “your”; Notes: Marks possession.
  20. impeditioris — Lemma: impeditior; Part of Speech: comparative adjective; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: modifies linguæ; Translation: “of a more impeded”; Notes: Genitive of specification.
  21. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links comparatives; Translation: “and”; Notes: Connects two parallel descriptors.
  22. tardioris — Lemma: tardior; Part of Speech: comparative adjective; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: modifies linguæ; Translation: “slower”; Notes: Comparative of tardus.
  23. linguæ — Lemma: lingua; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: genitive of specification; Translation: “of tongue”; Notes: Expresses the area in which Moses is deficient.
  24. sum — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 1st singular present active indicative; Function: completes predicate; Translation: “I am”; Notes: Links comparative noun phrase to subject.

 

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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