Exodus 4:7

Posted on February 23, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 4:7 Retrahe, ait, manum tuam in sinum tuum. Retraxit, et protulit iterum, et erat similis carni reliquæ.

“Draw back,” he said, “your hand into your bosom.” He drew it back, and brought it out again, and it was similar to the rest of his flesh.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Retrahe draw back 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP
2 ait he said 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
3 manum hand ACC.SG.F
4 tuam your ACC.SG.F.ADJ
5 in into PREP+ACC
6 sinum bosom ACC.SG.M
7 tuum your ACC.SG.M.ADJ
8 Retraxit he drew back 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
9 et and CONJ
10 protulit he brought out 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
11 iterum again ADV
12 et and CONJ
13 erat was 3SG.IMPF.ACT.IND
14 similis similar NOM.SG.F.ADJ
15 carni to flesh DAT.SG.F
16 reliquæ the rest GEN.SG.F.ADJ

Syntax

Imperative Command:
Retrahe … manum tuam in sinum tuum — “Draw back your hand into your bosom.”
• Retrahe is the central imperative.
• manum tuam = direct object.
• in sinum tuum = accusative of motion expressing direction.

Narrative Sequence:
Retraxit, et protulit iterum — “He drew it back, and brought it out again.”
• Two coordinated perfect verbs describe successive actions.

Result Description:
et erat similis carni reliquæ — “and it was similar to the rest of his flesh.”
• similis takes dative (carni).
• reliquæ is a genitive adjective modifying carni (“of the rest”).

Morphology

  1. Retrahe — Lemma: retraho; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 2nd singular present active imperative; Function: direct divine command; Translation: “draw back”; Notes: Imperative used to initiate a sign-act.
  2. ait — Lemma: aio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd singular present active indicative; Function: verb of speaking; Translation: “he said”; Notes: Common narrative verb for reporting speech.
  3. manum — Lemma: manus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object of retrahe; Translation: “hand”; Notes: Indicates the body part manipulated.
  4. tuam — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: modifies manum; Translation: “your”; Notes: Possessive agreement with object.
  5. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses movement into; Translation: “into”; Notes: Directional rather than locative.
  6. sinum — Lemma: sinus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of in; Translation: “bosom”; Notes: Refers to fold of garment near chest.
  7. tuum — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: modifies sinum; Translation: “your”; Notes: Possessive matching gender of sinus.
  8. Retraxit — Lemma: retraho; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd singular perfect active indicative; Function: main narrative verb; Translation: “he drew back”; Notes: Perfect denotes completed action.
  9. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Simple coordination.
  10. protulit — Lemma: profero; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd singular perfect active indicative; Function: second narrative action; Translation: “he brought out”; Notes: Completes the sign-act sequence.
  11. iterum — Lemma: iterum; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies protulit; Translation: “again”; Notes: Marks repetition of action.
  12. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: begins result clause; Translation: “and”; Notes: Connects to descriptive outcome.
  13. erat — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd singular imperfect active indicative; Function: linking verb; Translation: “was”; Notes: Imperfect gives ongoing resulting state.
  14. similis — Lemma: similis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: predicate adjective; Translation: “similar”; Notes: Takes dative complement.
  15. carni — Lemma: caro; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative singular feminine; Function: complement of similis; Translation: “to flesh”; Notes: Dative of comparison after similis.
  16. reliquæ — Lemma: reliquus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: modifies carni; Translation: “of the rest”; Notes: Genitive of the whole.

 

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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