Exodus 5:10

Posted on February 24, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 5:10 Igitur egressi præfecti operum et exactores, ad populum dixerunt: Sic dicit Pharao: Non do vobis paleas:

Therefore the overseers of the works and the taskmasters went out and said to the people: “Thus says Pharao: ‘I do not give straw to you;

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Igitur therefore ADV
2 egressi having gone out PERF.PASS.PART.NOM.PL.M
3 præfecti the overseers NOM.PL.M
4 operum of the works GEN.PL.N
5 et and CONJ
6 exactores the taskmasters NOM.PL.M
7 ad to PREP+ACC
8 populum the people ACC.SG.M
9 dixerunt they said 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
10 Sic thus ADV
11 dicit says 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
12 Pharao Pharaoh NOM.SG.M
13 Non not ADV
14 do I give 1SG.PRES.ACT.IND
15 vobis to you DAT.PL
16 paleas straw ACC.PL.F

Syntax

Narrative opening: Igitur egressi præfecti operum et exactores — nominative plural phrase, participle + two coordinated nouns marking the subjects.
Movement toward target: ad populum — expresses direction toward the Israelites.
Main verb: dixerunt — introduces speech.
Quoted proclamation: Sic dicit Pharao — formulaic royal citation.
Direct royal statement: Non do vobis paleas — emphatic personal refusal from Pharaoh.

Morphology

  1. Igitur — Lemma: igitur; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: inferential; Function: marks consequence in narrative; Translation: therefore; Notes: common transitional marker.
  2. egressi — Lemma: egredior; Part of Speech: participle (deponent); Form: nominative plural masculine perfect passive participle (active meaning); Function: describes the subjects; Translation: having gone out; Notes: deponent with active sense.
  3. præfecti — Lemma: præfectus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject; Translation: overseers; Notes: refers to labor administrators.
  4. operum — Lemma: opus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural neuter; Function: genitive modifying præfecti; Translation: of the works; Notes: denotes labor or construction quotas.
  5. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Function: joins præfecti and exactores; Translation: and; Notes: simple coordination.
  6. exactores — Lemma: exactor; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: coordinated subject; Translation: taskmasters; Notes: those enforcing slave labor obligations.
  7. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: directional; Translation: to; Notes: marks movement toward target.
  8. populum — Lemma: populus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of ad; Translation: the people; Notes: refers to Israel.
  9. dixerunt — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural perfect active indicative; Function: main narrative verb; Translation: they said; Notes: introduces reported speech.
  10. Sic — Lemma: sic; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: manner; Function: introduces formal proclamation; Translation: thus; Notes: standard prophetic/royal formula.
  11. dicit — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present active indicative; Function: verb of quoted formula; Translation: says; Notes: present tense used in authoritative speech.
  12. Pharao — Lemma: Pharao; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of dicit; Translation: Pharaoh; Notes: royal speaker.
  13. Non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: negation; Function: negates do; Translation: not; Notes: standard negative particle.
  14. do — Lemma: do; Part of Speech: verb; Form: first person singular present active indicative; Function: main verb of direct speech; Translation: I give; Notes: expresses Pharaoh’s personal refusal.
  15. vobis — Lemma: vos; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative plural; Function: indirect object; Translation: to you; Notes: refers to Israelite workers.
  16. paleas — Lemma: palea; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: direct object of do; Translation: straw; Notes: essential for brick-making; its removal worsens labor conditions.

 

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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