Exodus 4:18

Posted on February 23, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 4:18 Abiit Moyses, et reversus est ad Iethro socerum suum, dixitque ei: Vadam et revertar ad fratres meos in Ægyptum, ut videam si adhuc vivant. Cui ait Iethro: Vade in pace.

Moyses went away, and he returned to Jethro his father-in-law, and he said to him: “I will go and return to my brothers in Egypt, so that I may see if they still live.” And Jethro said to him: “Go in peace.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Abiit he went away 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 Moyses Moses NOM.SG.M
3 et and CONJ
4 reversus having returned NOM.SG.M.PERF.PTCP
5 est he is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
6 ad to PREP+ACC
7 Iethro Jethro ACC.SG.M
8 socerum father-in-law ACC.SG.M
9 suum his ACC.SG.M
10 dixitque and he said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
11 ei to him DAT.SG.M
12 Vadam I will go 1SG.FUT.ACT.IND
13 et and CONJ
14 revertar I will return 1SG.FUT.DEP.IND
15 ad to PREP+ACC
16 fratres brothers ACC.PL.M
17 meos my ACC.PL.M
18 in in PREP+ACC
19 Ægyptum Egypt ACC.SG.F
20 ut so that CONJ
21 videam I may see 1SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
22 si if CONJ
23 adhuc still ADV
24 vivant they live 3PL.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
25 Cui to whom DAT.SG.M
26 ait he said 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
27 Iethro Jethro NOM.SG.M
28 Vade go 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP
29 in in PREP+ACC
30 pace peace ACC.SG.F

Syntax

Main narrative sequence: Abiit Moyses + reversus est describes two completed actions.
Prepositional phrase: ad Iethro socerum suum marks the destination of Moses’ return.
Speech introduction: dixitque ei introduces direct discourse.
Quoted speech: Vadam et revertar… ut videam si adhuc vivant expresses Moses’ intent, with ut + subjunctive clause of purpose.
Conditional content: si adhuc vivant is a subordinate conditional clause.
Responsive speech: Cui ait Iethro: Vade in pace — Jethro answers Moses with an imperative blessing.

Morphology

  1. Abiit — Lemma: abeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb describing departure; Translation: he went away; Notes: perfect tense marks completed action.
  2. Moyses — Lemma: Moyses; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of abiit; Translation: Moses; Notes: name appears in Latinized Greek form.
  3. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links sequential verbs; Translation: and; Notes: simple addition.
  4. reversus — Lemma: revertor; Part of Speech: deponent participle; Form: nominative singular masculine perfect participle; Function: participial element of periphrastic construction; Translation: having returned; Notes: deponent form conveys active meaning.
  5. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present indicative active; Function: auxiliary verb forming perfect periphrastic; Translation: is; Notes: forms completed action with participle.
  6. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces destination; Translation: to; Notes: marks movement toward someone.
  7. Iethro — Lemma: Iethro; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of ad; Translation: Jethro; Notes: Moses’ father-in-law.
  8. socerum — Lemma: socer; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: apposition to Iethro; Translation: father-in-law; Notes: clarifies relationship.
  9. suum — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: reflexive possessive adjective; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: modifies socerum; Translation: his; Notes: reflexive possession referring to Moses.
  10. dixitque — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular perfect active indicative; Function: introduces direct speech; Translation: and he said; Notes: enclitic -que adds “and.”
  11. ei — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: indirect object of dixit; Translation: to him; Notes: refers to Jethro.
  12. Vadam — Lemma: vado; Part of Speech: verb; Form: first person singular future active indicative; Function: first verb of Moses’ intention; Translation: I will go; Notes: expresses resolve.
  13. et — conjunction as above; Function: links future verbs.
  14. revertar — Lemma: revertor; Part of Speech: deponent verb; Form: first person singular future indicative; Function: second intention verb; Translation: I will return; Notes: deponent but active in sense.
  15. ad — preposition; governs accusative; introduces destination.
  16. fratres — Lemma: frater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object of ad; Translation: brothers; Notes: refers to Israelites.
  17. meos — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: modifies fratres; Translation: my; Notes: personal identification.
  18. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces geographical direction; Translation: into; Notes: motion toward Egypt.
  19. Ægyptum — Lemma: Ægyptus; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of in; Translation: Egypt; Notes: location of Moses’ ancestral people.
  20. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: subordinating conjunction; Form: introduces purpose clause; Function: expresses intention; Translation: so that; Notes: pairs with subjunctive.
  21. videam — Lemma: video; Part of Speech: verb; Form: first person singular present subjunctive active; Function: verb in purpose clause; Translation: I may see; Notes: subjunctive required after ut.
  22. si — Lemma: si; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: conditional marker; Function: introduces conditional clause; Translation: if; Notes: neutral condition.
  23. adhuc — Lemma: adhuc; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies vivant; Translation: still; Notes: expresses continuity.
  24. vivant — Lemma: vivo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural present subjunctive active; Function: verb of conditional clause; Translation: they live; Notes: subjunctive in indirect condition.
  25. Cui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: indirect object of ait; Translation: to whom; Notes: refers to Moses.
  26. ait — Lemma: aio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present active indicative; Function: introduces reply; Translation: he said; Notes: common verb for speaking.
  27. Iethro — Lemma: Iethro; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of ait; Translation: Jethro; Notes: speaker of the blessing.
  28. Vade — Lemma: vado; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person singular present active imperative; Function: direct command; Translation: go; Notes: expresses permission and blessing.
  29. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses state; Translation: in; Notes: with accusative, sometimes expresses condition or result.
  30. pace — Lemma: pax; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of in; Translation: peace; Notes: expresses blessing formula.

 

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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