Exodus 4:23

Posted on February 23, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 4:23 Dixi tibi: Dimitte filium meum ut serviat mihi; et noluisti dimittere eum: ecce ego interficiam filium tuum primogenitum.

I said to you: “Release my son so that he may serve me; but you were unwilling to release him. Behold, I will kill your firstborn son.”’”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Dixi I said 1SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 tibi to you DAT.SG
3 Dimitte release 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP
4 filium son ACC.SG.M
5 meum my ACC.SG.M
6 ut so that CONJ
7 serviat he may serve 3SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
8 mihi to me DAT.SG
9 et and CONJ
10 noluisti you were unwilling 2SG.PERF.ACT.IND
11 dimittere to release PRES.ACT.INF
12 eum him ACC.SG.M
13 ecce behold INTERJ
14 ego I NOM.SG
15 interficiam I will kill 1SG.FUT.ACT.IND
16 filium son ACC.SG.M
17 tuum your ACC.SG.M
18 primogenitum firstborn ACC.SG.M

Syntax

Opening divine statement: Dixi tibi — perfect indicative expressing prior divine command.
Main imperative: Dimitte filium meum — direct command to Pharaoh.
Purpose clause: ut serviat mihi — “so that he may serve me,” subjunctive required by ut.
Adversative clause: et noluisti dimittere eum — Pharaoh’s refusal stated with perfect tense.
Judgment declaration: ecce ego interficiam filium tuum primogenitum — emphatic future threat, using ecce to heighten immediacy.
Direct object sequence: filium tuum primogenitum — cumulative specification (“your son, your firstborn”).

Morphology

  1. Dixi — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: first person singular perfect active indicative; Function: recalls prior divine command; Translation: I said; Notes: perfect used for completed speech-act.
  2. tibi — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular; Function: indirect object of Dixi; Translation: to you; Notes: addressed to Pharaoh.
  3. Dimitte — Lemma: dimitto; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person singular present active imperative; Function: command; Translation: release; Notes: explicit divine order.
  4. filium — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of Dimitte; Translation: son; Notes: refers to Israel.
  5. meum — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: modifies filium; Translation: my; Notes: expresses covenant relationship.
  6. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: subordinating; Function: introduces purpose clause; Translation: so that; Notes: takes subjunctive.
  7. serviat — Lemma: servio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present active subjunctive; Function: verb of purpose clause; Translation: he may serve; Notes: service refers to covenantal worship.
  8. mihi — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular; Function: indirect object of serviat; Translation: to me; Notes: marks recipient of service.
  9. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: introduces contrasting clause; Translation: and; Notes: narrative pivot.
  10. noluisti — Lemma: nolo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person singular perfect active indicative; Function: expresses Pharaoh’s refusal; Translation: you were unwilling; Notes: strong volitional verb.
  11. dimittere — Lemma: dimitto; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active infinitive; Function: complementary infinitive with noluisti; Translation: to release; Notes: infinitive explains the refusal.
  12. eum — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of dimittere; Translation: him; Notes: refers to Israel.
  13. ecce — Lemma: ecce; Part of Speech: particle/interjection; Form: indeclinable; Function: marks solemn announcement; Translation: behold; Notes: introduces divine judgment.
  14. ego — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative singular; Function: emphatic subject; Translation: I; Notes: expresses divine agency.
  15. interficiam — Lemma: interficio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: first person singular future active indicative; Function: main verb of divine threat; Translation: I will kill; Notes: warns of coming plague.
  16. filium — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object; Translation: son; Notes: object of divine judgment.
  17. tuum — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: modifies filium; Translation: your; Notes: refers to Pharaoh.
  18. primogenitum — Lemma: primogenitus; Part of Speech: adjective/noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: specifies filium tuum; Translation: firstborn; Notes: climactic warning corresponding to Israel as God’s firstborn.

 

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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