Exodus 9:8

Posted on February 28, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 9:8 Et dixit Dominus ad Moysen, et Aaron: Tollite plenas manus cineris de camino, et spargat illum Moyses in cælum coram Pharaone.

And the LORD said to Moyses and Aaron: “Take handfuls of ashes from the furnace, and let Moyses scatter it toward heaven before Pharao.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Et and CONJ
2 dixit said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
3 Dominus the LORD NOM.SG.M
4 ad to PREP+ACC
5 Moysen Moses ACC.SG.M
6 et and CONJ
7 Aaron Aaron ACC.SG.M
8 Tollite take 2PL.PRES.ACT.IMP
9 plenas full ACC.PL.F
10 manus hands ACC.PL.F
11 cineris of ash GEN.SG.M
12 de from PREP+ABL
13 camino furnace ABL.SG.M
14 et and CONJ
15 spargat let … scatter 3SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
16 illum it ACC.SG.M
17 Moyses Moses NOM.SG.M
18 in into / toward PREP+ACC
19 cælum heaven ACC.SG.N
20 coram before PREP+ABL
21 Pharaone Pharaoh ABL.SG.M

Syntax

Divine Command Formula:
Et dixit Dominus ad Moysen et Aaron — “And the LORD said to Moses and Aaron”
• dixit — main verb
• ad Moysen et Aaron — indirect objects receiving the command

Imperative Instruction:
Tollite plenas manus cineris de camino — “Take handfuls of ash from the furnace”
• Tollite — plural command
• plenas manus — direct object
• cineris de camino — genitive + ablative of source

Jussive Subjunctive:
et spargat illum Moyses — “and let Moses scatter it”
• spargat — jussive subjunctive
• Moyses — subject
• illum — object (“it,” the ash)

Directional Phrase:
in cælum — “toward heaven”

Locative Setting:
coram Pharaone — “before Pharaoh”

Morphology

  1. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links narrative actions; Translation: “and”; Notes: Standard narrative connector.
  2. dixit — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: introduces divine speech; Translation: “said”; Notes: Signals a new instruction.
  3. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “the LORD”; Notes: Refers to YHWH.
  4. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: marks direction of speech; Translation: “to”; Notes: Standard in speech formulas.
  5. Moysen — Lemma: Moyses; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: indirect object; Translation: “Moses”; Notes: Latinized Hebrew name.
  6. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links Moses and Aaron; Translation: “and”; Notes: Pairs recipients of command.
  7. Aaron — Lemma: Aaron; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: indirect object; Translation: “Aaron”; Notes: Hebrew name.
  8. Tollite — Lemma: tollo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active imperative 2nd plural; Function: command; Translation: “take”; Notes: Plural command to both leaders.
  9. plenas — Lemma: plenus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: modifies manus; Translation: “full”; Notes: Describes handfuls of ash.
  10. manus — Lemma: manus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: direct object; Translation: “hands”; Notes: Fourth-declension noun.
  11. cineris — Lemma: cinis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: genitive of material; Translation: “of ash”; Notes: Specifies substance taken.
  12. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: indicates origin; Translation: “from”; Notes: Common with sources.
  13. camino — Lemma: caminus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of de; Translation: “furnace”; Notes: Likely a kiln or brick oven.
  14. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Function: connects commands; Translation: “and”; Notes: Smooth transition.
  15. spargat — Lemma: spargo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active subjunctive 3rd singular; Function: jussive; Translation: “let … scatter”; Notes: Soft command directed at Moses.
  16. illum — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object; Translation: “it”; Notes: Refers to the ash.
  17. Moyses — Lemma: Moyses; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of spargat; Translation: “Moses”; Notes: Agent performing the symbolic act.
  18. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses direction; Translation: “into / toward”; Notes: Dynamic motion upward.
  19. cælum — Lemma: cælum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of in; Translation: “heaven”; Notes: Symbolic of divine judgment.
  20. coram — Lemma: coram; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: spatial location; Translation: “before”; Notes: Indicates presence of authority figure.
  21. Pharaone — Lemma: Pharao; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of coram; Translation: “Pharaoh”; Notes: Witness to the prophetic sign.

 

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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