Exodus 7:22

Posted on February 26, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 7:22 Feceruntque similiter malefici Ægyptiorum incantationibus suis: et induratum est cor Pharaonis, nec audivit eos, sicut præceperat Dominus.

And the magicians of Egypt did likewise by their enchantments, and the heart of Pharao was hardened, and he did not listen to them, as the LORD had commanded.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Feceruntque and they did 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND+ENCLITIC
2 similiter likewise ADV
3 malefici magicians NOM.PL.M
4 Ægyptiorum of the Egyptians GEN.PL.M
5 incantationibus with enchantments ABL.PL.F
6 suis their ABL.PL.F.POSS
7 et and CONJ
8 induratum hardened PERF.PASS.PTCP.NOM.SG.N
9 est was 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
10 cor heart NOM.SG.N
11 Pharaonis of Pharaoh GEN.SG.M
12 nec nor CONJ/ADV
13 audivit he heard 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
14 eos them ACC.PL.M
15 sicut as CONJ
16 præceperat had commanded 3SG.PLUPERF.ACT.IND
17 Dominus LORD NOM.SG.M

Syntax

Clause 1 — Magicians imitate the sign:
Feceruntque similiter malefici Ægyptiorum incantationibus suis —
• Main verb: Feceruntque
• Subject: malefici Ægyptiorum
• Instrumental phrase: incantationibus suis
• similiter modifies the entire action (“likewise”).

Clause 2 — Pharaoh’s heart hardens:
et induratum est cor Pharaonis —
• Periphrastic passive: induratum est
• Subject: cor
• Genitive modifier: Pharaonis

Clause 3 — Pharaoh refuses to listen:
nec audivit eos — negative coordinative “nec”;
• Subject implied from context (Pharaoh)
• Direct object: eos

Clause 4 — Divine precedent:
sicut præceperat Dominus —
• Comparison introduced by sicut
• Verb: præceperat
• Subject: Dominus

Morphology

  1. Feceruntque — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: verb + enclitic; Form: 3rd person plural perfect active indicative + -que; Function: main verb; Translation: and they did; Notes: -que links the magicians’ action to prior events.
  2. similiter — Lemma: similiter; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies Feceruntque; Translation: likewise; Notes: denotes imitation.
  3. malefici — Lemma: maleficus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject; Translation: magicians; Notes: court sorcerers of Egypt.
  4. Ægyptiorum — Lemma: Ægyptius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: modifies malefici; Translation: of the Egyptians; Notes: ethnic identifier.
  5. incantationibus — Lemma: incantatio; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural feminine; Function: instrumental ablative; Translation: with enchantments; Notes: magical operations.
  6. suis — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: ablative plural feminine; Function: modifies incantationibus; Translation: their; Notes: reflexive to subject.
  7. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: links next clause; Translation: and; Notes: narrative shift.
  8. induratum — Lemma: induro; Part of Speech: participle; Form: perfect passive participle nominative singular neuter; Function: predicate with est; Translation: hardened; Notes: describes state of Pharaoh’s heart.
  9. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular present active indicative; Function: auxiliary; Translation: was; Notes: forms perfect passive sense.
  10. cor — Lemma: cor; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: subject of induratum est; Translation: heart; Notes: central motif in the Exodus narrative.
  11. Pharaonis — Lemma: Pharao; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: modifies cor; Translation: of Pharaoh; Notes: identifies whose heart.
  12. nec — Lemma: nec; Part of Speech: conjunction/adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: negative connector; Translation: nor; Notes: denies next action.
  13. audivit — Lemma: audio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: he heard; Notes: often means “listen/obey.”
  14. eos — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: direct object of audivit; Translation: them; Notes: refers to Moses and Aaron.
  15. sicut — Lemma: sicut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces comparison; Translation: as; Notes: references divine precedent.
  16. præceperat — Lemma: præcipio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular pluperfect active indicative; Function: verb of comparison clause; Translation: had commanded; Notes: marks prior divine instruction.
  17. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of præceperat; Translation: LORD; Notes: refers to YHWH.

 

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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