Exodus 12:8

Posted on March 3, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 12:8 Et edent carnes nocte illa assas igni, et azymos panes cum lactucis agrestibus.

And they shall eat the meat on that night, roasted by fire, and unleavened breads with wild lettuce.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Et and CONJ
2 edent they shall eat 3PL.FUT.ACT.IND
3 carnes meat ACC.PL.F
4 nocte night ABL.SG.F
5 illa that ABL.SG.F.DEM
6 assas roasted ACC.PL.F.PPP
7 igni by fire ABL.SG.M
8 et and CONJ
9 azymos unleavened ACC.PL.M
10 panes breads ACC.PL.M
11 cum with PREP+ABL
12 lactucis lettuce ABL.PL.F
13 agrestibus wild ABL.PL.F

Syntax

Main Clause: edent carnes — “they shall eat the meat,” with edent as verbal head and carnes direct object.
Temporal Phrase: nocte illa — ablative of time, “on that night.”
Participial Modifier: assas igni — perfect passive participle with ablative of means (“roasted by fire”), modifying carnes.
Coordinated Object: azymos panes — second food element, linked by et.
Prepositional Phrase: cum lactucis agrestibus — “with wild lettuce,” specifying accompanying bitter herbs.

Morphology

  1. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: connects ritual directives; Translation: “and”; Notes: additive coordination.
  2. edent — Lemma: edo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative third plural; Function: main verb; Translation: “they shall eat”; Notes: expresses Passover requirement.
  3. carnes — Lemma: caro; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: direct object of edent; Translation: “meat”; Notes: specifically the lamb’s flesh.
  4. nocte — Lemma: nox; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: temporal ablative; Translation: “night”; Notes: night of Passover.
  5. illa — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: demonstrative adjective/pronoun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: modifies nocte; Translation: “that”; Notes: points to a specific, decreed night.
  6. assas — Lemma: asso; Part of Speech: participle; Form: accusative plural feminine, perfect passive participle; Function: modifies carnes; Translation: “roasted”; Notes: stipulates cooking method.
  7. igni — Lemma: ignis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: ablative of means; Translation: “by fire”; Notes: excludes boiling per Exodus regulations.
  8. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: links food elements; Translation: “and”; Notes: simple additive.
  9. azymos — Lemma: azymus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: modifies panes; Translation: “unleavened”; Notes: describes ritual bread.
  10. panes — Lemma: panis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object of edent in second coordinated object; Translation: “breads”; Notes: unleavened breads mandatory for Passover.
  11. cum — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces accompaniment; Translation: “with”; Notes: expresses accompanying ritual food.
  12. lactucis — Lemma: lactuca; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural feminine; Function: object of cum; Translation: “lettuce”; Notes: represents bitter herbs.
  13. agrestibus — Lemma: agrestis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative plural feminine; Function: modifies lactucis; Translation: “wild”; Notes: refers to bitter, uncultivated herbs.

 

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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