Exodus 4:27

Posted on February 23, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 4:27 Dixit autem Dominus ad Aaron: Vade in occursum Moysi in desertum. Qui perrexit obviam ei in Montem Dei, et osculatus est eum.

And the LORD said to Aaron: “Go into the meeting of Moyses in the desert.” And he went to meet him on the Mountain of God, and he kissed him.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Dixit said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 autem however ADV/CONJ
3 Dominus LORD NOM.SG.M
4 ad to PREP+ACC
5 Aaron Aaron ACC.SG.M
6 Vade go 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP
7 in into PREP+ACC
8 occursum meeting ACC.SG.M
9 Moysi of Moses GEN.SG.M
10 in into PREP+ACC
11 desertum desert ACC.SG.N
12 Qui who NOM.SG.M
13 perrexit went 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
14 obviam to meet ADV
15 ei him DAT.SG.M
16 in on PREP+ACC
17 Montem Mountain ACC.SG.M
18 Dei of God GEN.SG.M
19 et and CONJ
20 osculatus kissed NOM.SG.M.PERF.PART.ACT
21 est he has 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
22 eum him ACC.SG.M

Syntax

Main clause: Dixit autem Dominus ad Aaron — subject Dominus, verb Dixit, indirect object Aaron.
Imperative clause: Vade in occursum Moysi in desertum — command + two complements (meeting Moses, location “into the desert”).
Relative clause: Qui perrexit obviam ei — Qui refers to Aaron; perrexit main verb; obviam ei adverbial/indirect object.
Locative phrase: in Montem Dei — destination of the meeting.
Completed action: osculatus est eum — perfect periphrastic middle/passive form functioning as a simple perfect (“he kissed him”).

Morphology

  1. Dixit — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular perfect active indicative; Function: introduces divine speech; Translation: said; Notes: perfect used for narrative advancement.
  2. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: adverb/conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: soft contrast; Translation: however; Notes: typical biblical connective.
  3. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: LORD; Notes: refers to YHWH.
  4. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces addressee; Translation: to; Notes: standard with verbs of speaking.
  5. Aaron — Lemma: Aaron; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of ad; Translation: Aaron; Notes: Hebrew proper name.
  6. Vade — Lemma: vado; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person singular present active imperative; Function: command; Translation: go; Notes: direct imperative from the LORD.
  7. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: indicates direction; Translation: into; Notes: motion toward.
  8. occursum — Lemma: occursus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of in; Translation: meeting; Notes: idiom “in occursum” = “to meet.”
  9. Moysi — Lemma: Moyses; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: objective genitive; Translation: of Moses; Notes: Hebrew name.
  10. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: direction; Translation: into; Notes: indicates entering desert region.
  11. desertum — Lemma: desertum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of in; Translation: desert; Notes: the wilderness of Midian area.
  12. Qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of relative clause; Translation: who; Notes: refers to Aaron.
  13. perrexit — Lemma: pergo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular perfect active indicative; Function: verb of motion; Translation: he went; Notes: perfect for completed motion.
  14. obviam — Lemma: obviam; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: forms idiom “go to meet”; Translation: to meet; Notes: requires dative object.
  15. ei — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: indirect object; Translation: him; Notes: refers to Moses.
  16. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: indicates destination; Translation: on; Notes: directional usage.
  17. Montem — Lemma: mons; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of in; Translation: mountain; Notes: “Mount Sinai/Horeb.”
  18. Dei — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: genitive of possession; Translation: of God; Notes: modifies Montem.
  19. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links clauses; Translation: and; Notes: continues narrative flow.
  20. osculatus — Lemma: osculor; Part of Speech: participle (deponent verb); Form: nominative singular masculine perfect participle; Function: part of periphrastic perfect; Translation: kissed; Notes: deponent in form but active in meaning.
  21. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present indicative; Function: auxiliary forming perfect; Translation: he has; Notes: completes periphrasis.
  22. eum — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of osculatus est; Translation: him; 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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