Exodus 8:15

Posted on February 27, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 8:15 Videns autem Pharao quod data esset requies, ingravavit cor suum, et non audivit eos, sicut præceperat Dominus.

But Pharao, seeing that relief had been given, hardened his heart, and he did not listen to them, as the LORD had commanded.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Videns seeing NOM.SG.M.PTCP.PRES.ACT
2 autem however ADV
3 Pharao Pharaoh NOM.SG.M
4 quod that CONJ
5 data given NOM.SG.F.PTCP.PERF.PASS
6 esset had been 3SG.PLUPERF.SUBJ.PASS
7 requies relief NOM.SG.F
8 ingravavit he hardened 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
9 cor heart ACC.SG.N
10 suum his ACC.SG.N.POSS
11 et and CONJ
12 non not ADV
13 audivit he listened 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
14 eos them ACC.PL.M.PRON
15 sicut as CONJ
16 præceperat he had commanded 3SG.PLUPERF.ACT.IND
17 Dominus the LORD NOM.SG.M

Syntax

Participial clause:
• Videns autem Pharao quod data esset requies
— Subject: Pharao
— Participle: Videns
— Object clause: quod data esset requies (“that relief had been given”)
— data esset: passive pluperfect subj., requies as subject.

Main clause 1:
• Verb: ingravavit
• Object: cor suum
Meaning: Pharaoh hardened his own heart.

Main clause 2:
• Verb: non audivit
• Object: eos (Moses and Aaron)
• Comparative clause: sicut præceperat Dominus — “as the LORD had commanded.”

Morphology

  1. Videns — Lemma: video; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular masculine present active participle; Function: circumstantial participle modifying Pharao; Translation: seeing; Notes: introduces the motivation for Pharaoh’s later action.
  2. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: adverb/conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces a contrast; Translation: however; Notes: soft adversative common in narrative.
  3. Pharao — Lemma: Pharao; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of Videns, ingravavit, and audivit; Translation: Pharaoh; Notes: central agent of the narrative actions.
  4. quod — Lemma: quod; Part of Speech: subordinating conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces object clause; Translation: that; Notes: governs the reported content of Pharaoh’s perception.
  5. data — Lemma: do; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular feminine perfect passive participle; Function: part of data esset; Translation: given; Notes: agrees with requies.
  6. esset — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular pluperfect subjunctive passive; Function: verb of reported perception; Translation: had been; Notes: subjunctive required after quod of perception.
  7. requies — Lemma: requies; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject of data esset; Translation: relief; Notes: refers to cessation of the plague.
  8. ingravavit — Lemma: ingravo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb of first clause; Translation: he hardened; Notes: emphasizes Pharaoh’s deliberate resistance.
  9. cor — Lemma: cor; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object of ingravavit; Translation: heart; Notes: metaphorically expressing resolve or will.
  10. suum — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: modifies cor; Translation: his; Notes: reflexive, referring back to Pharaoh.
  11. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: coordinates second main clause; Translation: and; Notes: smooth narrative continuation.
  12. non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: negates verb audivit; Translation: not; Notes: absolute negation.
  13. audivit — Lemma: audio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb of second clause; Translation: he listened; Notes: narrative perfect.
  14. eos — Lemma: is, ea, id; 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 comparative clause; Translation: as; Notes: expresses conformity or comparison.
  16. præceperat — Lemma: præcipio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular pluperfect active indicative; Function: verb of subordinate clause; Translation: he had commanded; Notes: refers to prior divine instruction.
  17. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of præceperat; Translation: the 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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