Exodus 4:8

Posted on February 23, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 4:8 Si non crediderint, inquit, tibi, neque audierint sermonem signi prioris, credent verbo signi sequentis.

“If they do not believe you,” he said, “nor listen to the word of the former sign, they will believe the word of the following sign.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Si if CONJ.COND
2 non not ADV
3 crediderint they will believe 3PL.FUTPERF.ACT.IND
4 inquit he said 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
5 tibi to you DAT.SG.PRON
6 neque nor CONJ
7 audierint they will hear 3PL.FUTPERF.ACT.IND
8 sermonem word ACC.SG.M
9 signi of the sign GEN.SG.N
10 prioris former GEN.SG.M/F.ADJ
11 credent they will believe 3PL.FUT.ACT.IND
12 verbo to the word DAT.SG.N
13 signi of the sign GEN.SG.N
14 sequentis following GEN.SG.M/F.ADJ

Syntax

Conditional Protasis:
Si non crediderint tibi, neque audierint sermonem signi prioris
• Future perfect verbs (crediderint, audierint) express completed future conditions.
• tibi = indirect object of crediderint.
• sermonem signi prioris = object phrase “the word of the former sign.”

Apodosis:
credent verbo signi sequentis — “they will believe the word of the following sign.”
• credent = simple future.
• verbo = dative after credere.
• signi sequentis = genitive phrase modifying verbo.

Morphology

  1. Si — Lemma: si; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: conditional particle; Function: introduces protasis; Translation: “if”; Notes: Standard conditional marker paired with future perfect.
  2. non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: negates verb; Translation: “not”; Notes: Used twice in parallel structure.
  3. crediderint — Lemma: credo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd plural future perfect active indicative; Function: verb of protasis; Translation: “they will have believed / they will believe”; Notes: Future perfect expresses completed future condition.
  4. inquit — Lemma: inquam; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd singular present active indicative; Function: parenthetical speech verb; Translation: “he said”; Notes: Often inserted mid-sentence in dialogue.
  5. tibi — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to you”; Notes: Recipient of belief.
  6. neque — Lemma: neque; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating negative; Function: adds second negated clause; Translation: “nor”; Notes: Links parallel future perfect forms.
  7. audierint — Lemma: audio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd plural future perfect active indicative; Function: second verb of protasis; Translation: “they will have heard / will hear”; Notes: Completes negative conditional frame.
  8. sermonem — Lemma: sermo; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of audierint; Translation: “word”; Notes: Direct object receiving action.
  9. signi — Lemma: signum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter; Function: modifies sermonem; Translation: “of the sign”; Notes: Genitive of explanation.
  10. prioris — Lemma: prior; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: genitive singular masculine/feminine; Function: modifies signi; Translation: “former”; Notes: Comparative adjective used temporally.
  11. credent — Lemma: credo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd plural future active indicative; Function: verb of apodosis; Translation: “they will believe”; Notes: Simple future indicating outcome.
  12. verbo — Lemma: verbum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative singular neuter; Function: indirect object of credent; Translation: “to the word”; Notes: Dative used with credere meaning “believe (something).”
  13. signi — Lemma: signum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter; Function: modifies verbo; Translation: “of the sign”; Notes: Repeated genitive maintaining parallel structure.
  14. sequentis — Lemma: sequens; Part of Speech: participial adjective; Form: genitive singular masculine/feminine; Function: modifies signi; Translation: “following”; Notes: Present participle used adjectivally to mark sequence.

 

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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