Exodus 5:15

Posted on February 24, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 5:15 Veneruntque præpositi filiorum Israel, et vociferati sunt ad Pharaonem dicentes: Cur ita agis contra servos tuos?

And the overseers of the sons of Israel came, and they cried out to Pharao, saying: “Why do you act thus against your servants?

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Veneruntque and they came PERF.ACT.3PL + -QUE
2 præpositi the overseers NOM.PL.M
3 filiorum of the sons GEN.PL.M
4 Israel Israel GEN.SG.M
5 et and CONJ
6 vociferati having cried out PERF.PASS.PART.NOM.PL.M (DEPONENT SENSE)
7 sunt they were 3PL.PRES.ACT.IND
8 ad to PREP+ACC
9 Pharaonem Pharaoh ACC.SG.M
10 dicentes saying PRES.ACT.PART.NOM.PL.M
11 Cur why INTERROG.ADV
12 ita thus ADV
13 agis you act 2SG.PRES.ACT.IND
14 contra against PREP+ACC
15 servos servants ACC.PL.M
16 tuos your ACC.PL.M

Syntax

Main narrative clause: Veneruntque præpositi filiorum Israel — perfect tense marking completed approach by Israelite overseers.
Subsequent coordinated action: et vociferati sunt — deponent participle + auxiliary indicates vocal protest.
Prepositional phrase: ad Pharaonem — marks direction of their complaint.
Participial introduction: dicentes — introduces direct discourse.
Direct question: Cur ita agis contra servos tuos? — accusatory inquiry directed at Pharaoh’s treatment of Israelite workers.
Accusative object phrase: servos tuos — identifies themselves as Pharaoh’s own labor force.

Morphology

  1. Veneruntque — Lemma: venio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active third person plural with enclitic -que; Function: main verb; Translation: and they came; Notes: -que links actions in sequence.
  2. præpositi — Lemma: præpositus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject; Translation: the overseers; Notes: officials managing Israelite workers.
  3. filiorum — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: modifies præpositi; Translation: of the sons; Notes: collective genealogical identification.
  4. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: completes genitive phrase; Translation: of Israel; Notes: covenant designation.
  5. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links actions; Translation: and; Notes: standard connective.
  6. vociferati — Lemma: vociferor; Part of Speech: verb (deponent participle); Form: nominative plural masculine perfect participle; Function: part of periphrastic deponent verb; Translation: having cried out; Notes: deponent meaning active with passive form.
  7. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural present active indicative; Function: auxiliary; Translation: they were; Notes: completes deponent perfect construction.
  8. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: indicates direction; Translation: to; Notes: standard motion preposition.
  9. Pharaonem — Lemma: Pharao; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of preposition ad; Translation: Pharaoh; Notes: direct recipient of their protest.
  10. dicentes — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: participle; Form: present active participle nominative plural masculine; Function: introduces direct speech; Translation: saying; Notes: agrees with præpositi.
  11. Cur — Lemma: cur; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: interrogative; Function: introduces direct question; Translation: why; Notes: expresses complaint.
  12. ita — Lemma: ita; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: modal; Function: modifies agis; Translation: thus; Notes: expresses manner.
  13. agis — Lemma: ago; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person singular present active indicative; Function: main verb of question; Translation: you act; Notes: accusatory force toward Pharaoh.
  14. contra — Lemma: contra; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses hostility; Translation: against; Notes: strong adversative force.
  15. servos — Lemma: servus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object of contra; Translation: servants; Notes: refers to Israelites speaking humbly.
  16. tuos — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: modifies servos; Translation: your; Notes: appeals to Pharaoh’s claimed ownership.

 

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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