Exodus 9:18

Posted on February 28, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 9:18 En pluam cras hac ipsa hora grandinem multam nimis, qualis non fuit in Ægypto a die qua fundata est, usque in præsens tempus.

Behold, I will rain down tomorrow at this very hour exceedingly great hail, such as has not been in Egypt from the day it was founded until this present time.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 En behold INTERJ
2 pluam I will rain 1SG.FUT.ACT.IND
3 cras tomorrow ADV
4 hac this ABL.SG.F (DEM.ADJ)
5 ipsa very / itself ABL.SG.F (INTENS.ADJ)
6 hora hour ABL.SG.F
7 grandinem hail ACC.SG.F
8 multam much ACC.SG.F (ADJ)
9 nimis exceedingly ADV
10 qualis such as NOM.SG.F
11 non not ADV
12 fuit was 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
13 in in PREP+ABL
14 Ægypto Egypt ABL.SG.F
15 a from PREP+ABL
16 die day ABL.SG.F
17 qua on which ABL.SG.F (REL.PRO)
18 fundata founded NOM.SG.F.PERF.PASS.PPL
19 est was 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
20 usque until ADV/PREP
21 in into / to PREP+ACC
22 præsens present ACC.SG.N (ADJ)
23 tempus time ACC.SG.N

Syntax

Exclamatory Opening:
En pluam — “Behold, I will rain down”
• pluam — future indicative, divine declaration
• En — calls urgent attention to the coming plague

Temporal Modifier:
cras hac ipsa hora — “tomorrow at this very hour”
• triple ablative of time when
• hac ipsa — emphatic (“this very”)
• hora — point in time

Direct Object Phrase:
grandinem multam nimis — “exceedingly much hail”
• grandinem — object of pluam
• multam nimis — intensifiers (“very much / exceedingly”)

Relative Description:
qualis non fuit in Ægypto — “such as has not been in Egypt”
• qualis — introduces a qualitative comparison
• fuit — perfect indicative (“was”)
• in Ægypto — location of comparison

Temporal Span:
a die qua fundata est — “from the day on which it was founded”
• fundata est — periphrastic passive (“was founded”)
• Ægypto is the implied antecedent

Endpoint:
usque in præsens tempus — “until the present time”
• indicates the duration of the comparison

Morphology

  1. En — Lemma: en; Part of Speech: interjection; Form: demonstrative exclamation; Function: attention marker; Translation: “behold”; Notes: Common divine announcement marker.
  2. pluam — Lemma: pluo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative 1st singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “I will rain”; Notes: Predictive future of the coming plague.
  3. cras — Lemma: cras; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: temporal adverb; Function: specifies timing; Translation: “tomorrow”; Notes: Frequently used for next-day warnings.
  4. hac — Lemma: hic; Part of Speech: demonstrative adjective; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: modifies hora; Translation: “this”; Notes: Part of ablative of time.
  5. ipsa — Lemma: ipse; Part of Speech: intensive adjective; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: strengthens hac; Translation: “very”; Notes: Adds emphasis.
  6. hora — Lemma: hora; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: ablative of time when; Translation: “hour”; Notes: Indicates precise timing.
  7. grandinem — Lemma: grando; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object; Translation: “hail”; Notes: Refers to the destructive plague.
  8. multam — Lemma: multus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: modifies grandinem; Translation: “much”; Notes: Quantity descriptor.
  9. nimis — Lemma: nimis; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: intensifier; Function: modifies multam; Translation: “exceedingly”; Notes: Strong adverb of degree.
  10. qualis — Lemma: qualis; Part of Speech: relative adjective; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject of fuit; Translation: “such as”; Notes: Introduces comparative clause.
  11. non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: negator; Function: negates fuit; Translation: “not”; Notes: Strengthens contrast.
  12. fuit — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: main verb of relative clause; Translation: “was”; Notes: Refers to past experiences of Egypt.
  13. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: locative; Translation: “in”; Notes: Specifies location.
  14. Ægypto — Lemma: Ægyptus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of in; Translation: “Egypt”; Notes: Retains Clementine spelling with Æ.
  15. a — Lemma: a/ab; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses starting point; Translation: “from”; Notes: Marks beginning of temporal span.
  16. die — Lemma: dies; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular; Function: object of a; Translation: “day”; Notes: Ablative of time.
  17. qua — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: ablative of time with die; Translation: “on which”; Notes: Introduces relative temporal clause.
  18. fundata — Lemma: fundo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular feminine perfect passive participle; Function: agrees with Ægyptus (implied); Translation: “founded”; Notes: Describes Egypt metaphorically.
  19. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative 3rd singular; Function: auxiliary with participle; Translation: “was”; Notes: Forms perfect passive.
  20. usque — Lemma: usque; Part of Speech: adverb/preposition; Form: temporal marker; Function: indicates limit; Translation: “until”; Notes: Often used with in or ad.
  21. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses motion toward; Translation: “into / to”; Notes: Used idiomatically with tempus.
  22. præsens — Lemma: praesens; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: modifies tempus; Translation: “present”; Notes: Describes current moment.
  23. tempus — Lemma: tempus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of in; Translation: “time”; Notes: Endpoint of temporal span.

 

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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