Exodus 7:21

Posted on February 26, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 7:21 Et pisces, qui erant in flumine, mortui sunt: computruitque fluvius, et non poterant Ægyptii bibere aquam fluminis, et fuit sanguis in tota Terra Ægypti.

And the fish that were in the river died, and the river stank, and the Egyptians could not drink the water of the river, and there was blood in all the land of Egypt.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Et and CONJ
2 pisces fish NOM.PL.M
3 qui who NOM.PL.M.REL
4 erant were 3PL.IMP.ACT.IND
5 in in PREP+ABL
6 flumine river ABL.SG.N
7 mortui dead NOM.PL.M.PERF.PASS.PTCP
8 sunt were 3PL.PRES.ACT.IND
9 computruitque and it stank 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND+ENCLITIC
10 fluvius river NOM.SG.M
11 et and CONJ
12 non not ADV
13 poterant were able 3PL.IMP.ACT.IND
14 Ægyptii Egyptians NOM.PL.M
15 bibere to drink PRES.ACT.INF
16 aquam water ACC.SG.F
17 fluminis of the river GEN.SG.N
18 et and CONJ
19 fuit there was 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
20 sanguis blood NOM.SG.M
21 in in PREP+ABL
22 tota all ABL.SG.F
23 Terra land ABL.SG.F
24 Ægypti of Egypt GEN.SG.F

Syntax

Main clause 1:
Et pisces … mortui sunt — subject pisces; relative clause qui erant in flumine modifies it; verb mortui sunt forms perfect passive periphrastic (“were dead”).

computruitque fluvius — subject fluvius, verb computruitque, enclitic -que links the action closely with preceding death of fish.

et non poterant Ægyptii bibere aquam fluminis — modal verb poterant with complementary infinitive bibere; object aquam fluminis.

et fuit sanguis in tota Terra Ægypti — existential use of fuit; locative phrase in tota Terra Ægypti indicates extent of the plague.

Morphology

  1. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: connects clauses; Translation: and; Notes: introduces a new narrative unit.
  2. pisces — Lemma: piscis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject; Translation: fish; Notes: refers to all river-dwelling fish.
  3. qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: introduces relative clause modifying pisces; Translation: who; Notes: agrees with antecedent.
  4. erant — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person plural imperfect active indicative; Function: verb of relative clause; Translation: were; Notes: background description.
  5. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: locative phrase; Translation: in; Notes: describes the habitat of the fish.
  6. flumine — Lemma: flumen; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: object of in; Translation: river; Notes: specifically the Nile.
  7. mortui — Lemma: morior; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative plural masculine perfect passive participle; Function: predicate with sunt; Translation: dead; Notes: expresses completed death.
  8. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person plural present active indicative; Function: auxiliary for perfect passive; Translation: were; Notes: forms periphrastic passive.
  9. computruitque — Lemma: computrio; Part of Speech: verb with enclitic; Form: 3rd person singular perfect active indicative + enclitic -que; Function: main verb; Translation: and it stank; Notes: depicts decomposition after mass death.
  10. fluvius — Lemma: fluvius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: river; Notes: refers again to the Nile system.
  11. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: links next clause; Translation: and; Notes: narrative progression.
  12. non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: negation of verb; Translation: not; Notes: blocks ability to drink.
  13. poterant — Lemma: possum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person plural imperfect active indicative; Function: modal verb; Translation: were able; Notes: continuous inability.
  14. Ægyptii — Lemma: Ægyptius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject of poterant; Translation: Egyptians; Notes: refers to population affected.
  15. bibere — Lemma: bibo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active infinitive; Function: complementary infinitive with poterant; Translation: to drink; Notes: action they were unable to perform.
  16. aquam — Lemma: aqua; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of bibere; Translation: water; Notes: drinking water supply compromised.
  17. fluminis — Lemma: flumen; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter; Function: modifies aquam; Translation: of the river; Notes: again refers to Nile water.
  18. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces final clause; Translation: and; Notes: narrative conclusion.
  19. fuit — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular perfect active indicative; Function: existential verb; Translation: there was; Notes: introduces new state.
  20. sanguis — Lemma: sanguis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: blood; Notes: indicates pervasive transformation.
  21. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: locative expression; Translation: in; Notes: marks geographic extent.
  22. tota — Lemma: totus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: modifies Terra; Translation: all; Notes: emphasizes completeness.
  23. Terra — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of in; Translation: land; Notes: refers to the territory of Egypt.
  24. Ægypti — Lemma: Ægyptus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: genitive of place; Translation: of Egypt; Notes: marks national scope of plague.

 

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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