Exodus 9:5

Posted on February 28, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 9:5 Constituitque Dominus tempus, dicens: Cras faciet Dominus verbum istud in terra.

And the LORD appointed a time, saying: “Tomorrow the LORD will do this word in the land.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Constituitque and appointed 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND + ENCLITIC
2 Dominus the LORD NOM.SG.M
3 tempus a time ACC.SG.N
4 dicens saying NOM.SG.M.PRES.ACT.PPL
5 Cras tomorrow ADV
6 faciet will do 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND
7 Dominus the LORD NOM.SG.M
8 verbum word ACC.SG.N
9 istud this ACC.SG.N (DEM)
10 in in PREP+ABL
11 terra the land ABL.SG.F

Syntax

Main Clause:
Constituitque Dominus tempus — “And the LORD appointed a time.”
• Constituitque — main verb with enclitic -que
• Dominus — subject
• tempus — direct object

Participial Modifier:
dicens — “saying,” introduces direct speech
• Participial phrase explaining how the time was “appointed”

Direct Speech:
Cras faciet Dominus verbum istud — “Tomorrow the LORD will do this word”
• faciet — future active
• verbum istud — object of the action
• Cras — temporal adverb
• Dominus — repeated for emphasis

Locative Phrase:
in terra — specifies where the action will occur

Morphology

  1. Constituitque — Lemma: constituo; Part of Speech: verb + enclitic; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd singular + -que; Function: main verb; Translation: “and appointed”; Notes: -que links the action to the preceding narrative.
  2. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “the LORD”; Notes: Refers to YHWH.
  3. tempus — Lemma: tempus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object; Translation: “time”; Notes: Indicates appointed moment for the plague.
  4. dicens — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular masculine present active participle; Function: introduces direct speech; Translation: “saying”; Notes: Modifies Dominus.
  5. Cras — Lemma: cras; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: temporal adverb; Function: sets time; Translation: “tomorrow”; Notes: Common in prophetic announcements.
  6. faciet — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative 3rd singular; Function: main verb of quotation; Translation: “will do”; Notes: Predictive divine action.
  7. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of faciet; Translation: “the LORD”; Notes: Repetition underscores authority.
  8. verbum — Lemma: verbum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object; Translation: “word”; Notes: Means matter, event, or decree.
  9. istud — Lemma: iste; Part of Speech: demonstrative; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: modifies verbum; Translation: “this”; Notes: Often refers to something imminent.
  10. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: locative; Translation: “in”; Notes: Static location.
  11. terra — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: complement of in; Translation: “the land”; Notes: Refers to 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.
This entry was posted in Exodus. Bookmark the permalink.

Comments are closed.