Exodus 12:5

Posted on March 3, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 12:5 Erit autem agnus absque macula, masculus, anniculus: iuxta quem ritum tolletis et hœdum.

But the lamb shall be without blemish, a male, one year old; according to the same rite you shall also take a kid.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Erit shall be 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND
2 autem however ADV
3 agnus lamb NOM.SG.M
4 absque without PREP+ABL
5 macula blemish ABL.SG.F
6 masculus male NOM.SG.M
7 anniculus one-year-old NOM.SG.M
8 iuxta according to PREP+ACC
9 quem which ACC.SG.M.REL
10 ritum rite ACC.SG.M
11 tolletis you shall take 2PL.FUT.ACT.IND
12 et and CONJ
13 hœdum a kid ACC.SG.M

Syntax

Main Clause: Erit agnus — “the lamb shall be,” with agnus as subject and Erit as the future copula.
Predicate Nominatives: absque macula (prepositional phrase), masculus, and anniculus all describing the lamb.
Second Clause: iuxta quem ritum tolletis et hœdum — “according to which rite you shall also take a kid,” with quem referring back to the lamb’s ritual selection criteria or procedure.
Prepositional Phrase: iuxta quem ritum — expresses standard or conformity.
Main Verb of Second Clause: tolletis with object hœdum.

Morphology

  1. Erit — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future indicative third singular; Function: copular verb; Translation: “shall be”; Notes: establishes prescriptive requirement.
  2. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: adds contrastive nuance; Translation: “however”; Notes: postpositive connective.
  3. agnus — Lemma: agnus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of Erit; Translation: “lamb”; Notes: Passover lamb being described.
  4. absque — Lemma: absque; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: denotes exclusion; Translation: “without”; Notes: classical and biblical usage.
  5. macula — Lemma: macula; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of absque; Translation: “blemish”; Notes: ritual purity requirement.
  6. masculus — Lemma: masculus; Part of Speech: adjective/noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: predicate adjective; Translation: “male”; Notes: second required characteristic of the lamb.
  7. anniculus — Lemma: anniculus; Part of Speech: adjective/noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: predicate adjective; Translation: “one-year-old”; Notes: specifies age for ritual conformity.
  8. iuxta — Lemma: iuxta; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses conformity/standard; Translation: “according to”; Notes: sets ritual guideline.
  9. quem — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of iuxta; Translation: “which”; Notes: refers to the ritus associated with lamb selection.
  10. ritum — Lemma: ritus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of iuxta; Translation: “rite”; Notes: ceremonial procedure.
  11. tolletis — Lemma: tollo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative second plural; Function: main verb addressing Israelites; Translation: “you shall take”; Notes: directive parallel to lamb selection.
  12. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: coordination; Translation: “and”; Notes: adds alternative offering.
  13. hœdum — Lemma: hœdus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of tolletis; Translation: “a kid”; Notes: goat-kid acceptable as substitute for lamb.

 

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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