Exodus 12:15

Posted on March 3, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Ex 12:15 Septem diebus azyma comedetis: in die primo non erit fermentum in domibus vestris: quicumque comederit fermentatum, peribit anima illa de Israel, a primo die usque ad diem septimum.

Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread; on the first day there shall not be leaven in your houses. Whoever shall eat what is leavened, that soul shall perish from Israel, from the first day until the seventh day.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Septem seven NUM.INDECL
2 diebus days ABL.PL.M
3 azyma unleavened bread ACC.PL.N
4 comedetis you shall eat 2PL.FUT.ACT.IND
5 in on PREP+ABL
6 die day ABL.SG.M
7 primo first ABL.SG.M
8 non not ADV
9 erit shall be 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND
10 fermentum leaven NOM.SG.N
11 in in PREP+ABL
12 domibus houses ABL.PL.F
13 vestris your ABL.PL.F.ADJ
14 quicumque whoever NOM.SG.M.REL/INDEF
15 comederit shall have eaten 3SG.FUTPERF.ACT.IND
16 fermentatum leavened thing ACC.SG.N
17 peribit shall perish 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND
18 anima soul NOM.SG.F
19 illa that NOM.SG.F.DEM
20 de from PREP+ABL
21 Israel Israel ABL.SG.M
22 a from PREP+ABL
23 primo first ABL.SG.M
24 die day ABL.SG.M
25 usque until PREP+ACC
26 ad to PREP+ACC
27 diem day ACC.SG.M
28 septimum seventh ACC.SG.M

Syntax

Instruction clause: Septem diebus azyma comedetis — “You shall eat unleavened bread for seven days.”
• Septem diebus = ablative of duration
• azyma = direct object
• comedetis = main verb

Prohibition clause: in die primo non erit fermentum in domibus vestris
• “on the first day there shall not be leaven in your houses”

Conditional judgment clause:
quicumque comederit fermentatum, peribit anima illa de Israel
• quicumque = subject (“whoever”)
• comederit = future perfect
• fermentatum = object
• anima illa = subject of result clause
• peribit = main verb

Temporal range:
a primo die usque ad diem septimum — “from the first day until the seventh day.”

Morphology

  1. Septem — Lemma: septem; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies diebus; Translation: “seven”; Notes: numeric duration.
  2. diebus — Lemma: dies; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: ablative of duration; Translation: “days”; Notes: temporal span.
  3. azyma — Lemma: azymum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: direct object; Translation: “unleavened bread”; Notes: liturgical food.
  4. comedetis — Lemma: comedo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative second plural; Function: main verb; Translation: “you shall eat”; Notes: ritual command.
  5. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: locative; Translation: “on”; Notes: indicates the day marking prohibition.
  6. die — Lemma: dies; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of in; Translation: “day”; Notes: temporal marker.
  7. primo — Lemma: primus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: modifies die; Translation: “first”; Notes: ordinal.
  8. non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: negation; Translation: “not”; Notes: absolute prohibition.
  9. erit — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative third singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “shall be”; Notes: expresses forbidden presence.
  10. fermentum — Lemma: fermentum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: subject; Translation: “leaven”; Notes: symbolizes impurity.
  11. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: locative; Translation: “in”; Notes: internal location.
  12. domibus — Lemma: domus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural feminine; Function: object of in; Translation: “houses”; Notes: households of Israel.
  13. vestris — Lemma: vester; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative plural feminine; Function: modifies domibus; Translation: “your”; Notes: communal instruction.
  14. quicumque — Lemma: quicumque; Part of Speech: indefinite/relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of conditional clause; Translation: “whoever”; Notes: universal application.
  15. comederit — Lemma: comedo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future perfect active indicative third singular; Function: verb of condition; Translation: “shall have eaten”; Notes: completed violation action.
  16. fermentatum — Lemma: fermentatus; Part of Speech: adjective used substantively; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object; Translation: “what is leavened”; Notes: refers to forbidden food.
  17. peribit — Lemma: pereo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative third singular; Function: main verb of result; Translation: “shall perish”; Notes: judicial penalty.
  18. anima — Lemma: anima; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject; Translation: “soul”; Notes: person’s life.
  19. illa — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: modifier of anima; Translation: “that”; Notes: specific offender.
  20. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: indicates separation; Translation: “from”; Notes: exclusion from community.
  21. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of de; Translation: “Israel”; Notes: covenant community.
  22. a — Lemma: a; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: starting point; Translation: “from”; Notes: marks beginning of range.
  23. primo — Lemma: primus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: modifies die; Translation: “first”; Notes: ordinal beginning.
  24. die — Lemma: dies; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of a; Translation: “day”; Notes: start of feast.
  25. usque — Lemma: usque; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: extent marker; Translation: “until”; Notes: duration.
  26. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: endpoint; Translation: “to”; Notes: closes range.
  27. diem — Lemma: dies; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of ad; Translation: “day”; Notes: final day.
  28. septimum — Lemma: septimus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: modifies diem; Translation: “seventh”; Notes: closing day of feast.

 

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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