Exodus 8:17

Posted on February 27, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 8:17 Feceruntque ita. Et extendit Aaron manum, virgam tenens: percussitque pulverem terræ, et facti sunt sciniphes in hominibus, et in iumentis: omnis pulvis terræ versus est in sciniphes per totam Terram Ægypti.

And they did so. And Aaron stretched out his hand, holding the rod, and he struck the dust of the earth, and gnats were made on men and on beasts; all the dust of the earth was turned into gnats through all the Land of Egypt.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Feceruntque and they did 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
2 ita thus ADV
3 Et and CONJ
4 extendit stretched out 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
5 Aaron Aaron NOM.SG.M
6 manum hand ACC.SG.F
7 virgam rod ACC.SG.F
8 tenens holding PRES.ACT.PTCP.NOM.SG.M
9 percussitque and he struck 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
10 pulverem dust ACC.SG.M
11 terræ of the earth GEN.SG.F
12 et and CONJ
13 facti were made NOM.PL.M.PERF.PTCP
14 sunt were 3PL.PERF.IND.ACT
15 sciniphes gnats NOM.PL.M
16 in on PREP+ABL
17 hominibus men ABL.PL.M
18 et and CONJ
19 in on PREP+ABL
20 iumentis beasts ABL.PL.N
21 omnis all NOM.SG.M
22 pulvis dust NOM.SG.M
23 terræ of the earth GEN.SG.F
24 versus turned NOM.SG.M.PERF.PTCP
25 est was 3SG.PERF.IND.ACT
26 in into PREP+ACC
27 sciniphes gnats ACC.PL.M
28 per through PREP+ACC
29 totam all ACC.SG.F
30 Terram Land ACC.SG.F
31 Ægypti of Egypt GEN.SG.F

Syntax

Clause 1: Feceruntque ita — subject implied (they), verb Feceruntque, adverbial complement ita.

Clause 2: Et extendit Aaron manum — subject Aaron, verb extendit, object manum.

Participle phrase: virgam tenens — modifying Aaron, expressing attendant circumstance.

Clause 3: percussitque pulverem terræ — subject Aaron (understood), verb percussitque, direct object pulverem terræ.

Clause 4 (result): et facti sunt sciniphes — passive/perfect periphrastic, subject sciniphes.

Prepositional complements: in hominibus, in iumentis — locations affected.

Clause 5: omnis pulvis terræ versus est in sciniphes — subject omnis pulvis terræ, verb periphrasis versus est, complement in sciniphes.

Final modifier: per totam Terram Ægypti — extent of transformation.

Morphology

  1. Feceruntque — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd plural perfect active indicative + -que; Function: main clause verb; Translation: and they did; Notes: -que joins to previous narrative.
  2. ita — Lemma: ita; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: adverb of manner; Translation: thus; Notes: affirms obedience.
  3. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: connects clauses; Translation: and; Notes: simple connective.
  4. extendit — Lemma: extendo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd singular perfect active indicative; Function: main action; Translation: stretched out; Notes: used in miracle narratives.
  5. Aaron — Lemma: Aaron; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: Aaron; Notes: priestly agent.
  6. manum — Lemma: manus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object; Translation: hand; Notes: irregular declension.
  7. virgam — Lemma: virga; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of participle; Translation: rod; Notes: refers to Aaron’s staff.
  8. tenens — Lemma: teneo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: present active participle nominative singular masculine; Function: modifies Aaron; Translation: holding; Notes: attendant circumstance.
  9. percussitque — Lemma: percutio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd singular perfect active indicative + -que; Function: main verb; Translation: and he struck; Notes: miracle action.
  10. pulverem — Lemma: pulvis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object; Translation: dust; Notes: source of plague.
  11. terræ — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: genitive of belonging; Translation: of the earth; Notes: specifies origin.
  12. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: connects clauses; Translation: and; Notes: simple connective.
  13. facti — Lemma: fio; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative plural masculine perfect passive participle; Function: predicate; Translation: made; Notes: forms periphrastic passive with sunt.
  14. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd plural perfect indicative active; Function: auxiliary; Translation: were; Notes: completes periphrasis.
  15. sciniphes — Lemma: sciniphes; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject complement; Translation: gnats; Notes: plague terminology.
  16. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: + ablative; Function: locative; Translation: on; Notes: marks afflicted targets.
  17. hominibus — Lemma: homo; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: object of in; Translation: men; Notes: infected humans.
  18. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Function: connector; Translation: and; Notes: links affected groups.
  19. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: + ablative; Function: locative; Translation: on; Notes: parallel to earlier phrase.
  20. iumentis — Lemma: iumentum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural neuter; Function: object of in; Translation: beasts; Notes: domesticated animals.
  21. omnis — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: modifies pulvis; Translation: all; Notes: totality emphasized.
  22. pulvis — Lemma: pulvis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: dust; Notes: base material transformed.
  23. terræ — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: genitive of source; Translation: of the earth; Notes: parallel repeated phrase.
  24. versus — Lemma: verto; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular masculine perfect passive participle; Function: predicate component; Translation: turned; Notes: forms passive periphrasis.
  25. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd singular perfect indicative active; Function: auxiliary; Translation: was; Notes: completes periphrasis.
  26. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: + accusative; Function: expresses transformation; Translation: into; Notes: change-of-state use.
  27. sciniphes — Lemma: sciniphes; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: complement of transformation; Translation: gnats; Notes: object of “into.”
  28. per — Lemma: per; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: + accusative; Function: expresses extent; Translation: through; Notes: widespread effect.
  29. totam — Lemma: totus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: modifies Terram; Translation: all; Notes: intensifies extent.
  30. Terram — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of per; Translation: land; Notes: refers to Egypt.
  31. Ægypti — Lemma: Ægyptus; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: genitive of possession; Translation: of Egypt; Notes: marks the territory affected.

 

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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