Exodus 9:26

Posted on February 28, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 9:26 Tantum in Terra Gessen, ubi erant filii Israel, grando non cecidit.

Only in the land of Gessen, where the sons of Israel were, the hail did not fall.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Tantum only ADV
2 in in PREP+ABL
3 Terra land N.FEM.SG.ABL
4 Gessen Goshen N.PROP.FEM.SG.ABL
5 ubi where REL.ADV
6 erant were V.IND.IMPF.ACT.3PL
7 filii sons N.MASC.PL.NOM
8 Israel Israel N.PROP.MASC.SG.GEN
9 grando hail N.FEM.SG.NOM
10 non not ADV
11 cecidit fell V.IND.PERF.ACT.3SG

Syntax

Adverbial Restriction: Tantum limits the statement to one location: “only.”
Locative Phrase: in Terra Gessen gives the sole area spared from the plague.
Relative Clause: ubi erant filii Israel identifies Goshen as the dwelling place of the Israelites.
— filii Israel is the subject of erant.
Main Clause: grando non cecidit — subject grando, verb cecidit, negated by non.
Overall: The structure contrasts Goshen with the devastated Egyptian territory, highlighting divine distinction and protection.

Morphology

  1. Tantum — Lemma: tantum; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: restricts the statement; Translation: “only”; Notes: emphasizes the exception of Goshen.
  2. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces location; Translation: “in”; Notes: stable locative use.
  3. Terra — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of in; Translation: “land”; Notes: refers to the region of Goshen.
  4. Gessen — Lemma: Gessen; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: modifies Terra; Translation: “Goshen”; Notes: area inhabited by the Israelites.
  5. ubi — Lemma: ubi; Part of Speech: relative adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces a relative clause; Translation: “where”; Notes: links Goshen to its occupants.
  6. erant — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperfect active indicative third person plural; Function: finite verb of relative clause; Translation: “were”; Notes: describes ongoing habitation.
  7. filii — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject of erant; Translation: “sons”; Notes: collective for the Israelite people.
  8. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: genitive modifier of filii; Translation: “of Israel”; Notes: standard biblical usage.
  9. grando — Lemma: grando; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject of cecidit; Translation: “hail”; Notes: repeated as subject across plague narrative.
  10. non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: negation particle; Translation: “not”; Notes: negates the falling of the hail.
  11. cecidit — Lemma: cado; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative third person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “fell”; Notes: perfect tense portrays a completed non-occurrence.

 

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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