IN MEDIAS RES: As the story begins, the Israelites are working as slaves in Egypt. The Pharaoh is anxious about their increasing numbers.
| praecepit
autem Pharao omni populo suo dicens "quicquid masculini sexus natum fuerit, in flumen proicite; quicquid feminei, reservate." |
autem: postpositive |
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what command does Pharaoh issue about new-born male children? what about the girls? |
| egressus est post haec vir de domo Levi, accepta uxore stirpis suae quae concepit et peperit filium, |
egressus est: s.v. egredior |
| who gave birth to a son? | |
| et videns eum elegantem abscondit tribus mensibus |
videns...abscondit: participle
with verb tribus mensibus: ablative for duration of time |
| who do you think is the subject of the verb "abscondit": is it the vir? or the uxor? | |
| cumque iam celare non posset sumpsit fiscellam scirpeam et linivit eam bitumine ac pice |
cum ... non posset: cum + subjunctive |
 |
what happened when the child could be hidden no longer? |
| posuitque intus infantulum et exposuit eum in carecto ripae fluminis, |
intus: adverb fluminis: s.v. flumen |
| where was the baby left? | |
| stante procul sorore eius et considerante eventum rei. |
stante sorore: ablative
absolute considerante (sorore): ablative absolute rei: genitive singular (5th declension noun) |
| who stood by when the baby was left in the reeds? | |
| ecce autem descendebat filia Pharaonis ut lavaretur in flumine et puellae eius gradiebantur per crepidinem alvei, |
autem: postpositive |
 |
who came down to the river to bathe? |
| quae cum vidisset fiscellam in papyrione misit unam e famulis suis |
cum vidisset: cum + subjunctive
|
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what did the Pharaoh's daughter do when she saw the small basket? |
| et adlatam aperiens cernensque in ea parvulum vagientem miserta eius ait "de infantibus Hebraeorum est." |
aperiens/cernens/miserta...ait: participles
with verb cernens in ea = in ea fiscella |
 |
how did the Pharaoh's daughter react when she saw the crying baby in the basket? |
| cui soror pueri "vis" inquit "ut vadam et vocem tibi hebraeam mulierem quae nutrire possit infantulum?" |
cui: relative pronoun
at "beginning" of sentence (filiae Pharaonis) mulierem: s.v. mulier |
| what did the baby's sister offer to do? | |
| respondit "vade." | respondit = filia Pharaonis respondit |
| how did the Pharaoh's daughter respond to this offer? | |
perrexit puella |
perrexit: s.v. pergo puella = soror pueri |
| what did the girl do? | |
| ad quam locuta filia Pharaonis "accipe" ait "puerum istum et nutri mihi; ego tibi dabo mercedem tuam." |
ad quam: relative
pronoun at "beginning" of sentence (matrem) mercedem: s.v. merces |
| what did the Pharaoh's daughter ask the baby's mother to do? | |
| suscepit mulier et nutrivit puerum |
suscepit: s.v. suscipio |
| what did the baby's mother do? | |
| adultumque tradidit filiae Pharaonis quem illa adoptavit in locum filii. |
adultum tradidit: puerum adultum traditit (when he was grown, she handed him over...) quem: relative pronun (antecedent is puer) |
| what happened when the woman gave the grown child back to Pharaoh's daughter? |
