Exodus 7:24

Posted on February 26, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 7:24 Foderunt autem omnes Ægyptii per circuitum fluminis aquam ut biberent: non enim poterant bibere de aqua fluminis.

And all the Egyptians dug around the river for water to drink, for they were not able to drink from the water of the river.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Foderunt they dug 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
2 autem however CONJ
3 omnes all NOM.PL.M/F
4 Ægyptii Egyptians NOM.PL.M
5 per around PREP+ACC
6 circuitum the circuit ACC.SG.M
7 fluminis of the river GEN.SG.N
8 aquam water ACC.SG.F
9 ut so that CONJ
10 biberent they might drink 3PL.IMPFT.ACT.SUBJ
11 non not ADV
12 enim for CONJ
13 poterant they were able 3PL.IMPFT.ACT.IND
14 bibere to drink PRES.ACT.INF
15 de from PREP+ABL
16 aqua water ABL.SG.F
17 fluminis of the river GEN.SG.N

Syntax

Main Clause:
Foderunt autem omnes Ægyptii — Subject: omnes Ægyptii; Verb: Foderunt.
“They dug,” with autem marking contrast or continuation.

Prepositional phrase (location):
per circuitum fluminis — “around the circuit of the river,” expressing where the digging took place.

Purpose clause:
ut biberent aquam — “so that they might drink water.”
Verb biberent is imperfect subjunctive, standard for purpose.

Explanatory clause (reason):
non enim poterant bibere de aqua fluminis — Statement of inability: “for they were not able to drink from the water of the river,” giving the cause of their action.

Morphology

  1. Foderunt — Lemma: fodio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural perfect active indicative; Function: main verb describing the Egyptians’ action; Translation: they dug; Notes: perfect tense marks completed action in narrative sequence.
  2. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces a contrasting or continued statement; Translation: however; Notes: postpositive, always appears after the first word or phrase.
  3. omnes — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective/pronoun; Form: nominative plural; Function: modifies Ægyptii; Translation: all; Notes: plural universal quantifier emphasizing entire population.
  4. Ægyptii — Lemma: Ægyptius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject of Foderunt; Translation: Egyptians; Notes: national designation in plural form.
  5. per — Lemma: per; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces spatial extent; Translation: around; Notes: expresses motion or extension through/around an area.
  6. circuitum — Lemma: circuitus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of per; Translation: circuit; Notes: indicates the encircling measure of the riverbank.
  7. fluminis — Lemma: flumen; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter; Function: possessive/genitive of specification; Translation: of the river; Notes: dependent genitive modifying circuitum.
  8. aquam — Lemma: aqua; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of biberent in purpose clause; Translation: water; Notes: direct object within the subordinate clause.
  9. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces a purpose clause; Translation: so that; Notes: takes subjunctive verb.
  10. biberent — Lemma: bibo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural imperfect active subjunctive; Function: verb of the purpose clause; Translation: they might drink; Notes: imperfect subjunctive is standard for past purpose.
  11. non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: negates poterant; Translation: not; Notes: standard negative particle.
  12. enim — Lemma: enim; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces explanatory clause; Translation: for; Notes: postpositive.
  13. poterant — Lemma: possum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural imperfect active indicative; Function: main verb of the explanatory clause; Translation: they were able; Notes: describes continuous inability.
  14. bibere — Lemma: bibo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active infinitive; Function: complementary infinitive with poterant; Translation: to drink; Notes: expresses what they were unable to do.
  15. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses source; Translation: from; Notes: common with ablative of origin or separation.
  16. aqua — Lemma: aqua; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of de; Translation: water; Notes: ablative of source.
  17. fluminis — Lemma: flumen; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter; Function: specifies which water; Translation: of the river; Notes: dependent genitive modifying aqua.

 

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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