Exodus 8:18

Posted on February 27, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 8:18 Feceruntque similiter malefici incantationibus suis, ut educerent sciniphes, et non potuerunt: erantque sciniphes tam in hominibus quam in iumentis.

And the magicians likewise did so by their enchantments to bring forth gnats, and they could not; and the gnats were both on men and on beasts.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Feceruntque and they did 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
2 similiter likewise ADV
3 malefici magicians NOM.PL.M
4 incantationibus by enchantments ABL.PL.F
5 suis their ABL.PL.F.POSS
6 ut to / so that CONJ
7 educerent they might bring forth 3PL.IMP.ACT.SUBJ
8 sciniphes gnats ACC.PL.M
9 et and CONJ
10 non not ADV
11 potuerunt they were able 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
12 erantque and were 3PL.IMP.ACT.IND
13 sciniphes gnats NOM.PL.M
14 tam both ADV
15 in on PREP+ABL
16 hominibus men ABL.PL.M
17 quam as CONJ
18 in on PREP+ABL
19 iumentis beasts ABL.PL.N

Syntax

Main clause:
• Subject: malefici
• Verb: Feceruntque
• Adverbial modifier: similiter
• Means: incantationibus suis

Purpose clause:
• Introduced by ut
• Verb: educerent
• Object: sciniphes

Negative result:
• non potuerunt — they were not able

Descriptive clause:
• erantque sciniphes — gnats were
• Distribution: tam in hominibus quam in iumentis

Morphology

  1. Feceruntque — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd plural + enclitic -que; Function: main verb; Translation: and they did; Notes: narrative continuation.
  2. similiter — Lemma: similiter; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies the verb; Translation: likewise; Notes: expresses imitation.
  3. malefici — Lemma: maleficus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject; Translation: magicians; Notes: Egyptian court magicians.
  4. incantationibus — Lemma: incantatio; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural feminine; Function: means/instrument; Translation: by enchantments; Notes: magical arts.
  5. suis — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: ablative plural feminine; Function: modifies incantationibus; Translation: their; Notes: reflexive to the magicians.
  6. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces purpose clause; Translation: so that; Notes: standard volitive construction.
  7. educerent — Lemma: educo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperfect active subjunctive 3rd plural; Function: verb of purpose clause; Translation: they might bring forth; Notes: attempted replication of miracle.
  8. sciniphes — Lemma: sciniphes; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object of educerent; Translation: gnats; Notes: plague insects.
  9. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: connects clauses; Translation: and; Notes: simple connective.
  10. non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: negates verb; Translation: not; Notes: absolute failure.
  11. potuerunt — Lemma: possum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd plural perfect indicative active; Function: verb; Translation: they were able; Notes: marks magical limit.
  12. erantque — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperfect indicative active 3rd plural + -que; Function: introduces descriptive clause; Translation: and were; Notes: states condition.
  13. sciniphes — Lemma: sciniphes; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject; Translation: gnats; Notes: infestation described.
  14. tam — Lemma: tam; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: correlative with quam; Translation: both; Notes: anticipates second element.
  15. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: + ablative; Function: locative; Translation: on; Notes: marks location.
  16. hominibus — Lemma: homo; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: object of in; Translation: men; Notes: targets.
  17. quam — Lemma: quam; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: second correlative; Translation: as; Notes: completes tam–quam.
  18. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: + ablative; Function: locative; Translation: on; Notes: parallels earlier phrase.
  19. iumentis — Lemma: iumentum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural neuter; Function: object of in; Translation: beasts; Notes: domestic animals 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.
This entry was posted in Exodus. Bookmark the permalink.

Comments are closed.