Exodus 4:11

Posted on February 23, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 4:11 Dixit Dominus ad eum: Quis fecit os hominis? aut quis fabricatus est mutum et surdum, videntem et cæcum? nonne ego?

The LORD said to him: “Who made the mouth of man? or who formed the mute and the deaf, the seeing and the blind? Is it not I?

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Dixit said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 Dominus LORD NOM.SG.M
3 ad to PREP+ACC
4 eum him ACC.SG.M.PRON
5 Quis who NOM.SG.M.INTERROG
6 fecit made 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
7 os mouth ACC.SG.N
8 hominis of man GEN.SG.M
9 aut or CONJ
10 quis who NOM.SG.M.INTERROG
11 fabricatus formed NOM.SG.M.PERF.PTCP.DEP
12 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
13 mutum mute ACC.SG.M.ADJ
14 et and CONJ
15 surdum deaf ACC.SG.M.ADJ
16 videntem seeing ACC.SG.M.PRES.PTCP
17 et and CONJ
18 cæcum blind ACC.SG.M.ADJ
19 nonne is it not INTERROG.PARTICLE
20 ego I NOM.SG.PRON

Syntax

Speech Introduction:
Dixit Dominus ad eum — “The LORD said to him.”
• Standard narrative formula: verb + subject + indirect object.

First Interrogative Clause:
Quis fecit os hominis?
• Quis = subject.
• fecit = main verb.
• os hominis = object phrase (“the mouth of man”).

Second Interrogative Clause:
aut quis fabricatus est mutum et surdum, videntem et cæcum?
• Parallel interrogative beginning with quis.
• fabricatus est = deponent perfect.
• Series of accusatives as objects of divine formation.

Rhetorical Affirmation:
nonne ego?
• Short emphatic rhetorical question.
• Implies: “Is it not I (the LORD)?”

Morphology

  1. Dixit — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd singular perfect active indicative; Function: introduces divine speech; Translation: “said”; Notes: Perfect denotes completed speech act.
  2. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun/title; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “LORD”; Notes: Refers to YHWH.
  3. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces indirect object; Translation: “to”; Notes: Typical with verbs of speaking.
  4. eum — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: indirect object of ad; Translation: “him”; Notes: Refers to Moses.
  5. Quis — Lemma: quis; Part of Speech: interrogative pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “who”; Notes: Introduces direct question.
  6. fecit — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: “made”; Notes: Perfect denotes completed creative action.
  7. os — Lemma: os; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object of fecit; Translation: “mouth”; Notes: Neuter 3rd declension.
  8. hominis — Lemma: homo; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: modifies os; Translation: “of man”; Notes: Genitive of possession.
  9. aut — Lemma: aut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links interrogatives; Translation: “or”; Notes: Simple disjunction.
  10. quis — Lemma: quis; Part of Speech: interrogative pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of second question; Translation: “who”; Notes: Parallel to earlier Quis.
  11. fabricatus — Lemma: fabricor; Part of Speech: deponent verb participle; Form: nominative singular masculine perfect participle; Function: part of periphrastic verb; Translation: “formed”; Notes: Perfect participle of deponent.
  12. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd singular present indicative; Function: auxiliary; Translation: “is”; Notes: Forms perfect with deponent participle.
  13. mutum — Lemma: mutus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of fabricatus est; Translation: “mute”; Notes: Used substantively.
  14. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: joins objects; Translation: “and”; Notes: Simple coordination.
  15. surdum — Lemma: surdus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of fabricatus est; Translation: “deaf”; Notes: Substantivized adjective.
  16. videntem — Lemma: video; Part of Speech: present participle; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: additional object; Translation: “seeing”; Notes: Participial substantive.
  17. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: joins last coordinate; Translation: “and”; Notes: Continues series.
  18. cæcum — Lemma: cæcus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: final object; Translation: “blind”; Notes: Substantivized adjective.
  19. nonne — Lemma: nonne; Part of Speech: interrogative particle; Form: indeclinable; Function: expects affirmative answer; Translation: “is it not?”; Notes: Rhetorical device affirming divine agency.
  20. ego — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative singular; Function: subject of implied verb; Translation: “I”; Notes: Stands absolutely as emphatic assertion.

 

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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