Exodus 9:23

Posted on February 28, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 9:23 Extenditque Moyses virgam in cælum, et Dominus dedit tonitrua, et grandinem, ac discurrentia fulgura super terram: pluitque Dominus grandinem super Terram Ægypti.

And Moyses stretched out the rod toward heaven, and the LORD gave thunders and hail, and flashing lightnings running upon the earth, and the LORD rained hail upon the Land of Egypt.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Extenditque and he stretched out V.IND.PERF.ACT.3SG+ENCL
2 Moyses Moses N.MASC.SG.NOM
3 virgam rod N.FEM.SG.ACC
4 in toward PREP+ACC
5 cælum heaven N.NEUT.SG.ACC
6 et and CONJ
7 Dominus the LORD N.MASC.SG.NOM
8 dedit gave V.IND.PERF.ACT.3SG
9 tonitrua thunders N.NEUT.PL.ACC
10 et and CONJ
11 grandinem hail N.FEM.SG.ACC
12 ac and CONJ
13 discurrentia running PART.NEUT.PL.ACC
14 fulgura flashes N.NEUT.PL.ACC
15 super upon PREP+ACC
16 terram earth N.FEM.SG.ACC
17 pluitque and he rained V.IND.PERF.ACT.3SG+ENCL
18 Dominus the LORD N.MASC.SG.NOM
19 grandinem hail N.FEM.SG.ACC
20 super upon PREP+ACC
21 Terram land N.FEM.SG.ACC
22 Ægypti of Egypt N.FEM.SG.GEN

Syntax

Clause 1: Extenditque Moyses virgam in cælum — Moses performs the ritual gesture; Moyses is subject, virgam is object, in cælum expresses direction.
Clause 2: et Dominus dedit tonitrua, et grandinem, ac discurrentia fulgura — the LORD provides thunder, hail, and running flashes; coordinated objects follow the verb.
Locative Phrase: super terram — describes where the lightning flashes are occurring.
Clause 3: pluitque Dominus grandinem super Terram Ægypti — the LORD rains hail on Egypt; Dominus again subject.
Stylistic: The -que enclitic on Extenditque and pluitque ties actions tightly into narrative flow.

Morphology

  1. Extenditque — Lemma: extendo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative third person singular with enclitic -que; Function: main verb of the first clause; Translation: “and he stretched out”; Notes: -que links this action to what follows.
  2. Moyses — Lemma: Moyses; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of Extenditque; Translation: “Moses”; Notes: primary agent of the ritual gesture.
  3. virgam — Lemma: virga; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object; Translation: “rod”; Notes: symbolizes delegated authority.
  4. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses direction; Translation: “toward”; Notes: directional accusative usage.
  5. cælum — Lemma: cælum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of in; Translation: “heaven”; Notes: indicates direction of gesture.
  6. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating conjunction; Function: joins clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: narrative connector.
  7. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of dedit; Translation: “the LORD”; Notes: denotes YHWH.
  8. dedit — Lemma: do; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative third person singular; Function: verb describing divine action; Translation: “gave”; Notes: indicates sudden onset of the storm elements.
  9. tonitrua — Lemma: tonitruum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: object of dedit; Translation: “thunders”; Notes: first of the storm components.
  10. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: adds another object; Translation: “and”; Notes: joins storm elements.
  11. grandinem — Lemma: grando; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: second object of dedit; Translation: “hail”; Notes: primary destructive element.
  12. ac — Lemma: ac; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: copulative conjunction; Function: adds a final coordinated item; Translation: “and”; Notes: slightly stronger than et.
  13. discurrentia — Lemma: discurro; Part of Speech: participle; Form: accusative plural neuter present active participle; Function: modifies fulgura; Translation: “running”; Notes: describes motion of lightning.
  14. fulgura — Lemma: fulgur; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: object in series; Translation: “flashes”; Notes: vivid depiction of storm.
  15. super — Lemma: super; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: locative; Translation: “upon”; Notes: marks area of lightning activity.
  16. terram — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of super; Translation: “earth”; Notes: general land area.
  17. pluitque — Lemma: pluo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative third person singular with enclitic -que; Function: introduces second divine action; Translation: “and he rained”; Notes: -que tightly links to previous clause.
  18. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of pluitque; Translation: “the LORD”; Notes: repeated for emphasis.
  19. grandinem — Lemma: grando; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of pluit; Translation: “hail”; Notes: emphasizes destructive force.
  20. super — Lemma: super; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: locative; Translation: “upon”; Notes: introduces final target area.
  21. Terram — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of super; Translation: “land”; Notes: specifically refers to Egypt in next word.
  22. Ægypti — Lemma: Ægyptus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: genitive modifier of Terram; Translation: “of Egypt”; Notes: locates the destructive hail specifically in Egypt.

 

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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