Exodus 4:19

Posted on February 23, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 4:19 Dixit ergo Dominus ad Moysen in Madian: Vade, et revertere in Ægyptum: mortui sunt enim omnes qui quærebant animam tuam.

And the LORD said to Moyses in Madian: “Go, and return into Egypt, for all who were seeking your life have died.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Dixit said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 ergo therefore ADV
3 Dominus LORD NOM.SG.M
4 ad to PREP+ACC
5 Moysen Moses ACC.SG.M
6 in in PREP+ABL
7 Madian Midian ABL.SG.F
8 Vade go 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP
9 et and CONJ
10 revertere return 2SG.PRES.DEP.IMP
11 in into PREP+ACC
12 Ægyptum Egypt ACC.SG.F
13 mortui died NOM.PL.M.PERF.PTCP
14 sunt they are 3PL.PRES.ACT.IND
15 enim for CONJ
16 omnes all NOM.PL.M
17 qui who NOM.PL.M
18 quærebant were seeking 3PL.IMPERF.ACT.IND
19 animam life ACC.SG.F
20 tuam your ACC.SG.F

Syntax

Main clause: Dixit ergo Dominus ad Moysen — Dominus is subject, Dixit the perfect verb, ad Moysen the recipient.
Locative phrase: in Madian indicates where the LORD spoke to Moses.
Imperatives: Vade and revertere form a coordinated pair of divine commands.
Directional phrase: in Ægyptum expresses motion toward Egypt.
Causal clause: mortui sunt enim omnes introduces the reason for Moses’ safe return.
Relative clause: qui quærebant animam tuam modifies omnes, identifying those who sought Moses’ life.

Morphology

  1. Dixit — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb stating divine speech; Translation: said; Notes: perfect aspect indicates completed action.
  2. ergo — Lemma: ergo; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: logical connective; Translation: therefore; Notes: marks consequence or continuation in narrative.
  3. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of Dixit; Translation: LORD; Notes: refers to YHWH.
  4. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces the indirect object; Translation: to; Notes: expresses direction toward the person addressed.
  5. Moysen — Lemma: Moyses; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of ad; Translation: Moses; Notes: direct addressee of divine command.
  6. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative expressing location; Function: introduces place; Translation: in; Notes: takes ablative for location.
  7. Madian — Lemma: Madian; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of in; Translation: Midian; Notes: geographical location of Moses.
  8. Vade — Lemma: vado; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person singular present active imperative; Function: first divine command; Translation: go; Notes: expresses immediate action.
  9. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links imperatives; Translation: and; Notes: simple coordination.
  10. revertere — Lemma: revertor; Part of Speech: deponent verb; Form: second person singular present imperative; Function: second command; Translation: return; Notes: deponent imperative with active meaning.
  11. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative for motion; Function: marks direction; Translation: into; Notes: indicates movement toward Egypt.
  12. Ægyptum — Lemma: Ægyptus; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of in; Translation: Egypt; Notes: place Moses is commanded to return.
  13. mortui — Lemma: morior; Part of Speech: deponent participle; Form: nominative plural masculine perfect participle; Function: subject complement in periphrastic construction; Translation: died; Notes: deponent with passive form but active meaning.
  14. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural present indicative active; Function: auxiliary; Translation: they are; Notes: completes perfect periphrastic.
  15. enim — Lemma: enim; Part of Speech: postpositive conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces explanation; Translation: for; Notes: cannot stand first in clause.
  16. omnes — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective/pronoun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject of mortui sunt; Translation: all; Notes: refers to former pursuers.
  17. qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: introduces relative clause; Translation: who; Notes: agrees with omnes.
  18. quærebant — Lemma: quæro; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural imperfect active indicative; Function: verb in the relative clause; Translation: were seeking; Notes: imperfect expresses ongoing past hostility.
  19. animam — Lemma: anima; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of quærebant; Translation: life; Notes: idiomatically “seeking one’s life” = seeking to kill.
  20. tuam — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: modifies animam; Translation: your; Notes: refers to Moses.

 

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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