Exodus 6:4

Posted on February 25, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 6:4 Pepigique fœdus cum eis, ut darem eis Terram Chanaan, terram peregrinationis eorum, in qua fuerunt advenæ.

And I established a covenant with them, that I might give to them the land of Chanaan, the land of their sojourning, in which they were foreigners.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Pepigique and I made 1SG.PERF.ACT.IND + -QUE
2 fœdus covenant ACC.SG.N
3 cum with PREP+ABL
4 eis them ABL.PL.M
5 ut that CONJ
6 darem I might give 1SG.IMPFT.ACT.SUBJ
7 eis to them DAT.PL.M
8 Terram land ACC.SG.F
9 Chanaan Canaan ACC.SG.F (INDECL.)
10 terram land ACC.SG.F
11 peregrinationis of sojourning GEN.SG.F
12 eorum of them GEN.PL.M
13 in in PREP+ABL
14 qua in which ABL.SG.F.REL.PRON
15 fuerunt they were 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
16 advenæ foreigners NOM.PL.M

Syntax

Main clause: Pepigique fœdus cum eis — perfect active + object “covenant,” with cum eis marking the covenantal partners (the patriarchs).
Purpose clause: ut darem eis Terram Chanaan — imperfect subjunctive showing divine intention.
Apposition: terram peregrinationis eorum — further describes the land as the place of their sojourning.
Relative clause: in qua fuerunt advenæ — describes the patriarchs as foreigners in the very land promised to them.

Morphology

  1. Pepigique — Lemma: pango; Part of Speech: verb; Form: first person singular perfect active indicative with enclitic -que; Function: main verb; Translation: and I made; Notes: classic verb for treaty-making.
  2. fœdus — Lemma: fœdus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object of Pepigi; Translation: covenant; Notes: technical covenant term.
  3. cum — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses accompaniment; Translation: with; Notes: covenant partners.
  4. eis — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: object of cum; Translation: them; Notes: refers to the patriarchs.
  5. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Function: introduces purpose; Translation: that; Notes: governs the subjunctive.
  6. darem — Lemma: do; Part of Speech: verb; Form: first person singular imperfect active subjunctive; Function: verb of purpose clause; Translation: I might give; Notes: potential/intentional aspect.
  7. eis — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative plural masculine; Function: indirect object; Translation: to them; Notes: recipients of the land.
  8. Terram — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object of darem; Translation: land; Notes: promised land.
  9. Chanaan — Lemma: Chanaan; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular feminine (indeclinable); Function: apposition to Terram; Translation: Canaan; Notes: name of the land.
  10. terram — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: in apposition; Translation: land; Notes: expands the description.
  11. peregrinationis — Lemma: peregrinatio; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: modifies terram; Translation: of sojourning; Notes: describes nomadic life.
  12. eorum — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: modifies peregrinationis; Translation: of them; Notes: refers to the patriarchs.
  13. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces location; Translation: in; Notes: standard spatial preposition.
  14. qua — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of in; Translation: in which; Notes: refers to the land.
  15. fuerunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural perfect active indicative; Function: main verb of relative clause; Translation: they were; Notes: refers to the patriarchs.
  16. advenæ — Lemma: advena; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: predicate nominative; Translation: foreigners; Notes: expresses their resident-alien status.

 

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.
This entry was posted in Exodus. Bookmark the permalink.

Comments are closed.