Exodus 8:14

Posted on February 27, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 8:14 Congregaveruntque eas in immensos aggeres, et computruit terra.

And they gathered them together into immense heaps, and the land stank.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Congregaveruntque and they gathered 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
2 eas them ACC.PL.F.PRON
3 in into PREP+ACC
4 immensos immense ACC.PL.M
5 aggeres heaps ACC.PL.M
6 et and CONJ
7 computruit it stank 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
8 terra the land NOM.SG.F

Syntax

Main clause 1:
• Verb: Congregaveruntque
• Subject: implied “they”
• Direct object: eas (frogs)
• Prepositional phrase: in immensos aggeres — expresses placement (“into immense heaps”).

Main clause 2:
• Verb: computruit
• Subject: terra — the land
Meaning: the land became putrid from the heaps of dead frogs.

Morphology

  1. Congregaveruntque — Lemma: congrego; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person plural perfect active indicative with enclitic -que; Function: main verb of first clause; Translation: and they gathered; Notes: -que links the action tightly to the preceding narrative.
  2. eas — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: direct object; Translation: them; Notes: refers to the frogs collected after dying.
  3. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative (motion into); Function: introduces the destination; Translation: into; Notes: marks movement toward heaps.
  4. immensos — Lemma: immensus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: modifies aggeres; Translation: immense; Notes: indicates the extraordinary size of the piles.
  5. aggeres — Lemma: agger; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object of in; Translation: heaps; Notes: originally “earthworks,” here meaning large piles of dead frogs.
  6. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: connects the second clause; Translation: and; Notes: marks sequential action.
  7. computruit — Lemma: computruo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular perfect active indicative; Function: verb of second clause; Translation: it stank; Notes: expresses the rotting stench caused by the heaps of frogs.
  8. terra — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject of computruit; Translation: the land; Notes: refers to the land of Egypt, now foul due to decay.

 

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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