Exodus 4:6

Posted on February 23, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 4:6 Dixitque Dominus rursum: Mitte manum tuam in sinum tuum. Quam cum misisset in sinum, protulit leprosam instar nivis.

And the LORD said again: “Put your hand into your bosom.” And when he had put it into his bosom, he brought it out leprous, like snow.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Dixitque and said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND + ENCLITIC
2 Dominus LORD NOM.SG.M
3 rursum again ADV
4 Mitte put 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP
5 manum hand ACC.SG.F
6 tuam your ACC.SG.F.ADJ
7 in into PREP+ACC
8 sinum bosom ACC.SG.M
9 tuum your ACC.SG.M.ADJ
10 Quam which ACC.SG.F.REL
11 cum when CONJ.SUB
12 misisset he had put 3SG.PLUPERF.ACT.SUBJ
13 in into PREP+ACC
14 sinum bosom ACC.SG.M
15 pro tulit he brought out 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
16 leprosam leprous ACC.SG.F.ADJ
17 instar like PREP+GEN
18 nivis snow GEN.SG.F

Syntax

Divine Speech Introduction:
Dixitque Dominus rursum — “And the LORD said again.”
• rursum emphasizes repetition of divine instruction.

Command Clause:
Mitte manum tuam in sinum tuum — “Put your hand into your bosom.”
• Double accusative object + prepositional phrase.
• mitte = imperative.

Relative Clause of Circumstance:
Quam cum misisset in sinum — “When he had put it into his bosom.”
• quam refers back to manum.
• cum + pluperfect subjunctive = circumstantial clause.

Main Result:
pro tulit leprosam — “he brought it out leprous.”
• leprosam is a predicate adjective describing the hand.

Comparison Phrase:
instar nivis — “like snow.”
• instar governs the genitive.

Morphology

  1. Dixitque — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd singular perfect active indicative with enclitic -que; Function: introduces repeated divine instruction; Translation: “and said”; Notes: Perfect expresses completed speech act linked by -que.
  2. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun/title; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “LORD”; Notes: Refers to YHWH; nominative marks speaker.
  3. rursum — Lemma: rursum; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies Dixit; Translation: “again”; Notes: Denotes repeated command.
  4. Mitte — Lemma: mitto; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 2nd singular present active imperative; Function: command; Translation: “put”; Notes: Imperative demands immediate action.
  5. manum — Lemma: manus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object of Mitte; Translation: “hand”; Notes: Object being placed.
  6. tuam — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: modifies manum; Translation: “your”; Notes: Possessive adjective agreeing with noun.
  7. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses movement into; Translation: “into”; Notes: Directional use with accusative.
  8. sinum — Lemma: sinus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of in; Translation: “bosom”; Notes: Indicates chest-fold of garment.
  9. tuum — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: modifies sinum; Translation: “your”; Notes: Marks personal possession.
  10. Quam — Lemma: qui/quae/quod; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of misisset; Translation: “which”; Notes: Refers back to manum.
  11. cum — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: subordinating; Function: introduces circumstantial clause; Translation: “when”; Notes: cum + subjunctive describes attendant circumstance.
  12. misisset — Lemma: mitto; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd singular pluperfect active subjunctive; Function: verb of circumstantial clause; Translation: “he had put”; Notes: Pluperfect marks action completed before main action.
  13. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses movement; Translation: “into”; Notes: Repeats earlier directional phrase.
  14. sinum — Lemma: sinus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: complement of in; Translation: “bosom”; Notes: Repeated object.
  15. pro tulit — Lemma: profero; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb of result; Translation: “he brought out”; Notes: Perfect expresses completed emergence of the hand.
  16. leprosam — Lemma: leprosus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: predicate adjective describing hand; Translation: “leprous”; Notes: Highlights miraculous affliction.
  17. instar — Lemma: instar; Part of Speech: preposition-like noun; Form: governs genitive; Function: introduces comparison; Translation: “like”; Notes: Classical particle meaning “in the likeness of.”
  18. nivis — Lemma: nix; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: genitive after instar; Translation: “snow”; Notes: Genitive expresses the standard of comparison.

 

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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