Exodus 4:4

Posted on February 23, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 4:4 Dixitque Dominus: Extende manum tuam, et apprehende caudam eius. Extendit, et tenuit, versaque est in virgam.

And the LORD said: “Extend your hand and seize its tail.” He extended and held it, and it was turned into a rod.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Dixitque and said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND + ENCLITIC
2 Dominus LORD NOM.SG.M
3 Extende extend 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP
4 manum hand ACC.SG.F
5 tuam your ACC.SG.F.ADJ
6 et and CONJ
7 apprehende seize 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP
8 caudam tail ACC.SG.F
9 eius its GEN.SG.PRON
10 Extendit he extended 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
11 et and CONJ
12 tenuit he held 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
13 versaque and turned NOM.SG.F.PERF.PASS.PTCP + ENCLITIC
14 est was 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
15 in into PREP+ACC
16 virgam rod ACC.SG.F

Syntax

Introduction of Speech:
Dixitque Dominus — “And the LORD said.”
• Dominus = subject.

Double Imperative Command:
Extende manum tuam — “Extend your hand.”
et apprehende caudam eius — “and seize its tail.”
• Two coordinated imperatives governing Moses’ action.
• eius refers to the serpent.

Narrative Fulfillment:
Extendit, et tenuit — “He extended and he held.”
• Two perfect verbs narrating obedience.

Transformation Result:
versaque est in virgam — “and it was turned into a rod.”
• Periphrastic passive construction: participle + est.
• in virgam = accusative of result.

Morphology

  1. Dixitque — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd singular perfect active indicative with enclitic -que; Function: introduces divine command; Translation: “and said”; Notes: Perfect tense marks a completed speech act linked to previous narrative by -que.
  2. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun/title; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “LORD”; Notes: Refers to YHWH, thus rendered “LORD.”
  3. Extende — Lemma: extendo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 2nd singular present active imperative; Function: divine command; Translation: “extend”; Notes: Imperative expressing immediate required action.
  4. manum — Lemma: manus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object of Extende; Translation: “hand”; Notes: Object of the extending action.
  5. tuam — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: modifies manum; Translation: “your”; Notes: Possessive agreement with manum.
  6. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links two imperatives; Translation: “and”; Notes: Coordination shows two-step command.
  7. apprehende — Lemma: apprehendo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 2nd singular present active imperative; Function: second command; Translation: “seize”; Notes: Imperative continuing the divine instruction.
  8. caudam — Lemma: cauda; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object of apprehende; Translation: “tail”; Notes: Literal physical object in the miracle.
  9. eius — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive singular; Function: possessive modifier; Translation: “its”; Notes: Refers to the serpent produced from the rod.
  10. Extendit — Lemma: extendo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd singular perfect active indicative; Function: narrates obedience; Translation: “he extended”; Notes: Perfect used for rapid narrative sequence.
  11. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links narrative actions; Translation: “and”; Notes: Continues the chain of Moses’ actions.
  12. tenuit — Lemma: teneo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd singular perfect active indicative; Function: narrates second obedient action; Translation: “he held”; Notes: Perfect marking completed grasp of the tail.
  13. versaque — Lemma: verto; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular feminine perfect passive participle with enclitic -que; Function: predicate component in passive periphrasis; Translation: “and turned”; Notes: Describes transformation back from serpent to rod.
  14. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd singular present active indicative; Function: auxiliary verb; Translation: “was”; Notes: Forms perfect passive with participle versa.
  15. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses result of transformation; Translation: “into”; Notes: Accusative marks the outcome of a change of state.
  16. virgam — Lemma: virga; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: predicate complement in transformation; Translation: “rod”; Notes: Restores original object held by 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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