Exodus 6:19

Posted on February 25, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 6:19 Filii Merari: Moholi et Musi. hæ cognationes Levi per familias suas.

The sons of Merari: Moholi and Musi. These are the clans of Levi according to their families.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Filii sons NOM.PL.M
2 Merari Merari GEN.SG.M (NAME)
3 Moholi Mahli NOM.SG.M (NAME)
4 et and CONJ
5 Musi Mushi NOM.SG.M (NAME)
6 hæ these NOM.PL.F.DEM
7 cognationes clans NOM.PL.F
8 Levi of Levi GEN.SG.M (NAME)
9 per according to PREP+ACC
10 familias families ACC.PL.F
11 suas their ACC.PL.F.POSS

Syntax

Genealogical heading: Filii Merari — nominative plural subject + genitive indicating the ancestor.
List: Moholi et Musi — coordinated nominative names of Merari’s two sons.
Summary clause: hæ cognationes Levi per familias suas — demonstrative subject (hæ) + predicate noun (cognationes) + genitive (Levi) + classificatory phrase (per familias suas).

Morphology

  1. Filii — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject of genealogical heading; Translation: sons; Notes: standard introduction to ancestry.
  2. Merari — Lemma: Merari; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular masculine (indeclinable); Function: modifies Filii; Translation: of Merari; Notes: one of Levi’s three sons.
  3. Moholi — Lemma: Moholi; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: first son listed; Translation: Moholi; Notes: eponymous ancestor of Merarite line.
  4. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: links coordinate names; Translation: and; Notes: simple additive connection.
  5. Musi — Lemma: Musi; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: second son; Translation: Musi; Notes: completes Merari’s descendants.
  6. hæ — Lemma: hic; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: nominative plural feminine; Function: subject of summary clause; Translation: these; Notes: refers to all listed clans.
  7. cognationes — Lemma: cognatio; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural feminine; Function: predicate nominative; Translation: clans; Notes: technical term for tribal subdivisions.
  8. Levi — Lemma: Levi; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular masculine (indeclinable); Function: genitive of belonging; Translation: of Levi; Notes: identifies tribal origin.
  9. per — Lemma: per; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: distributive classification; Translation: according to; Notes: organizes by household divisions.
  10. familias — Lemma: familia; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: object of per; Translation: families; Notes: refers to subunits of each clan.
  11. suas — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: modifies familias; Translation: their; Notes: refers back to all the clans of Levi.

 

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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