Exodus 7:16

Posted on February 26, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 7:16 Dicesque ad eum: Dominus Deus Hebræorum misit me ad te, dicens: Dimitte populum meum ut sacrificet mihi in deserto: et usque ad præsens audire noluisti.

And you shall say to him: ‘The LORD God of the Hebrews has sent me to you, saying, “Let my people go, that they may sacrifice to me in the desert,” and up to the present you have been unwilling to hear.’

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Dicesque and you shall say 2SG.FUT.ACT.IND + ENCLITIC
2 ad to PREP+ACC
3 eum him ACC.SG.M.PRON
4 Dominus LORD NOM.SG.M
5 Deus God NOM.SG.M
6 Hebræorum of the Hebrews GEN.PL.M
7 misit has sent 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
8 me me ACC.SG.FIRST.PRON
9 ad to PREP+ACC
10 te you ACC.SG.SECOND.PRON
11 dicens saying PRES.ACT.PART.NOM.SG.M
12 Dimitte let go 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP
13 populum people ACC.SG.M
14 meum my ACC.SG.M.POSS
15 ut that CONJ
16 sacrificet may sacrifice 3SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
17 mihi to me DAT.SG.FIRST.PRON
18 in in PREP+ABL
19 deserto the desert ABL.SG.N
20 et and CONJ
21 usque up to ADV/PREP
22 ad to PREP+ACC
23 præsens the present ACC.SG.N
24 audire to hear PRES.ACT.INF
25 noluisti you have not wished 2SG.PERF.ACT.IND

Syntax

Primary command:
Dicesque ad eum — Main future instruction to Moses (“You shall say to him”).

Quoted divine message:
Dominus Deus Hebræorum misit me ad te — Subject: Dominus Deus Hebræorum; Verb: misit; Object: me; Destination: ad te.

Participial clause:
dicens introduces the content of the divine message.

Imperative within quotation:
Dimitte populum meum — Direct order addressed to Pharaoh.

Purpose clause:
ut sacrificet mihi in deserto — “that he may sacrifice to me in the desert.”

Final rebuke:
et usque ad præsens audire noluisti — Perfect of negated volition indicates long-standing refusal.

Morphology

  1. Dicesque — Lemma: dico + -que; Part of Speech: verb + enclitic; Form: second person singular future active indicative; Function: divine instruction; Translation: and you shall say; Notes: -que links to previous command sequence.
  2. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: with accusative; Function: direction toward recipient; Translation: to; Notes: common with verbs of speaking.
  3. eum — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: indirect object; Translation: him; Notes: refers to Pharaoh.
  4. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: LORD; Notes: denotes YHWH.
  5. Deus — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: apposition; Translation: God; Notes: clarifies identity of Dominus.
  6. Hebræorum — Lemma: Hebraeus; Part of Speech: adjective used substantively; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: descriptive genitive; Translation: of the Hebrews; Notes: ethnic designation.
  7. misit — Lemma: mitto; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: has sent; Notes: completed divine commissioning.
  8. me — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular; Function: direct object; Translation: me; Notes: Moses as envoy.
  9. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: with accusative; Function: indicates recipient of mission; Translation: to; Notes: repeated for rhetorical emphasis.
  10. te — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular; Function: indirect object; Translation: you; Notes: direct address to Pharaoh.
  11. dicens — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular masculine present active participle; Function: introduces quotation; Translation: saying; Notes: participial speech formula.
  12. Dimitte — Lemma: dimitto; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person singular present active imperative; Function: direct order; Translation: let go; Notes: divine imperative.
  13. populum — Lemma: populus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of dimitte; Translation: people; Notes: refers to Israel.
  14. meum — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: modifies populum; Translation: my; Notes: expresses covenantal ownership.
  15. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: introduces purpose clause; Function: purpose; Translation: that; Notes: standard in Vulgate.
  16. sacrificet — Lemma: sacrifico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present active subjunctive; Function: purpose clause verb; Translation: may sacrifice; Notes: subjunctive expresses intention.
  17. mihi — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular; Function: indirect object; Translation: to me; Notes: recipient of sacrifice.
  18. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: location; Translation: in; Notes: physical setting.
  19. deserto — Lemma: desertum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: location; Translation: desert; Notes: wilderness motif.
  20. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces contrast; Translation: and; Notes: bridges complaint.
  21. usque — Lemma: usque; Part of Speech: adverb/preposition; Form: indeclinable; Function: intensifies extension; Translation: up to; Notes: marks duration.
  22. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: with accusative; Function: terminus; Translation: to; Notes: common pairing with usque.
  23. præsens — Lemma: præsens; Part of Speech: adjective used substantively; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of ad; Translation: the present; Notes: temporal marker.
  24. audire — Lemma: audio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active infinitive; Function: complementary infinitive; Translation: to hear; Notes: expresses what Pharaoh refused.
  25. noluisti — Lemma: nolo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: you have not wished; Notes: expresses entrenched resistance.

 

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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