Exodus 8:4

Posted on February 27, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 8:4 et ad te, et ad populum tuum, et ad omnes servos tuos intrabunt ranæ.

and upon you, and upon your people, and upon all your servants the frogs shall enter.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 et and CONJ
2 ad to / upon PREP+ACC
3 te you ACC.SG.PRON
4 et and CONJ
5 ad to / upon PREP+ACC
6 populum people ACC.SG.M
7 tuum your ACC.SG.M.POSS
8 et and CONJ
9 ad to / upon PREP+ACC
10 omnes all ACC.PL.M
11 servos servants ACC.PL.M
12 tuos your ACC.PL.M.POSS
13 intrabunt shall enter 3PL.FUT.ACT.IND
14 ranæ frogs NOM.PL.F

Syntax

Main Clause:
intrabunt ranæ — Subject: ranæ; Verb: intrabunt.

Prepositional Phrases (targets of the frogs’ entry):
• ad te — “upon you,” accusative of direction toward a person.
• ad populum tuum — “upon your people,” extending the plague to the whole nation.
• ad omnes servos tuos — “upon all your servants,” the royal court and administrators.

The syntax piles three parallel ad + accusative structures before the verb to emphasize the breadth of the invasion.

Morphology

  1. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: begins the series of coordinated phrases; Translation: and; Notes: linking connector.
  2. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces first target; Translation: to / upon; Notes: directional preposition.
  3. te — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular; Function: object of ad; Translation: you; Notes: refers directly to Pharaoh.
  4. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: links parallel phrase; Translation: and; Notes: structural repetition.
  5. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces second target; Translation: to / upon; Notes: sets directional force.
  6. populum — Lemma: populus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of ad; Translation: people; Notes: collective singular.
  7. tuum — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: modifies populum; Translation: your; Notes: refers to Pharaoh’s nation.
  8. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: links third directional phrase; Translation: and; Notes: continuing list.
  9. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces third target; Translation: to / upon; Notes: directional usage.
  10. omnes — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: modifies servos; Translation: all; Notes: inclusive and distributive.
  11. servos — Lemma: servus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object of ad; Translation: servants; Notes: refers to Pharaoh’s officials.
  12. tuos — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: modifies servos; Translation: your; Notes: stresses Pharaoh’s entire administrative body.
  13. intrabunt — Lemma: intro; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person plural future active indicative; Function: main verb of the sentence; Translation: shall enter; Notes: future indicative marking the impending plague.
  14. ranæ — Lemma: rana; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural feminine; Function: subject of intrabunt; Translation: frogs; Notes: the agents of the plague.

 

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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