Exodus 9:11

Posted on February 28, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 9:11 nec poterant malefici stare coram Moyse propter ulcera quæ in illis erant, et in omni Terra Ægypti:

and the sorcerers could not stand before Moyses because of the sores that were on them and on all the Land of Egypt.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 nec and not CONJ
2 poterant were able 3PL.IMPFT.ACT.IND
3 malefici the magicians NOM.PL.M
4 stare to stand PRES.ACT.INF
5 coram before PREP+ABL
6 Moyse Moses ABL.SG.M
7 propter because of PREP+ACC
8 ulcera sores ACC.PL.N
9 quæ which NOM.PL.N (REL)
10 in on PREP+ABL
11 illis them ABL.PL.M
12 erant were 3PL.IMPFT.ACT.IND
13 et and CONJ
14 in in PREP+ABL
15 omni all ABL.SG.F
16 Terra land ABL.SG.F
17 Ægypti of Egypt GEN.SG.F

Syntax

Negative Main Clause:
nec poterant malefici stare — “and the magicians could not stand”
• malefici — subject
• poterant — imperfect verb expressing inability
• stare — infinitive complement

Locative Phrase:
coram Moyse — “before Moses”
• Indicates presence and confrontation

Causal Phrase:
propter ulcera — “because of the sores”
• propter + acc introduces the cause

Relative Clause:
quæ in illis erant — “which were on them”
• quæ — neuter plural referring to ulcera
• erant — imperfect verb of continued state

Additional Locative:
et in omni Terra Ægypti — “and in all the land of Egypt”
• Extends the scope of the affliction

Morphology

  1. nec — Lemma: nec; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: negative coordinator; Function: negates clause; Translation: “and not”; Notes: Connects to previous narrative.
  2. poterant — Lemma: possum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperfect active indicative 3rd plural; Function: main verb; Translation: “were able”; Notes: Indicates continuous inability.
  3. malefici — Lemma: maleficus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “the magicians”; Notes: Pharaoh’s sorcerers.
  4. stare — Lemma: sto; Part of Speech: infinitive; Form: present active infinitive; Function: complement of poterant; Translation: “to stand”; Notes: Indicates inability to remain upright.
  5. coram — Lemma: coram; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: spatial relation; Translation: “before”; Notes: Indicates presence.
  6. Moyse — Lemma: Moyses; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of coram; Translation: “Moses”; Notes: Hebrew name.
  7. propter — Lemma: propter; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses cause; Translation: “because of”; Notes: Introduces reason.
  8. ulcera — Lemma: ulcus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: object of propter; Translation: “sores”; Notes: Plague lesions.
  9. quæ — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative plural neuter; Function: subject of erant; Translation: “which”; Notes: Refers to ulcers.
  10. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: location; Translation: “on”; Notes: Physical location of sores.
  11. illis — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: object of in; Translation: “them”; Notes: Refers to the magicians.
  12. erant — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperfect active indicative 3rd plural; Function: verb; Translation: “were”; Notes: Describes ongoing affliction.
  13. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Function: links additional location; Translation: “and”; Notes: Extends scope.
  14. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: locative; Translation: “in”; Notes: Geographic marker.
  15. omni — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: modifies Terra; Translation: “all”; Notes: Total extent.
  16. Terra — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of in; Translation: “land”; Notes: Refers to Egypt.
  17. Ægypti — Lemma: Ægyptus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: possessive; Translation: “of Egypt”; Notes: Specifies region.

 

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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