Exodus 7:20

Posted on February 26, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 7:20 Feceruntque Moyses et Aaron sicut præceperat Dominus: et elevans virgam percussit aquam fluminis coram Pharaone et servis eius: quæ versa est in sanguinem.

And Moyses and Aaron did as the LORD had commanded: and lifting the rod he struck the water of the river before Pharao and his servants, which was turned into blood.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Feceruntque and they did 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND + ENCLITIC
2 Moyses Moses NOM.SG.M
3 et and CONJ
4 Aaron Aaron NOM.SG.M
5 sicut as CONJ
6 præceperat had commanded 3SG.PLUPERF.ACT.IND
7 Dominus LORD NOM.SG.M
8 et and CONJ
9 elevans lifting PRES.ACT.PTCP.NOM.SG.M
10 virgam rod ACC.SG.F
11 percussit struck 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
12 aquam water ACC.SG.F
13 fluminis of the river GEN.SG.N
14 coram before PREP+ABL
15 Pharaone Pharaoh ABL.SG.M
16 et and CONJ
17 servis servants ABL.PL.M
18 eius his GEN.SG.M.PRON
19 quæ which NOM.SG.F.REL
20 versa turned PERF.PASS.PTCP.NOM.SG.F
21 est was 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
22 in into PREP+ACC
23 sanguinem blood ACC.SG.M

Syntax

Main narrative clause:
Feceruntque Moyses et Aaron — coordinated plural subject (Moyses + Aaron) with perfect verb Feceruntque, establishing obedience to the divine command.

sicut præceperat Dominus — Dominus is subject; præceperat pluperfect shows the LORD’s prior command as the model for action.

et elevans virgam percussit aquam fluminis — participle elevans describes manner; main verb is percussit; object is aquam fluminis.

coram Pharaone et servis eius — ablative after coram expresses presence before witnesses.

quæ versa est in sanguinem — quæ refers to aquam; periphrastic perfect passive (versa est) indicates the transformation into blood.

Morphology

  1. Feceruntque — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: verb with enclitic; Form: 3rd person plural perfect active indicative + enclitic -que; Function: main verb linking Moses and Aaron’s action; Translation: and they did; Notes: enclitic -que joins this action with the previous narrative.
  2. Moyses — Lemma: Moyses; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of Feceruntque; Translation: Moses; Notes: paired with Aaron as joint agent.
  3. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: coordinates the subjects; Translation: and; Notes: joins Moses and Aaron.
  4. Aaron — Lemma: Aaron; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: Aaron; Notes: paired with Moses.
  5. sicut — Lemma: sicut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces comparison; Translation: as; Notes: sets divine command as precedent.
  6. præceperat — Lemma: præcipio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular pluperfect active indicative; Function: verb of comparison clause; Translation: had commanded; Notes: pluperfect marks prior instruction.
  7. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of præceperat; Translation: LORD; Notes: denotes YHWH.
  8. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces next narrative action; Translation: and; Notes: links to previous clause.
  9. elevans — Lemma: elevo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: present active participle nominative singular masculine; Function: circumstantial modifier of implicit subject; Translation: lifting; Notes: expresses manner.
  10. virgam — Lemma: virga; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of elevans; Translation: rod; Notes: same rod used throughout the miracles.
  11. percussit — Lemma: percutio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: struck; Notes: direct action initiating plague.
  12. aquam — Lemma: aqua; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object of percussit; Translation: water; Notes: refers specifically to river water.
  13. fluminis — Lemma: flumen; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter; Function: genitive modifying aquam; Translation: of the river; Notes: identifies Nile water.
  14. coram — Lemma: coram; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses presence; Translation: before; Notes: indicates public demonstration.
  15. Pharaone — Lemma: Pharao; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of coram; Translation: Pharaoh; Notes: monarch witnessing sign.
  16. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: links additional witnesses; Translation: and; Notes: coordinates with Pharaone.
  17. servis — Lemma: servus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: object of coram shared; Translation: servants; Notes: witnesses in royal court.
  18. eius — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: modifies servis; Translation: his; Notes: referring to Pharaoh’s servants.
  19. quæ — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: refers back to aquam; Translation: which; Notes: introduces relative clause.
  20. versa — Lemma: verto; Part of Speech: participle; Form: perfect passive participle nominative singular feminine; Function: predicate adjective with est; Translation: turned; Notes: used in passive periphrasis.
  21. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular present active indicative; Function: auxiliary verb; Translation: was; Notes: forms perfect passive sense.
  22. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: marks resulting transformation; Translation: into; Notes: standard with verb of becoming.
  23. sanguinem — Lemma: sanguis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: predicate after in; Translation: blood; Notes: describes the miraculous end state.

 

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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